Career
Psychiatric aides
Care for patients in psychiatric hospitals and units.
$44,910
Median pay
+1.9%
Job growth, 2025–35
4,900
Openings a year
High school diploma or equivalent
Typical education
None required
Typical time after high school
Here's what you actually need to know.
The work
What people in this job do
- Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.
- Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.
- Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
- Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
- Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.
The outlook
How the forecast changed this year
The deeper question
What kind of person does this path ask you to become?
What this work centers on
O*NET interest profile, scored 1–7.
The work
Do you want most of your days spent on people & care, then ideas & analysis?
Responsibility
Are you willing to be the one responsible for this?
“Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.”
Development
What would you need to build over the next 5–10 years?
Service Orientation, Social Perceptiveness, Speaking, Active Listening.
Trade-offs
What does it ask of you in exchange?
No degree beyond high school, though short-term on-the-job training is typical, for a median of $44,910 a year and 4,900 openings nationally each year.
Paths in
Degrees that lead here
- Psychiatric/Mental Health Services TechnicianCIP 51.1502
- Health AideCIP 51.2601
Paths across
Careers that use similar skills
- Psychiatric Technicians$45,130 · +22.3%
- Physical Therapist Aides$35,240 · +4.0%
- Occupational Therapy Aides$39,160 · +3.6%
- Home Health Aides
- Occupational Therapy Assistants$72,300 · +21.5%
Ask anything about this career.
“Would this make sense if I don't want to sit at a desk all day?” Answers will come from the sources on this page, with citations. Coming soon.
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Sources
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–35, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- BLS Employment Projections, 2024–34 (archived), U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- O*NET 31.0 Database (August 2026), National Center for O*NET Development / U.S. Department of Labor. Retrieved 2026-10-01.
- CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 Crosswalk, NCES and BLS. Retrieved 2026-10-01.