Psychiatric Aides
Also called: Mental Health Worker (MHW), Psychiatric Aide, Residential Care Tech (Residential Care Technician), Therapeutic Program Worker (TPW)Assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients, working under direction of nursing and medical staff. May assist with daily living activities, lead patients in educational and recreational activities, or accompany patients to and from examinations and treatments. May restrain violent patients. Includes psychiatric orderlies.
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What the data says: AI could halve the time on 5 of its 17 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 1.9% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 4.4% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Orderlies and psychiatric aides”
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 5.0 hires for every 10 job openings in health care and social assistance, which employs about 77% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.5.0 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $27,150 | $26,150 to $33,870 | 790 |
| Alaska | $49,300 | $46,320 to $54,330 | 190 |
| Arkansas | $36,270 | $29,820 to $36,430 | 490 |
| California | $47,500 | $45,390 to $57,160 | 3,760 |
| Colorado | $46,130 | $44,570 to $49,320 | 300 |
| Connecticut | $44,660 | $38,940 to $48,390 | 520 |
| Florida | $37,930 | $37,440 to $38,970 | 2,210 |
| Georgia | $36,790 | $32,450 to $39,080 | 1,090 |
| Hawaii | $52,310 | $36,440 to $53,890 | 30 |
| Illinois | $48,670 | $48,660 to $48,690 | 120 |
| Indiana | $44,860 | $39,670 to $47,740 | 1,930 |
| Iowa | $39,260 | $36,770 to $48,840 | 400 |
| Kansas | $38,390 | $38,130 to $38,390 | 580 |
| Kentucky | $38,610 | $36,320 to $43,700 | 250 |
| Louisiana | $30,030 | $29,490 to $37,130 | 280 |
| Maine | $46,720 | $43,180 to $47,050 | 110 |
| Maryland | $51,440 | $41,510 to $57,650 | 250 |
| Massachusetts | $45,300 | $37,120 to $61,640 | 950 |
| Michigan | $45,800 | $35,930 to $56,260 | 1,410 |
| Minnesota | $55,040 | $43,740 to $60,680 | 620 |
| Mississippi | $30,510 | $29,350 to $35,110 | 2,490 |
| Missouri | $39,840 | $37,460 to $45,190 | 110 |
| Montana | $46,340 | $46,340 to $47,530 | 330 |
| Nevada | $51,400 | $40,410 to $59,090 | 220 |
| New Jersey | $45,780 | $40,690 to $49,260 | 2,060 |
| New York | $50,220 | $48,610 to $59,460 | 5,120 |
| North Carolina | $38,400 | $36,350 to $43,570 | not published |
| Ohio | $38,480 | $36,680 to $47,160 | 980 |
| Oklahoma | $44,960 | $34,870 to $46,670 | not published |
| Oregon | $48,300 | $43,530 to $58,710 | 1,550 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,790 | $39,540 to $48,560 | 1,620 |
| Rhode Island | $51,100 | $44,810 to $51,100 | 130 |
| South Carolina | $36,320 | $32,470 to $37,200 | 200 |
| Texas | $42,560 | $36,560 to $48,100 | 1,760 |
| Utah | $40,810 | $36,740 to $50,510 | 130 |
| Vermont | $47,860 | $46,300 to $48,880 | 330 |
| Virginia | $37,280 | $36,060 to $37,280 | not published |
| Washington | $52,570 | $52,570 to $59,370 | 330 |
| West Virginia | $37,910 | $33,610 to $41,570 | 220 |
Nationally: $44,910. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 5 of its 17 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients. | Not published |
| Not much | Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain patients' restrictions to assigned areas. | Not published |
| Not much | Organize, supervise, or encourage patient participation in social, educational, or recreational activities. | Not published |
| Not much | Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury. | Not published |
| AI + software | Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff. | Not published |
See all 17 tasks
| AI + software | Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers. | Not published |
| Not much | Provide patients with assistance in bathing, dressing, or grooming, demonstrating these skills as necessary. | Not published |
| AI + software | Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Clean and disinfect rooms and furnishings to maintain a safe and orderly environment. | Not published |
| Not much | Participate in recreational activities with patients, including card games, sports, or television viewing. | Not published |
| Not much | Serve meals or feed patients needing assistance or persuasion. | Not published |
| Not much | Aid patients in becoming accustomed to hospital routines. | Not published |
| Not much | Accompany patients to and from wards for medical or dental treatments, shopping trips, or religious or recreational events. | Not published |
| AI + software | Complete administrative tasks, such as entering orders into computer, answering telephone calls, or maintaining medical or facility information. | Not published |
| Not much | Perform nursing duties, such as administering medications, measuring vital signs, collecting specimens, or drawing blood samples. | Not published |
| AI + software | Interview patients upon admission and record information. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 1 of the 17 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 17 tasks fall under 17 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #30 Perform administrative or clerical activities
- #46 Provide support or encouragement to others
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assist individuals with special needs | |||
| Maintain health or medical records | |||
| Provide support or encouragement to others | |||
| Evaluate patient or client condition or treatment options | |||
| Perform administrative or clerical activities | |||
| Advise patients or clients on medical issues | |||
| Interview people to obtain information | |||
| Monitor health conditions of humans or animals |
Show all 17 activities
| Clean tools, equipment, facilities, or work areas | |||
| Administer basic health care or medical treatments | |||
| Treat injuries, illnesses, or diseases | |||
| Train others on health or medical topics | |||
| Follow standard healthcare safety procedures to protect patient and staff members | |||
| Confer with healthcare or other professionals about patient care | |||
| Collect environmental or biological samples | |||
| Escort others | |||
| Assist healthcare practitioners during medical procedures |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- An analysis or summary16%
- Data or a spreadsheet16%
- A document or report14%
- Advice or a recommendation9%
- An app or website7%
How they worked with Claude
23% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for psychiatric aides specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 6,532 moves out
- 1 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 5%
- 2 Mental Health Counselors 5%
- 3 Medical and Health Services Managers High +24.2% 5%
- 4 Registered Nurses High +5.6% 5%
- 5 Substance Abuse and Behavioral Disorder Counselors 4%
Where people moved in from
of 4,613 moves in
- 1 Nursing Assistants Low +2.6% 5%
- 2 Residential Advisors High +3.5% 5%
- 3 Mental Health Counselors 5%
- 4 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
- 5 Psychiatric Technicians Moderate +22.3% 3%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 24% high school
- 16% postsecondary certificate
- 46% some college
- 10% associate's
- 4% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 18 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 33% high school
- 30% some college
- 10% associate's
- 17% bachelor's
- 5% master's
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Orderlies and psychiatric aides” · 549 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in the Census group “Orderlies and psychiatric aides”
2 programs: Psychiatric/Mental Health Services Technician and Health Aide.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
62.8% this occupation
45.3% all occupations
| By kind | This occupation | All occupations |
|---|---|---|
| an educational certificate | 3.6% | 2.8% |
| a license | not published | |
| a certification | not published |
Share of jobs whose employer requires it. BLS doesn't say which credential. How to read this
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeships: DOL's list of apprenticeable occupations doesn't include this one.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/31-1133.00