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.
156,960 people do this job in the US. $45,130 a year.
of the working time. Estimate.
- 0%
- 28%
- 72%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 0%. Today's estimate: 0%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 16 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 18% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.Done several times a day by most who do it. | 13% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Train or instruct new employees on procedures to follow with psychiatric patients.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 1.3 h25 min to 3.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Develop or teach strategies to promote client wellness and independence.Done daily by most who do it. | 9% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Observe and influence patients' behavior, communicating and interacting with them and teaching, counseling, or befriending them.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Collaborate with or assist doctors, psychologists, or rehabilitation therapists in working with patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities to treat, rehabilitate, and return patients to the community.Done daily by most who do it. | 8% | 38 min17 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people | |
| Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 17 min8 min to 38 min | Stays with people | |
| Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 38 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Aid patients in performing tasks, such as bathing or keeping beds, clothing, or living areas clean.Done daily by most who do it. | 4% | 25 min13 min to 1.3 h | Stays with people | |
| Issue medications from dispensary and maintain records in accordance with specified procedures.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 25 min13 min to 50 min | Stays with people | |
| Escort patients to medical appointments.Done daily by most who do it. | 3% | 50 min25 min to 1.7 h | Stays with people |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025).
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025).