Psychiatric Aides vs Nursing Assistants
Side-by-side · O*NET · BLS · AI-exposure research · Anthropic Economic Index
A factual, source-backed comparison of Psychiatric Aides and Nursing Assistants on the dimensions both occupations carry. Every figure is a position within an independent published dataset — not a verdict on which job is better, safer, or more “future-proof.”
At a glance
| Dimension | Psychiatric Aides | Nursing Assistants |
|---|---|---|
| Median pay | $41,590 | $39,530 |
| Employment | 34,900 | 1,388,430 |
| Employment outlook (2024–34) · BLS projection | Declining (-0.4%) | About average (+2.3%) |
| Annual openings · BLS projection | 5,300 | 204,100 |
| Typical education · O*NET | Usually requires a high school diploma or GED, though some occupations may not. | Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree. |
| AI exposure · published exposure studies | Low · 17th pct | Low · 5th pct |
| Global GenAI gradient · ILO ISCO-08 · via crosswalk | — | — |
| Observed AI use · Anthropic Economic Index | — | — |
| Mostly remote-capable · Dingel–Neiman | — | — |
Pay and employment are BLS OEWS estimates; outlook and openings are BLS 2024–2034 projections; AI exposure and observed-use figures come from separate research and reflect exposure and usage, not predictions that either job will disappear. Compare like with like.
Skills
Shared: Psychology, Oral Expression, Speaking, Social Perceptiveness, Service Orientation, Oral Comprehension, Problem Sensitivity, Active Listening, Monitoring, Written Comprehension, Deductive Reasoning, Customer and Personal Service, Inductive Reasoning, Speech Clarity, Critical Thinking, Speech Recognition, Active Learning, Coordination, Information Ordering, Therapy and Counseling, Reading Comprehension, Writing, Judgment and Decision Making, Written Expression, Selective Attention, Near Vision, English Language, Category Flexibility, Trunk Strength.
Specific to Psychiatric Aides
- Instructing
- Complex Problem Solving
- Far Vision
- Persuasion
- Negotiation
- Flexibility of Closure
- Perceptual Speed
- Auditory Attention
Specific to Nursing Assistants
- Administration and Management
- Static Strength
- Public Safety and Security
- Medicine and Dentistry
- Extent Flexibility
- Education and Training
- Arm-Hand Steadiness
- Time Management
Knowledge, skills & abilities O*NET rates as important for each occupation. “Shared” are common to both; the columns list what is distinctive to each (top by the order O*NET surfaces).
Tools & technology
Shared: Spreadsheet software , Office suite software , Electronic mail software , Word processing software , Medical software .
Specific to Psychiatric Aides
Full profiles
This page is a summary. See the complete source-backed profile for Psychiatric Aides or Nursing Assistants — tasks, the full skill graph, tools, work context, preparation, wages by percentile, industries, AI exposure and the AI work map.
More comparisons
Related occupations you can place side by side on the same sourced scale.
- Psychiatric Aides vs Psychiatric Technicians
- Psychiatric Aides vs Physical Therapist Aides
- Psychiatric Aides vs Occupational Therapy Aides
- Psychiatric Aides vs Home Health Aides
- Psychiatric Aides vs Occupational Therapy Assistants
- Psychiatric Aides vs Physical Therapist Assistants
- Psychiatric Aides vs Registered Nurses
- Psychiatric Aides vs Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
Sources for this page
Every figure above traces to a named public dataset and the exact release below — not hand-written opinion. See the full methodology for what each measure does and does not mean.
- O*NET 30.3 U.S. Department of Labor / National Center for O*NET Development
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034 U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27) Anthropic
- Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai Microsoft Research
- “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130 OpenAI / academic
Data compiled June 2, 2026. Figures are estimates, not advice.
Cite this page
Singulariki. "Psychiatric Aides vs Nursing Assistants." Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Built from O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026. https://singulariki.com/compare/psychiatric-aides-vs-nursing-assistants
Singulariki. (2026). Psychiatric Aides vs Nursing Assistants. Singulariki: a source-backed encyclopedia of work. Retrieved June 7, 2026, from https://singulariki.com/compare/psychiatric-aides-vs-nursing-assistants
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title = {Psychiatric Aides vs Nursing Assistants},
author = {{Singulariki}},
year = {2026},
note = {O*NET 30.3; BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) May 2024; BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034; Anthropic Economic Index v4 (2026-01-15) + v2 (2025-03-27); Microsoft “Working with AI” working-with-ai; “GPTs are GPTs” (Eloundou et al.) arXiv 2303.10130. Accessed June 7, 2026},
url = {https://singulariki.com/compare/psychiatric-aides-vs-nursing-assistants}
} Citations name the underlying public dataset releases — they reflect what this page is built from, not just the URL.