Description
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.
Interests
- Social
- Investigative
Work Values
- Relationships
- Support
- Independence
Work Styles
- Dependability
- Self-Control
- Concern for Others
- Stress Tolerance
- Cooperation
Tasks
- Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
- Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
- Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
- Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
- Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
Work Activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
- Getting Information
- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Detailed Work Activities
- Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
- Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
- Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
- Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
- Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
- Entering, transcribing, recording, storing, or maintaining information in written or electronic/magnetic form.
- Developing constructive and cooperative working relationships with others, and maintaining them over time.
- Monitoring and reviewing information from materials, events, or the environment, to detect or assess problems.
- Developing specific goals and plans to prioritize, organize, and accomplish your work.
- Analyzing information and evaluating results to choose the best solution and solve problems.
Technology Skills
- Spreadsheet software
- Medical software
- Electronic mail software
- Office suite software
- Word processing software
Abilities
- Oral Comprehension
- Oral Expression
- Problem Sensitivity
- Deductive Reasoning
- Inductive Reasoning
Skills
- Social Perceptiveness
- Active Listening
- Monitoring
- Coordination
- Speaking
Knowledge
- Psychology
- English Language
- Therapy and Counseling
- Customer and Personal Service
- Medicine and Dentistry
Most Common Education Level
The “Most Common Education Level” refers to the level of education held by the majority of workers in a given occupation. For example, if the highest percentage of workers in a role have an Associate’s Degree, that suggests this is the typical educational requirement. Knowing this helps you plan how many years of education you may need to pursue that career.
Certificates
Certificate name
Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse PractitionerCertifying Organization
ANA Enterprise
Type
Specialty
Certificate name
Certified HypnotistCertifying Organization
National Guild of Hypnotists, Inc.
Type
Specialty
Certificate name
The Certified Clinical Mental Health CounselorCertifying Organization
National Board for Certified Counselors
Type
Core
Certificate name
Technician Certification in NeurofeedbackCertifying Organization
Biofeedback Certification International Alliance
Type
Specialty
Certificate name
Nationally Certified Psychiatric Technician 1Certifying Organization
American Association of Psychiatric Technicians, Inc.
Type
Core
Income Percentile
The income percentiles show how earnings are distributed within a profession. The 10th percentile means that 10% of workers earned less than that amount. The median (50th percentile) indicates that half of workers earned more, and half earned less. The 90th percentile reflects what the top 10% of earners in the field make.
| Income Percentile | Annual Income |
|---|---|
| Low (10%) | $31,547 |
| Median (50%) | $37,070 |
| High (90%) | $49,068 |
Income by Experience
This table shows how income typically grows with experience—from entry level (0–2 years), to mid-level (3–5 years), to senior level (6–8 years), to expert level (8+ years).
| Experience | Income |
|---|---|
Entry Level  | $39,399 |
| Mid Level | $44,359 |
| Senior Level | $46,544 |
| Expert Level | $44,415 |
Employability
There are currently 124,600 jobs in this career path. Over the next 10 years, that number is expected to increase to 145,800 positions, reflecting a projected growth of 17%.
The Projected Job Growth figure refers to the expected increase or decrease in employment within a specific career field over a certain period of time.
Projected Job Growth of 17%
Related Careers
The career information and data on this site incorporates information from O*NET Web Services, Lightcast, CareerOneStop, and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). For more details regarding the data sources and the specific information sourced, click here.
Career Resources
Search All Careers
Compare Careers
Income Outlook
Career Pathways
Career Clusters
Job Suite Home
CV Templates
Resume Templates
Cover Letter Templates
All Templates
Job Resources
Blog Articles
Podcast