Healthcare · SOC 29-2053
Working directly with psychiatric patients demands physical presence, de-escalation, and human connection that AI cannot replicate.
Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
Timeline: AI monitoring tools may flag behavioral changes earlier, but direct human care and de-escalation in psychiatric settings will remain legally and ethically required for the foreseeable future.
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Healthcare
$80,450 median pay
$223,210 median pay
$210,130 median pay
Healthcare
$78,140 median pay
AI job-risk card
Psychiatric Technicians is resilient on AIFear. Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
AIFear.com
Our AI Fear Score for Psychiatric Technicians is 22/100 (Resilient). Hands-on, interpersonal or high-stakes work AI struggles to replace.
22 out of 100, based on an AI-model review of this occupation's O*NET tasks against what current AI can actually do.
Most exposed: Monitoring patients and logging vital signs into health records, Documenting behavioral observations for medical staff. Harder to automate: Physically restraining or de-escalating agitated or suicidal patients, Building therapeutic relationships through daily human interaction, Assisting patients with personal care and daily living tasks, Collaborating with clinical teams on individualized treatment.
Lean into Crisis de-escalation, Therapeutic communication, Mental health first aid, Behavioral observation and documentation. Consider roles such as Psychiatric registered nurse or Mental health counselor or Behavioral health case manager.
Tasks, skills and AI-exposure for this role were reviewed by an AI model against its O*NET task profile (curated roles use published research anchors). Pay and employment, where shown, are U.S. BLS OEWS (May 2024) figures. This is an estimate, not a prediction about any individual's job. Compare all occupations.