Psychiatric Aide

Psychiatric aids help mental health professionals such as psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, and therapists care for the developmentally disabled and the mentally ill. They assist patients with many activities, including personal hygiene, and interact socially with the patients, structuring their recreational activities. Given the amount of time they spend with patients, they can have a tremendous impact on treatment.

Psychiatric aides must have a keen desire to help their fellow human beings, and an abundance of tact, compassion, empathy and understanding. They must be willing to do repetitive tasks, have good communications skills, and be able to work as part of a team. Additionally, they must have a clean bill of health; some states test for tuberculosis and other communicable diseases.

Education and Credentials Required
There is no set credential or training required to pursue a career as a psychiatric aide. It isn’t even strictly necessary to have a high school diploma or any previous work experience. In some states, however, psychiatric aides are being required to take a formal training program. Some employers have their own internal formalized training as well. Over time, aides may complete in-service training, or attend workshops and lectures and thus increase their knowledge of the field.

Future Prospects
Employment opportunities for psychiatric aides are expected to rise as fast as the national average. The growth of the elderly demographic, the reduced stigma attached to mental health needs, and the growing acceptance of substance abuse treatment programs keeps the number of jobs growing steadily. Employment in hospitals, where more than half the psychiatric aides currently work, will grow less quickly than the national average as a result of limited inpatient psychiatric treatment options on offer.

Salary Range
The median hourly wage as of 2002, for psychiatric aides was $11.04. The lowest ten percent earned less than $7.52, whereas the highest earned more than $16.16. State governments offered the highest hourly wages whereas the lowest were offered by general medical and surgical hospitals.