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Psychiatric Technicians

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.

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A look at the work

  • Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
  • Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
  • Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
  • Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
  • Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
  • Take and record measures of patients' physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges.
  • Observe and influence patients' behavior, communicating and interacting with them and teaching, counseling, or befriending them.
  • Aid patients in performing tasks, such as bathing or keeping beds, clothing, or living areas clean.

A selection of source-listed tasks; duties vary by role and employer.

Interests involved in this work

These source scores describe occupational work activities. They are separate from your personal test results.

Hands-on

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.3 / 7

Investigative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

4.6 / 7

Creative

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

2.1 / 7

Helping people

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

6.9 / 7

Enterprising

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

1.5 / 7

Organizing

2026-02 · Machine Learning/Expert

3.5 / 7

Skills to explore

Source-reported importance on a 1–5 scale. Try a course, project or conversation to learn what these skills involve.

Social Perceptiveness

Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.

2023-08

4.1 / 5

Active Listening

Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

2023-08

4.0 / 5

Monitoring

Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.

2023-08

4.0 / 5

Speaking

Talking to others to convey information effectively.

2023-08

3.9 / 5

Coordination

Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.

2023-08

3.9 / 5

Reading Comprehension

Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.

2023-08

3.8 / 5

Critical Thinking

Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions, or approaches to problems.

2023-08

3.6 / 5

Service Orientation

Actively looking for ways to help people.

2023-08

3.6 / 5

Writing

Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.

2023-08

3.3 / 5

Instructing

Teaching others how to do something.

2023-08

3.3 / 5

Plan a small next step

Talk to someone doing this work, look for a supervised activity, and explore the subjects that interest you. Admission, licensing and current program requirements should be confirmed with the relevant institutions.

Source preparation category: Job Zone 3 of 5 · 2023-08. This category describes typical preparation, not your eligibility.

Related study fields

Source crosswalk connections are research leads, not required qualifications.

Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician →

Explore all related study fields →

Source & methodology

O*NET-SOC code 29-2053.00 · Database 31.0 · Retrieved Oct 14, 2026. Dates on individual observations describe their source periods.

How interest exploration matching works →

Data: O*NET® 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration. Used under CC BY 4.0. StudyIndex normalizes the presentation and adds exploration features; USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions.