Psychiatric Aides
Also called: Mental Health Worker (MHW), Residential Counselor, Mental Health Technician (MHT), Psychiatric Aide
What they do:
Assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients, working under direction of nursing and medical staff. May assist with daily living activities, lead patients in educational and recreational activities, or accompany patients to and from examinations and treatments. May restrain violent patients. Includes psychiatric orderlies.
On the job, you would:
- Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.
- Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.
- Maintain patients' restrictions to assigned areas.
Knowledge
Math and Science
- psychology
- sociology and anthropology
Health
- therapy and counseling
- medicine and dentistry
Safety and Government
- public safety and security
Business
- customer service
Skills
Basic Skills
- listening to others, not interrupting, and asking good questions
- talking to others
Social
- understanding people's reactions
- looking for ways to help people
Abilities
Verbal
- listen and understand what people say
- communicate by speaking
Ideas and Logic
- notice when problems happen
- use rules to solve problems
Attention
- pay attention to something without being distracted
Personality
People interested in this work like activities that include
helping people, teaching, and talking.
helping people, teaching, and talking.
They do well at jobs that need:
- Self Control
- Stress Tolerance
- Concern for Others
- Social Orientation
- Dependability
- Adaptability/Flexibility
Technology
You might use software like this on the job:
Spreadsheet software
- Microsoft Excel
Electronic mail software
- Email software
Word processing software
- Microsoft Word
Education
![Education: (rated 2 of 5)](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120921050356im_/http://www.mynextmove.org/image/hi_ed2.png)
high school diploma or
some college
usually needed
some college
usually needed
Job Outlook
![Average Outlook](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120921050356im_/http://www.mynextmove.org/image/outlook1.png)
New job opportunities are likely in the future.
![Salary](https://webarchive.library.unt.edu/web/20120921050356im_/http://www.mynextmove.org/image/hi_sal.png)
$25,170
per year, on average
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