Education and training requirements for psychiatric technicians and aides

Psychiatric technicians and psychiatric aides care for people who have mental conditions or developmental disabilities. Their work may be physically demanding, and technicians and aides risk injury on the job. Psychiatric technicians report to medical staff on a patient’s well-being and assist with rehabilitation and treatment programs. Psychiatric aides help patients with their daily living needs and guide them to recreational activities or appointments. Let’s look at the requirements for becoming a psychiatric technician or psychiatric aide. Credentials were required for 72.5 percent of psychiatric technicians and 64.3 percent of psychiatric aides in 2022. Credentials include licensing, certification, and educational certificates—for example, completing a certificate program that does not result in a degree.

On-the-job training was required for 87.7 percent of psychiatric aides. On average, they required 13.36 days of on-the job training in 2022.

These data are from the Occupational Requirements Survey. To learn more, see Occupational Requirements in the United States — 2022. Credentials do not include having a degree, which the survey captures as a minimum education requirement.