Psychiatric Aides

Career Description: Assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients, working under direction of nursing and medical staff.

Industry: Healthcare Support

Other Job Titles for Psychiatric Aides:

• 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.
• Investigative: Investigative occupations frequently involve working with ideas, and require an extensive amount of thinking. These occupations can involve searching for facts and figuring out problems mentally.
• Artistic: Artistic occupations frequently involve working with forms, designs and patterns. They often require self-expression and the work can be done without following a clear set of rules.
• 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.
• Conventional: Conventional occupations frequently involve following set procedures and routines. These occupations can include working with data and details more than with ideas. Usually there is a clear line of authority to follow.
• First Interest High-Point: Primary-Rank Descriptiveness
• Second Interest High-Point: Secondary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness
• Third Interest High-Point: Tertiary-Cutoff/Rank Descriptiveness

• Monitor patients in order to detect unusual behavior, and report observations to professional staff.
• Provide mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients with routine physical, emotional, psychological or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing and medical staff.
• Record and maintain records of patient condition and activity, including vital signs, eating habits, and behavior.
• Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses and social workers.
• Aid patients in becoming accustomed to hospital routine.
• Organize, supervise, and encourage patient participation in social, educational, and recreational activities.
• Perform nursing duties such as administering medications, measuring vital signs, collecting specimens and drawing blood samples.
• Serve meals, and feed patients needing assistance or persuasion.
• Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.
• Interview patients upon admission and record information.
• Provide patients with assistance in bathing, dressing, and grooming, demonstrating these skills as necessary.
• Participate in recreational activities with patients, including card games, sports, or television viewing.
• Maintain patients' restrictions to assigned areas.
• Accompany patients to and from wards for medical and dental treatments, shopping trips, and religious and recreational events.
• Clean and disinfect rooms and furnishings to maintain a safe and orderly environment.
• Administer active and passive manual therapeutic exercises, therapeutic massage, aquatic physical therapy, and heat, light, sound, and electrical modality treatments, such as ultrasound.
• Communicate with or instruct caregivers and family members on patient therapeutic activities and treatment plans.
• Attend or conduct continuing education courses, seminars, or in-service activities.
• Schedule patient appointments with physical therapists and coordinate therapists' schedules.
• Set up equipment such as oxygen tents, portable x-ray machines, and overhead irrigation bottles.

Emerging Tasks

• Complete administrative tasks, such as entering orders into computer, answering telephone calls, and maintaining medical and facility information.
• Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior, and report observations to professional staff.
• Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, and treatment and discharge plans.

• Analyzing Data or Information: Identifying the underlying principles, reasons, or facts of information by breaking down information or data into separate parts.
• Assisting and Caring for Others: Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
• Coaching and Developing Others: Identifying the developmental needs of others and coaching, mentoring, or otherwise helping others to improve their knowledge or skills.
• Communicating with Persons Outside Organization: Communicating with people outside the organization, representing the organization to customers, the public, government, and other external sources. This information can be exchanged in person, in writing, or by telephone or e-mail.
• Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates: Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
• Controlling Machines and Processes: Using either control mechanisms or direct physical activity to operate machines or processes (not including computers or vehicles).
• Coordinating the Work and Activities of Others: Getting members of a group to work together to accomplish tasks.
• Developing and Building Teams: Encouraging and building mutual trust, respect, and cooperation among team members.
• Developing Objectives and Strategies: Establishing long-range objectives and specifying the strategies and actions to achieve them.
• Documenting/Recording Information: Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
• Drafting, Laying Out, and Specifying Technical Devices, Parts, and Equipment: Providing documentation, detailed instructions, drawings, or specifications to tell others about how devices, parts, equipment, or structures are to be fabricated, constructed, assembled, modified, maintained, or used.
• Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships: Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
• Estimating the Quantifiable Characteristics of Products, Events, or Information: Estimating sizes, distances, and quantities; or determining time, costs, resources, or materials needed to perform a work activity.
• Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards: Using relevant information and individual judgment to determine whether events or processes comply with laws, regulations, or standards.
• Getting Information: Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
• Guiding, Directing, and Motivating Subordinates: Providing guidance and direction to subordinates, including setting performance standards and monitoring performance.
• Handling and Moving Objects: Using hands and arms in handling, installing, positioning, and moving materials, and manipulating things.
• Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events: Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Material: Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Interacting With Computers: Using computers and computer systems (including hardware and software) to program, write software, set up functions, enter data, or process information.
• Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others: Translating or explaining what information means and how it can be used.
• Judging the Qualities of Things, Services, or People: Assessing the value, importance, or quality of things or people.
• Making Decisions and Solving Problems: Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
• Monitor Processes, Materials, or Surroundings: Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
• Monitoring and Controlling Resources: Monitoring and controlling resources and overseeing the spending of money.
• Operating Vehicles, Mechanized Devices, or Equipment: Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles or mechanized equipment, such as forklifts, passenger vehicles, aircraft, or water craft.
• Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work: Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
• Performing Administrative Activities: Performing day-to-day administrative tasks such as maintaining information files and processing paperwork.
• Performing for or Working Directly with the Public: Performing for people or dealing directly with the public. This includes serving customers in restaurants and stores, and receiving clients or guests.
• Performing General Physical Activities: Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling of materials.
• Processing Information: Compiling, coding, categorizing, calculating, tabulating, auditing, or verifying information or data.
• Provide Consultation and Advice to Others: Providing guidance and expert advice to management or other groups on technical, systems-, or process-related topics.
• Repairing and Maintaining Electronic Equipment: Servicing, repairing, calibrating, regulating, fine-tuning, or testing machines, devices, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of electrical or electronic (not mechanical) principles.
• Repairing and Maintaining Mechanical Equipment: Servicing, repairing, adjusting, and testing machines, devices, moving parts, and equipment that operate primarily on the basis of mechanical (not electronic) principles.
• Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others: Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
• Scheduling Work and Activities: Scheduling events, programs, and activities, as well as the work of others.
• Selling or Influencing Others: Convincing others to buy merchandise/goods or to otherwise change their minds or actions.
• Staffing Organizational Units: Recruiting, interviewing, selecting, hiring, and promoting employees in an organization.
• Thinking Creatively: Developing, designing, or creating new applications, ideas, relationships, systems, or products, including artistic contributions.
• Training and Teaching Others: Identifying the educational needs of others, developing formal educational or training programs or classes, and teaching or instructing others.
• Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge: Keeping up-to-date technically and applying new knowledge to your job.

Detailed Work Activities

• administer enemas, irrigations, or douches to patients
• administer medications or treatments
• apply appropriate physical restraint
• assist patient with dressing, undressing, grooming, or bathing
• care for mentally ill patients
• clean rooms or work areas
• collect specimens from patients
• draw blood
• encourage patients to participate in activities
• entertain patients
• feed patients
• instruct patients in methods to improve functional activities
• lead recreational activities
• lift or transport ill or injured patients
• maintain dental or medical records
• observe patient condition
• participate in recreational activities
• take vital signs
• use first aid procedures
• use interviewing procedures
• weigh patients
• work with persons with mental disabilities or illnesses
• prepare patient reports
• prepare patients for tests, therapy, or treatments
• record medical history or data
• retrieve files or charts
• schedule meetings or appointments
• set up patient care equipment
• take messages
• take vital signs
• use knowledge of medical terminology
• use massage therapy procedures
• use medical equipment in direct patient care
• use physical therapy equipment or materials
• weigh patients
• work with persons with mental disabilities or illnesses
• take dictation
• take vital signs
• use clinical sterilizing technique
• use interpersonal communication techniques
• use interviewing procedures
• use knowledge of medical insurance systems
• use knowledge of medical terminology
• use medical diagnostic equipment
• use medical lab techniques
• use nursing practices or procedures
• use sanitation practices in health care settings
• use secretarial procedures
• weigh patients
• work with persons with mental disabilities or illnesses

Overall Experience
Some previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience may be helpful in these occupations, but usually is not needed. For example, a teller might benefit from experience working directly with the public, but an inexperienced person could still learn to be a teller with little difficulty.

Job Training
Employees in these occupations need anywhere from a few months to one year of working with experienced employees.

Education
These occupations usually require a high school diploma and may require some vocational training or job-related course work. In some cases, an associate's or bachelor's degree could be needed.

Examples
These occupations often involve using your knowledge and skills to help others. Examples include sheet metal workers, forest fire fighters, customer service representatives, pharmacy technicians, salespersons (retail), and tellers.

• Average hourly wage (2007) -$12.25
• Average annual wage (2007) - $25,470.00

• Employment (2006): 61,735

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