Psychiatric Aides

Pay and outlook

Median annual wage, May 2025

$44,910

Half earn more, half earn less

Middle half earn

$37,750 – $49,950

25th to 75th percentile

People employed, May 2025

35,520

Wage and salary jobs (OEWS)

Projected change, 2025–35

+1.9%

Growing slower than all jobs (0% to under 3.5%)

Openings a year (projected)

4,900

New jobs plus replacing people who leave

Typical education to enter

High school diploma or equivalent

BLS

• All figures are for the United States as a whole. Pay varies a lot by state and city.
• Wages are for everyone working in the occupation in May 2025, at every career stage. They are not starting salaries or figures for new graduates.
• Growth and openings are BLS projections for 2025–35. They are estimates, not promises. Openings include jobs that open up when people retire or change occupation, not just new jobs.

What the work involves

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.

Main tasks

• 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.

Description and tasks from the O*NET® 31.0 Database.

Getting in

Typical education to enter (BLS)

High school diploma or equivalent

Training once hired: short-term on-the-job training

O*NET Job Zone 1–2

Little to some preparation

Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not.

Fields of study that lead here

From the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk, which links 2 programmes to this occupation. A link means the programme prepares people for this kind of work. It doesn't mean the programme is required, or that it's the only route.

Related careers

Related occupations from the O*NET database, in its order.

• Psychiatric Technicians

  $45,130 median · +22.3% projected

• Physical Therapist Aides

  $35,240 median · +4% projected

• Occupational Therapy Aides

  $39,160 median · +3.6% projected

• Home Health Aides

  $35,800 median · +18.1% projected

• Occupational Therapy Assistants

  $72,300 median · +21.5% projected

• Physical Therapist Assistants

  $68,380 median · +23% projected