Healthcare Support · Holland code SIC

Psychiatric Aides

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.

Also called: Mental Health Worker (MHW), Psychiatric Aide, Residential Care Tech (Residential Care Technician), Therapeutic Program Worker (TPW), Developmental Aide, Mental Health Aide (MHA), Psychiatric Assistant, Psychiatric Nursing Aide.

O*NET 31-1133.00

At a glance

US median annual pay: $44,910; Middle half earn $37,750 to $49,950. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Most common education: Some College Courses; 46% of workers surveyed by O*NET report this level.
Preparation needed: Job Zone 2 of 5; Some preparation. Zone 1 is little or none; zone 5 is graduate-level.

What the work involves

The tasks workers in this occupation rate as most important, from the O*NET survey.

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.

Skills and knowledge it leans on

Skills

Speaking3.9 / 5
Active Listening3.8 / 5
Monitoring3.8 / 5
Critical Thinking3.4 / 5
Active Learning3.3 / 5
Reading Comprehension3.1 / 5

Knowledge areas

Psychology4.0 / 5
Customer and Personal Service3.6 / 5
Therapy and Counseling3.1 / 5
English Language3.1 / 5
Administrative3.0 / 5
Sociology and Anthropology3.0 / 5

Importance ratings on O*NET’s 1 to 5 scale. Higher means the occupation depends on it more.

Who tends to enjoy it

How strongly this occupation draws on each of the six Holland interest types, which is the same profile the career interests test compares you against.

Realistic41
Investigative51
Artistic14
Social97
Enterprising11
Conventional46

The same work abroad

Other countries classify jobs differently, so these are the closest matches through the international ISCO-08 standard, not exact equivalents.

European occupation titles (ESCO)

healthcare assistant · DE Pflegehelfer/Pflegehelferin · FR aide-soignant en institution/aide-soignante en institution
nurse assistant · DE Gesundheits- und Krankenpfleger/Gesundheits- und Krankenschwester · FR aide-soignant/aide-soignante

Closest UK occupation groups (SOC 2020)

Nursing auxiliaries and assistants (6131)337,700 employed

Employment is the UK Annual Population Survey for April 2025 to March 2026, all workers in the group, which can be broader than this one occupation.

Pay across Europe, for the whole group

Median annual earnings of all employees in “Service and sales workers”. This is the broad ISCO group this occupation falls in, not the occupation itself, so treat it as context for the wage level, not as a salary for this job.

Median annual earnings, Service and sales workers, by country
Country	Median pay
Belgium	€32,957
Sweden	€32,596
Netherlands	€29,198
Austria	€29,068
Germany	€27,471
Ireland	€26,978
Italy	€24,995
France	€24,971
Spain	€18,303
Portugal	€10,656
Poland	€7,579

Eurostat Structure of Earnings Survey, businesses with ten or more employees outside public administration, in euro and not adjusted for the cost of living. Reference years differ between sources: the US, Japan and Europe figures on this page come from different survey years, so compare them as rough levels, not to the euro or yen.

Is it a fit for you?

Interest is one input, alongside ability, pay and what is hiring near you. The career interests test takes about thirteen minutes and ranks occupations by how closely their profile matches yours.

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