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.
U.S. Workers
136,300
Median Salary
$42,590
10-Year Growth
+20.0%
Annual Openings
15,900
Typical entry: Postsecondary nondegree award
13 of 16 tasks have some AI capability
Exposure Trend
This score reflects estimated AI technical capability for tasks in this occupation. It does not predict employment changes, and it does not account for company-specific constraints, regulation, or adoption barriers.
Take and record measures of patients' physical condition, using devices such as thermometers or blood pressure gauges.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated vital-sign devices and integrated monitoring systems can reliably take and record measurements and transmit them to records without human intervention.
Issue medications from dispensary and maintain records in accordance with specified procedures.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated dispensing systems and electronic medication management software can reliably issue medications and maintain records and are widely used in clinical settings.
Contact patients' relatives to arrange family conferences.
AI: Fully automatable - Automated outreach systems (secure messaging, voice agents, and scheduling integrations) can contact relatives and arrange family conferences end-to-end with minimal human intervention.
Monitor patients' physical and emotional well-being and report unusual behavior or physical ailments to medical staff.
AI: Partial - AI can continuously monitor vitals and detect anomalies or behavioral signals, but nuanced interpretation of emotional state and clinical judgment for escalation still require humans.
Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to mentally ill, emotionally disturbed, or mentally retarded patients.
AI: Partial - Some routine aspects of personal and nursing care can be assisted or guided by technology, but hands-on care and complex clinical/empathetic tasks remain human-dependent.
Observe and influence patients' behavior, communicating and interacting with them and teaching, counseling, or befriending them.
AI: Partial - AI agents can support observation and provide conversational prompts or coaching, but reliably influencing behavior and building therapeutic rapport cannot be fully automated.
Aid patients in performing tasks, such as bathing or keeping beds, clothing, or living areas clean.
AI: Partial - AI can provide reminders, guidance, and limited robotic assistance for activities of daily living, but fully assisting patients with bathing and personal care generally requires human caregivers.
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.
AI: Partial - AI can assist with data synthesis, scheduling, and treatment suggestions, but meaningful clinical collaboration and tailored rehabilitation planning require human professionals.
Encourage patients to develop work skills and to participate in social, recreational, or other therapeutic activities that enhance interpersonal skills or develop social relationships.
AI: Partial - Technology can facilitate skill-building programs and reminders, yet motivating participation and fostering interpersonal development depend on human-led social and therapeutic interaction.
Lead prescribed individual or group therapy sessions as part of specific therapeutic procedures.
AI: Partial - AI can lead structured, protocolized individual or group therapy (e.g., CBT modules) and moderate sessions, but complex therapeutic interventions and clinical responsibility still require human therapists.
Train or instruct new employees on procedures to follow with psychiatric patients.
AI: Partial - AI can deliver standardized training modules, simulations, and decision-support for procedures, but cannot fully replace hands-on supervised training and clinical judgment required with psychiatric patients.
Develop or teach strategies to promote client wellness and independence.
AI: Partial - AI can develop and teach evidence-based wellness and independence strategies and provide coaching, but personalization, therapeutic rapport, and clinician oversight limit full automation.
Interview new patients to complete admission forms, to assess their mental health status, or to obtain their mental health and treatment history.
AI: Partial - AI can perform intake interviews, populate admission forms, and run validated screening tools to assess mental health status, but nuanced clinical assessment, risk evaluation, and consent require human clinicians.
Administer oral medications or hypodermic injections, following physician's prescriptions and hospital procedures.
AI: Not automatable - Administering oral medications or hypodermic injections is a hands-on clinical procedure requiring licensed human practitioners and physical dexterity beyond current autonomous AI/robotic deployment.
Restrain violent, potentially violent, or suicidal patients by verbal or physical means as required.
AI: Not automatable - Physically restraining or safely de-escalating violent or suicidal patients requires human judgment, physical intervention, and legal/ethical responsibility that AI cannot assume.
Escort patients to medical appointments.
AI: Not automatable - Escorting patients to medical appointments involves physically transporting and interacting with patients in varied environments, which current AI cannot autonomously and safely perform.