Athletic Trainers vs Psychiatric Technicians: $63K vs $45K Median Pay

Athletic Trainers vs Psychiatric Technicians: what changes?

Consider Athletic Trainers if you want to evaluate and treat musculoskeletal injuries or illnesses. Consider Psychiatric Technicians if you would rather care for individuals with mental or emotional conditions or disabilities, following the instructions of physicians or other health practitioners. Entry credentials differ: Athletic Trainers, master's degree; Psychiatric Technicians, postsecondary nondegree award. Prior experience in a related occupation is typically needed for Psychiatric Technicians (less than 5 years).

Try this next: Compare three local entry-level postings for Athletic Trainers and Psychiatric Technicians. List the duties, credentials, prior experience, and paid training each employer actually asks for. Try a supervised class or sample project from each field before choosing a program.

BLS 2025 wages and 2025–2035 projections. National medians are not starting offers. Occupation size is not a count of vacancies. View the BLS data.

Compare the practical differences

Athletic Trainers

National median pay (2025): $62,520
Route into the job: Master's degree
Prior related experience: No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.
Training and licensing: BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.
Work to investigate: Conduct an initial assessment of an athlete's injury or illness to provide emergency or continued care and to determine whether they should be referred to physicians for definitive diagnosis and treatment.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 2,400

Know before you choose

The helping mission includes documentation, direct care, and safety-critical routines where a missed detail can affect a patient.

See the full Athletic Trainers brief

Psychiatric Technicians

National median pay (2025): $45,130
Route into the job: Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
Prior related experience: Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
Training and licensing: One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.
Work to investigate: Provide nursing, psychiatric, or personal care to patients with cognitive, intellectual, or developmental disabilities.
Annual openings (2025–2035): 17,000

Know before you choose

BLS lists less than 5 years of related experience. This is normally reached through feeder roles, not directly from school.

See the full Psychiatric Technicians brief

How the national numbers differ

Psychiatric Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Psychiatric Technicians is at 17,000 annual openings, compared with 2,400 annual openings for Athletic Trainers.

Athletic Trainers has the edge on median pay

Athletic Trainers is at $62,520, compared with $45,130 for Psychiatric Technicians.

Typical preparation differs.

Athletic Trainers: Master's degree Psychiatric Technicians: Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing Preparation categories do not establish admission difficulty, calendar time, tuition, time without earnings, or licensing difficulty.

Psychiatric Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Psychiatric Technicians is at 22.3% projected growth, compared with 12.7% projected growth for Athletic Trainers.

51.8/ 100

Athletic Trainers

60.1/ 100

Psychiatric Technicians

Each available metric is ranked from 0 to 100 against the careers on ChooseField. The weighted average uses this profile: pay 30%, growth 25%, openings 30%, preparation level 15%. Missing values are not scored as zero; their weights are redistributed across available metrics. Occupation size has zero weight: employment is not accessible vacancies. Preparation categories do not measure admission difficulty or years without earnings. The score summarizes national measures; local opportunities and personal fit still need separate consideration.

Detailed evidence

Athletic Trainers vs Psychiatric Technicians

Dimension	Athletic Trainers	Psychiatric Technicians
Median pay (2025)	$62,520	$45,130
Pay percentile	52.4 percentile	18.3 percentile
Projected growth (2025–2035)	12.7%	22.3%
Annual openings (2025–2035)	2,400	17,000
2025 employment	35,200	161,500
How you qualify	Master's degree	Postsecondary nondegree award; Prior related experience: less than 5 years; One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing
O*NET preparation group	Job Zone 5	Job Zone 3
Related work experience	No prior related occupation is typically required; employer requirements vary.	Prior related experience: less than 5 years.
On-the-job training	BLS does not list a separate on-the-job training requirement. Employers may still provide orientation and role-specific training.	One month or less of on-the-job training, in addition to any qualifying education or licensing.

The table reports national benchmarks and reviewed work descriptions. It does not rate personal suitability, job security, or physical safety.

Read Athletic Trainers brief Read Psychiatric Technicians brief

Athletic Trainers vs Psychiatric Technicians: what changes?

The facts most likely to affect your decision

Athletic Trainers

Psychiatric Technicians

How the national numbers differ

Psychiatric Technicians has the edge on annual openings

Athletic Trainers has the edge on median pay

Typical preparation differs.

Psychiatric Technicians has the edge on projected growth

Athletic Trainers vs Psychiatric Technicians

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