What they do
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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.
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| Also called: |
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BHT (Behavioral Health Technician), Health Care Technician (Health Care Tech), LPT (Licensed Psychiatric Technician), Mental Health Associate, Mental Health Specialist, Mental Health Technician (MHT), MHA (Mental Health Assistant), MHW (Mental Health Worker), Psychiatric Technician (PT), Residential Aide (RA)
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Wages
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| Vermont - 2023 |
| Percentile1 | Hourly | Yearly |
| 10% |
$ 18.67 |
$38,840 |
| 25% |
$ 20.55 |
$42,740 |
| Median |
$ 22.18 |
$46,140 |
| 75% |
$ 23.46 |
$48,790 |
| 90% |
$ 24.66 |
$51,290 |
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| Average |
$ 22.19 |
$46,160 |
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| More at CareerOneStop |
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Industries of Employment
| United States - 2020 |
| Industry | Percent of total |
- Hospitals; state, local, and private
| 54% |
- Ambulatory healthcare services
| 19% |
- Nursing and residential care facilities
| 11% |
- State government, excluding education and hospitals
| 6% |
| 4% |
| More at BLS |
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Knowledge
| People in this career often know a lot about: |
- Psychology
Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders.
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- Therapy and Counseling
Knowledge of principles, methods, and procedures for diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation of physical and mental dysfunctions, and for career counseling and guidance.
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- English Language
Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
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- Customer and Personal Service
Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
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- Medicine and Dentistry
Knowledge of the information and techniques needed to diagnose and treat human injuries, diseases, and deformities. This includes symptoms, treatment alternatives, drug properties and interactions, and preventive health-care measures.
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| More at O*NET |
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Skills
| People in this career often have these skills: |
- Social Perceptiveness
Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do.
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- Active Listening
Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
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- Monitoring
Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action.
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- Coordination
Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions.
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- Speaking
Talking to others to convey information effectively.
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| More at O*NET |
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Interests
| People in this career often prefer these work environments: |
- Social
Work involves helping, teaching, advising, assisting, or providing service to others. Social occupations are often associated with social, health care, personal service, teaching/education, or religious activities.
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- Enterprising
Work involves managing, negotiating, marketing, or selling, typically in a business setting, or leading or advising people in political and legal situations. Enterprising occupations are often associated with business initiatives, sales, marketing/advertising, finance, management/administration, professional advising, public speaking, politics, or law.
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- Realistic
Work involves designing, building, or repairing of equipment, materials, or structures, engaging in physical activity, or working outdoors. Realistic occupations are often associated with engineering, mechanics and electronics, construction, woodworking, transportation, machine operation, agriculture, animal services, physical or manual labor, athletics, or protective services.
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| What are your interests? Take the O*NET Interest Profiler |
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Work Styles
| People in this career will do well at jobs that need: |
- Dependability
Job requires being reliable, responsible, and dependable, and fulfilling obligations.
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- Self-Control
Job requires maintaining composure, keeping emotions in check, controlling anger, and avoiding aggressive behavior, even in very difficult situations.
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- Concern for Others
Job requires being sensitive to others' needs and feelings and being understanding and helpful on the job.
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- Stress Tolerance
Job requires accepting criticism and dealing calmly and effectively with high-stress situations.
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- Cooperation
Job requires being pleasant with others on the job and displaying a good-natured, cooperative attitude.
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| More at O*NET |
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Tasks
| On the job, you would: |
- Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded patients.
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- Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
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- Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
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- Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
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- Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
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| More at O*NET |
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| Related Occupations
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| Career Video
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Projected Employment
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| Vermont |
| 2020 employment |
317 |
| 2030 employment |
350 |
Annual percent change
(compounded) |
1.0% |
Annual projected job openings
(due to change and separations) |
26 |
| More at Occupational Projections |
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Education and Experience:
- Typical education needed for entry
Postsecondary non-degree award
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- Work experience in a related occupation
Less than 5 years
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- Typical on-the-job training needed to attain competency
Short-term on-the-job training
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| Based on BLS Education and Training Classifications |
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Physical Work Activity
Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stooping, and handling materials.
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- Physical activity is Important
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- Level of activity is Moderate
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| Low |  | High |
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Job Zone
| Medium Preparation Needed |
- Specific Vocational Preparation Range
(6.0 to < 7.0) - A typical worker will require
over 1 year up to and including 2 years
of training to achieve average performance in this occupation.
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| Based on O*Net Job Zones and SVP |
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Education Level
| How much education do most people in this career have? |
| Education level |  | Percent of
U.S. Workers |
Doctoral or professional degree
or post-MA certificate | | 0% |
Master's degree or
post-BA certificate | | 2% |
| Bachelor's degree | | 30% |
| Associate's degree | | 3% |
Certificate or some college,
no degree | | 45% |
High school diploma
or equivalent | | 20% |
| Less than high school diploma | | 0% |
| More at O*NET |
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Abilities
| People in this career often have talent in: |
- Oral Comprehension
The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
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- Oral Expression
The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
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- Problem Sensitivity
The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing that there is a problem.
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- Deductive Reasoning
The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
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- Inductive Reasoning
The ability to combine pieces of information to form general rules or conclusions (includes finding a relationship among seemingly unrelated events).
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| More at O*NET |
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Work Activities
| In general, what you might do: |
- Assisting and Caring for Others
Providing personal assistance, medical attention, emotional support, or other personal care to others such as coworkers, customers, or patients.
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- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates
Providing information to supervisors, co-workers, and subordinates by telephone, in written form, e-mail, or in person.
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- Resolving Conflicts and Negotiating with Others
Handling complaints, settling disputes, and resolving grievances and conflicts, or otherwise negotiating with others.
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- Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events
Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
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- Getting Information
Observing, receiving, and otherwise obtaining information from all relevant sources.
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| More at O*NET |
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Detailed Work Activities
| What you might do in a day: |
- Care for patients with mental illnesses.
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- Treat patients using psychological therapies.
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- Administer intravenous medications.
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- Administer non-intravenous medications.
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- Encourage patients or clients to develop life skills.
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| More at O*NET |
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Other Resources
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- CareerOneStop
resource for job seekers, students, businessess and career professionals
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- O*NET Online
nation's primary source of occupational information
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