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.
Sample of reported job titles:
Behavioral Health Technician, Health Care Technician, Licensed Psychiatric Technician (LPT), Mental Health Assistant (MHA), Mental Health Associate, Mental Health Specialist, Mental Health Technician (MHT), Mental Health Worker, Psychiatric Technician (PT), Residential Aide (RA)
Occupation-Specific Information
Tasks
- Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
- Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded patients.
- Observe and influence patients' behavior, communicating and interacting with them and teaching, counseling, or befriending them.
- Take and record measures of patients' physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges.
- Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
Technology Skills
- Inventory management software:InfoLogix HealthTrax Engine
- Medical software:ADL Data Systems OptimumClinicals Electronic Health Record,Allscripts Sunrise,Cerner ProFile,Epic EpicCare Inpatient Clinical System,GE Healthcare Centricity EMR,ICANotes,MEDITECH Behavioral Health Clinicals,Netsmart Technologies Avatar Clinical Workstation CWS
- Office suite software:Microsoft Office
- Spreadsheet software:Microsoft Excel
- Word processing software:Microsoft Word
Occupational Requirements
Work Activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others:Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates:Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
- Documenting/Recording Information:Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
- Getting Information:Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Making Decisions and Solving Problems:Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Detailed Work Activities
- Administer intravenous medications.
- Administer non-intravenous medications.
- Assist healthcare practitioners during examinations or treatments.
- Assist patients with hygiene or daily living activities.
- Care for patients with mental illnesses.
Work Context
- Contact With Others:91% responded"Constant contact with others"
- Face-to-Face Discussions:82% responded"Every day"
- Work With Work Group or Team:82% responded"Extremely important"
- Indoors, Environmentally Controlled:82% responded"Every day"
- Exposed to Disease or Infections:79% responded"Every day"
Worker Requirements
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness:Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
- Speaking:Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- 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.
- Monitoring:Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
- Reading Comprehension:Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work-related documents.
Knowledge
- Psychology:Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
- Therapy and Counseling:Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
- Customer and Personal Service:Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Public Safety and Security:Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions.
- English Language:Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
Education
How much education does a new hire need to perform a job in this occupation? Respondents said:
- 9%Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.
Worker Characteristics
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension:The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Oral Expression:The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Problem Sensitivity:The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
- Deductive Reasoning:The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
- Inductive Reasoning:The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
Interests
- Social:Social occupations frequently involve working with, communicating with, and teaching people. These occupations often involve helping or providing service to others.
- Enterprising:Enterprising occupations frequently involve starting up and carrying out projects. These occupations can involve leading people and making many decisions. Sometimes they require risk taking and often deal with business.
- Realistic:Realistic occupations frequently involve work activities that include practical, hands-on problems and solutions. They often deal with plants, animals, and real-world materials like wood, tools, and machinery. Many of the occupations require working outside, and do not involve a lot of paperwork or working closely with others.
Work Values
- Relationships:Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to provide service to others and work with co-workers in a friendly non-competitive environment. Corresponding needs are Co-workers, Moral Values and Social Service.
- Support:Occupations that satisfy this work value offer supportive management that stands behind employees. Corresponding needs are Company Policies, Supervision: Human Relations and Supervision: Technical.
- Independence:Occupations that satisfy this work value allow employees to work on their own and make decisions. Corresponding needs are Creativity, Responsibility and Autonomy.
Work Styles
- Concern for Others:Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
- Stress Tolerance:Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
- Adaptability/Flexibility:Job requires being open to change (positive or negative) and to considerable variety in the workplace.
- Self-Control:Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
- Dependability:Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
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