Psychiatric Technicians
Psychiatric technicians care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners. They monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report to medical staff. They participate in rehabilitation and treatment programs, help with personal hygiene, and administer oral or injectable medications.
Psychiatric technician job description involve examining patients to assess general physical condition, operating diagnostic and therapeutic medical instruments or equipment, recording patient medical histories, informing medical professionals regarding patient’s conditions and caring for patients with mental illnesses.
To be eligible for a career as a psychiatric technician, a candidate generally needs postsecondary educational training, a one-year certificate program or bachelors program, and complete on-the-job training.
Psychiatric technician jobs require specific skills of being compassionate. As psychiatric technicians and helpers spend much of their time in interacting with patients, they should have good interpersonal skills, observational skills, patience and physical stamina.
Psychiatric technician are found at hospitals, residential mental health facilities, and other healthcare centres. They work as part of a medical team under the direction of physicians and other healthcare professionals, including psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, social workers, and therapists.
Psychiatric technician salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors, which include certifications, education and other additional skills, and the number of years one has spent in the profession.
As they have to deal with patients whose illnesses make them disoriented, uncooperative, or violent, successful psychiatric technicians need to be socially kind, generous, cooperative, patient, caring, and empathetic.
Qualifications
Every career requires an element of study and academic qualification, and there can be several study routes and pathways you can take. In following any academic pathway you will study subjects that contribute to the specialised knowledge required to achieve your career goals. These qualifications provide a future employer with the evidence that you have the desired knowledge, understanding and experience of their industry, so it’s important to consider the various types of qualifications available to you and to understand how they can boost your career and create opportunities for you.
- Ph.D. Psychiatry
- M.D. Psychiatry
- MBBS Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery
Tasks
- Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
- Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded patients.
- Observe and influence patients' behavior, communicating and interacting with them and teaching, counseling, or befriending them.
- Take and record measures of patients' physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges.
- Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
- Collaborate with or assist doctors, psychologists, or rehabilitation therapists in working with mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or developmentally disabled patients to treat, rehabilitate, and return patients to the community.
- Develop or teach strategies to promote client wellness and independence.
- Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
- Aid patients in performing tasks, such as bathing or keeping beds, clothing, or living areas clean.
- Administer oral medications or hypodermic injections, following physician's prescriptions and hospital procedures.
Progression Routes
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