Menu

EMT Basics vs Psychiatric Technicians

Median pay is about $1k higher for Psychiatric Technicians. Both usually start with the same education: postsecondary cert.

marks the higher pay or growth. Education, difficulty and the AI rows depend on what you want, so they are not marked.

EMT Basics compared with Psychiatric Technicians: pay, outlook, entry and AI exposure
MeasureEMT BasicsPsychiatric Technicians
Pay
Median pay$44,470$45,130, higher
Entry pay 25th percentile$37,960$38,430, higher
Experienced pay 75th percentile$50,100$50,160, higher
Outlook, 2025 to 2035
Projected growth+5.8% Growing fast+22% Growing fast, higher
Openings a year13,80017,000
Getting in
Typical educationPostsecondary certPostsecondary cert
Difficulty modeled2.4 / 52.4 / 5
AI
Displacement risk modeledLowLow
AI exposure modeled, percentile33rd pct3rd pct

Where the skills differ

Only EMT Basics

  • Emergency care
  • CPR
  • Communication
  • Stamina
  • Composure

Only Psychiatric Technicians

  • Active Listening
  • Monitoring
  • Speaking
  • Reading Comprehension
  • Critical Thinking
  • Writing

More comparisons

Compare EMT Basics with

Compare Psychiatric Technicians with

Compare these interactively →

Pay and outlook: BLS (OEWS 2025, Employment Projections 2025-2035). Skills: O*NET 30.3. Difficulty, displacement risk and AI exposure are modeled estimates. How these numbers are made.