Psychiatric Technician

In my neck of the world a Psychiatric Aide is very different from an LPN with a Psych background.

The aide basically assists with personal care, social activities and reports to the Reg. Psych Nurse or LPN. There is no meds or active nursing involvement.

Our PN programme includes a basic background in psych care and meds. We can then acquire additional certifications in either Adult or Geriatric Psych issues.

Perhaps you should contact a local Psych facility and see who they hire and look at the job descriptions.

If you need to make a choice between LVN and psychiatric technician, I'd choose the LVN track.

Here's my reasoning. LVNs are employable in multiple nursing specialties, including psychiatric nursing. On the other hand, psychiatric techs are employable only in mental health and psychiatric facilities. In other words, your options would be expanded if you had the LVN licensure, as opposed to the psychiatric tech licensure. Psych techs are licensed in California by the state's BVNPT, but they are not licensed elsewhere.

As an LVN, I worked as a medication nurse at a psychiatric hospital. This hospital did not hire licensed psychiatric techs. The facility only hired RNs, LVNs, and unlicensed mental health techs. Mental health techs were hired from off the street with no formal education, and only earned about $11 hourly.

DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW MUCH A NEW LVN-LPN IN PSYCH MAKE AN HOUR?

Thanks for the info.

Tammy from Texas

Anyone can become an RN who is accepted, completes the program and passed NCLEX-RN.

Investigate on becoming a CNA (certified nursing assistant), first. CNAs are trained to do basic care for patients in mostly all sections (Including psych) in the medical field. This way you can see if you have any interest in nursing at all.

Of course, the higher you go in the nursing career ladder, the more opportunities will be available to you.., etc...but believe me, you have to be ready for the whole process. Most schools require an entrance exam, are highly competitive and while I can't say that they are entirely difficult, but the high volume of work that they give you to complete in a short time can add stress. It is not as easy to become an LPN or RN as people think, and either way, our actions and decisions may affect someone's life. Not easy.

In which part of Texas do you reside?

I was earning only $16 hourly as an LVN at a psychiatric hospital in Denton, TX (50 miles north of Dallas-Fort Worth).

I live in Houston.

Thanks for your reply.

Psych Techs while having an education similar to that of LVN, do not have the job opportunities of LVNs once graduating. I went to RN school with a PT who was there due to the impending closing of the facility where he was working. In CA, psych techs have had a downward spiral of job opportunities due to the closing of facilities for the mentally ill and developmentally disabled. Every time one of these facilities closes, several PTs are out in the cold looking for work elsewhere. You just have a better chance of working as an LVN/LPN. In many facilites they hire LVNs with psych experience just as they would LPTs, so you know some of these hired LVNs have possibly taken a job that a LPT could have filled, had they been aware of the opening.