Career Explorer Healthcare (clinical)
Human edge, growing
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.
Among the most resilient careers: more resilient than 95% of the 831 careers we score. AI exposure is low (the Bureau of Labor Statistics rates it moderate), and US jobs are projected to change by +22.3% by 2035, much faster than average. The work leans on emotional intelligence.
AI struggles with much of this work, and US employers are expected to hire more people into it than average.
- Median pay (2025)
- $45,130
- Job growth to 2035
- +22.3%
- Openings a year
- 17,000
- People doing it (2025)
- 162,000
- Usual route in
- College certificate, then short on-the-job training
Where people already use AI for this work
- Provide support or encouragement to others
- Perform administrative or clerical activities
From Microsoft Research, Working with AI (2025).
Work AI rarely helps with
- Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases
- Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care
- Administer therapeutic treatments
What the work looks like
- Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
- Administer oral medications or hypodermic injections, following physician's prescriptions and hospital procedures.
- 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.
From O*NET 31.0, US Department of Labor.
What the Bureau of Labor Statistics expects
- More of these jobs, as growing demand for mental health and substance abuse treatment results in an increased need for psychiatric technicians.
Careers using similar strengths, with a stronger outlook
- Home health and personal care aidesHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +18.1%
- Ophthalmic medical techniciansHuman edge, growing, Index 97, +21.4%
- Skincare specialistsHuman edge, growing, Index 97, +8.8%
- Exercise trainers and group fitness instructorsHuman edge, growing, Index 99, +7.3%
Also known as: Mental Health Associate, Mental Health Technician (MHT), MHW (Mental Health Worker), Psychiatric Technician (PT), BHT (Behavioral Health Technician), Health Care Technician (Health Care Tech), LPT (Licensed Psychiatric Technician), Mental Health Specialist.
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Sources: US Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections 2025 to 2035; O*NET 31.0; Microsoft Research (2025); Anthropic Economic Index (2026); Eloundou and colleagues (Science, 2024); Felten, Raj and Seamans (2023). How we score. Updated 12 October 2026.