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.
National median · BLS
$44,910
▲ +7.98%YoY
H-1B sponsor median
—
Too few H-1B filings
Average salary · BLS
$45,690
Mean annual wage
U.S. employment
35,520
Jobs (BLS)
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Pay range for Psychiatric Aides
Annual base pay at each percentile. BLS covers all U.S. workers in this occupation.
Percentile
All U.S. workers (BLS)
10th — entry pay
$32,090
25th
$37,750
Median (50th)
$44,910
75th
$49,950
90th — top pay
$60,440
Hourly ⇄ annual pay
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Monthly—
Every 2 weeks—
Weekly—
Daily—
Based on
hrs/week ×
weeks/year
= 2,080 hrs
Projections 2025–2035
Job outlook for Psychiatric Aides
BLS projects employment of psychiatric aides to grow 1.9% from 2025 to 2035, slower than the 3.5% average for all occupations.
About 4,900 openings are projected each year, on average, from new jobs and from replacing workers who retire or move to other occupations.
Jobs 2025 → 2035
36,900 → 37,600
+700 jobs
Projected change
+1.9%
All occupations: +3.5%
Openings per year
4,900
Average, 2025–2035
Typical entry education
High school diploma or equivalent
No related experience required
On-the-job training
Short-term on-the-job training
Self-employed
0.3% of workers (2025)
Preparation needed (O*NET Job Zone 2)
Very Little to Some Preparation Needed. Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.
Highlighted = in demand: frequently listed in employer job postings for this occupation (O*NET).
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.
About the job
What psychiatric aides 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.
Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.
Maintain patients' restrictions to assigned areas.
Organize, supervise, or encourage patient participation in social, educational, or recreational activities.
Also called
Mental Health Worker (MHW)Psychiatric AideResidential Care Tech (Residential Care Technician)Therapeutic Program Worker (TPW)Developmental AideMental Health Aide (MHA)Psychiatric AssistantPsychiatric Nursing AideQualified Medication Aide (QMA)Resident Care Technician (Resident Care Tech)
More job titles for this occupation (22)
Behavior AideBehavior AssistantBehavior Intervention AssistantBehavior Support AssistantBehavioral AideBehavioral AssistantBehavioral Health AssistantBHA (Behavioral Health Aide)BHA (Behavioral Health Associate)Charge AideCharge AttendantClinical AssistantDirect Care WorkerHealth Service WorkerMental Health AssistantMental Health AssociateMental Health OrderlyMental Health Program AssistantNeuropsychiatric AidePsychiatric AttendantPsychiatric OrderlyPsychiatric Technician Assistant (Psychiatric Tech Assistant)
Source: O*NET 31.0 (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0). These are general job titles, not H-1B filings; for titles employers actually filed, see “Job titles” above.
Similar jobs and how they pay
Occupations O*NET lists as closely related to Psychiatric Aides, with BLS national medians compared with this occupation's $44,910.
