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31-1133.00 · Task explorer

Psychiatric Aides: reported tasks and exploration worksheet

Assist mentally impaired or emotionally disturbed patients, working under direction of nursing and medical staff. May assist with daily living activities, lead patients in educational and recreational activities, or accompany patients to and from examinations and treatments. May restrain violent patients. Includes psychiatric orderlies.

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This source lists 17 tasks, including 15 marked Core and 2 marked Supplemental. Labels and dates are retained below. Employers can combine or divide these responsibilities differently; explore the task itself before assuming it belongs in every version of the role.

Task source dates: 08/2023.

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17 tasks shown

Core · Task 20578 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Listen and provide emotional support and encouragement to psychiatric patients.

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Core · Task 1994 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Provide patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities with routine physical, emotional, psychological, or rehabilitation care under the direction of nursing or medical staff.

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Core · Task 18696 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Complete physical checks and monitor patients to detect unusual or harmful behavior and report observations to professional staff.

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Core · Task 2001 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Restrain or aid patients as necessary to prevent injury.

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Core · Task 1996 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Work as part of a team that may include psychiatrists, psychologists, psychiatric nurses, or social workers.

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Core · Task 18697 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Record and maintain patient information, such as vital signs, eating habits, behavior, progress notes, treatments, or discharge plans.

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Core · Task 2005 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Maintain patients' restrictions to assigned areas.

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Core · Task 1998 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Organize, supervise, or encourage patient participation in social, educational, or recreational activities.

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Core · Task 2003 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Provide patients with assistance in bathing, dressing, or grooming, demonstrating these skills as necessary.

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Core · Task 1997 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Aid patients in becoming accustomed to hospital routines.

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Core · Task 2000 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Serve meals or feed patients needing assistance or persuasion.

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Core · Task 2007 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Clean and disinfect rooms and furnishings to maintain a safe and orderly environment.

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Core · Task 18698 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Complete administrative tasks, such as entering orders into computer, answering telephone calls, or maintaining medical or facility information.

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Core · Task 2006 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Accompany patients to and from wards for medical or dental treatments, shopping trips, or religious or recreational events.

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Core · Task 2004 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Participate in recreational activities with patients, including card games, sports, or television viewing.

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Supplemental · Task 1999 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Perform nursing duties, such as administering medications, measuring vital signs, collecting specimens, or drawing blood samples.

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Supplemental · Task 2002 · 08/2023 · Incumbent

Interview patients upon admission and record information.

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Make the shortlist useful

Choose one to three activities that tell you something different about the work. Avoid selecting several ways of describing the same interest.
For each, write an example you can discuss or a question that would change your understanding of the role.
Keep source task IDs with your notes so you can return to the same description. Do not include private employer or customer information.

The exported worksheet distinguishes the reported task from your own notes. It supports exploration, not a hiring decision or a validated assessment.

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Download before leaving this page. Unsaved writing remains only in the page and is cleared on refresh. Notes and learning actions are not sent to a server. This guide describes an occupation and supports study planning; it does not provide clinical, legal or equipment-operating procedures.

Source and practice material

Occupational context uses the O*NET® 31.0 Database from the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, under CC BY 4.0. View the occupation.

Skill Workbench selected and adapted the occupational information and added its own fictional cases, calculations, guidance and worksheets. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed or tested these additions. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA.