Headline risk
0%
Very Low RiskPsychiatric technicians
United States AI Work Index tracks this occupation on the shared structural baseline and then layers on local demand resilience, wages, and confidence.
Why This Score
Share of job tasks that overlap with current AI capabilities
Median annual wage
Projected employment change over 10 years
Typical preparation needed for this occupation
Occupation profile
Care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners. Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report to medical staff. May participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs, help with personal hygiene, and administer oral or injectable medications.
Task evidence
86% weighted task match · 0% effective coverage
Scores combine AI task overlap, human advantages, and local demand. How it works
United States Now
Median Wage
USD 42,590
Employment 2024
144.5K
Projected Change (2024–34)
20.0%
Openings (2024–34)
15.9K
Wage distribution
Demand outlook
Overall employment of psychiatric technicians and aides is projected to grow 16 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Role Profile
Tasks
- 1. Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships. AI use: 0%
- 2. Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff. AI use: 0%
- 3. Observe and influence patients' behavior, communicating and interacting with them and teaching, counseling, or befriending them. AI use: 0%
- 4. Collaborate with or assist doctors, psychologists, or rehabilitation therapists in working with patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities to treat, rehabilitate, and return patients to the community.
- 5. Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required. AI use: 0%
- 6. Develop or teach strategies to promote client wellness and independence. AI use: 0%
Technologies
Requirements
Work context
Worker profile
Median age 32.7 · 142K employed
Under 25: 25% · 25–54: 63% · 55+: 12%
Related
Source coverage
11/11 source families · O*NET 30.2 / OEWS 2024 / ORS 2025 / OOH 2025-08-28 / Projections 2024-34 / CPS 2025 / Anthropic task penetration
Mapping quality
title_match · employment series present
Narrative & sources
Psychiatric technicians and aides care for people who have mental conditions or developmental disabilities.
Psychiatric technicians and aides work primarily in healthcare settings, such as psychiatric hospitals and residential mental health facilities. The work may be physically demanding, and technicians and aides risk injury on the job. Most are full time, but part-time work is common; schedules may include nights, weekends, or holidays in facilities that are open 24 hours.
To enter the occupation, psychiatric technicians typically need a postsecondary certificate, and aides need at least a high school diploma or equivalent. Some states require technicians to be licensed. Both technicians and aides get on-the-job training.
The median annual wage for psychiatric aides was $41,590 in May 2024.
Overall employment of psychiatric technicians and aides is projected to grow 16 percent from 2024 to 2034, much faster than the average for all occupations.
Published limitations
This page shows the local country layer, not realised individual job outcomes. The global structural baseline is shared across countries; only the local demand and wage layer changes here.
Built from O*NET occupation descriptions, task statements, technology skills, work context, Job Zones, Anthropic task penetration, BLS OEWS wages, BLS projection tables, BLS ORS requirements, BLS OOH narrative content, BLS skills data, and BLS CPS occupation age tables.