Psychiatrist job description: duties, skills and qualifications.

Core duties

12

O*NET task statements

Preparation

Job Zone 5 of 5

extensive preparation

Typical entry education

Doctoral or professional degree

BLS 2025–35

Median pay

$281,870

BLS May 2025

1. Prescribe, direct, or administer psychotherapeutic treatments or medications to treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders. importance 4.8 of 5
2. Gather and maintain patient information and records, including social or medical history obtained from patients, relatives, or other professionals. importance 4.5 of 5
3. Collaborate with physicians, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, or other professionals to discuss treatment plans and progress. importance 4.5 of 5
4. Counsel outpatients or other patients during office visits. importance 4.5 of 5
5. Analyze and evaluate patient data or test findings to diagnose nature or extent of mental disorder. importance 4.4 of 5
6. Examine or conduct laboratory or diagnostic tests on patients to provide information on general physical condition or mental disorder. importance 4.3 of 5
7. Design individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments. importance 4.1 of 5
8. Advise or inform guardians, relatives, or significant others of patients' conditions or treatment. importance 4.1 of 5
9. Teach, take continuing education classes, attend conferences or seminars, or conduct research and publish findings to increase understanding of mental, emotional, or behavioral states or disorders. importance 3.9 of 5
10. Review and evaluate treatment procedures and outcomes of other psychiatrists or medical professionals. importance 3.9 of 5
11. Prepare and submit case reports or summaries to government or mental health agencies. importance 3.7 of 5
12. Serve on committees to promote or maintain community mental health services or delivery systems. importance 3.4 of 5

Work activities O*NET rates most important here: Assisting and Caring for Others, Documenting/Recording Information, Making Decisions and Solving Problems, Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates and Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships.

Knowledge areas: Medicine and Dentistry, Therapy and Counseling, Psychology, Biology and English Language.

Software O*NET lists for this occupation: Epic Systems, MEDITECH software, eClinicalWorks EHR software, Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook. These are examples O*NET records for the job, not a list of tools every employer uses or a checklist of what you must know.

• Education: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as the typical entry-level education.
• Experience: BLS lists no work experience in a related occupation as typical to enter.
• Training on the job: BLS lists internship/residency as typical once hired.
• Preparation: O*NET places the job in Job Zone 5 of 5 (extensive preparation). Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations.
• Licenses and certifications: not listed here. A license is a legal requirement set by a state; a certification is a credential from a private or professional body. Rules vary by state and employer, and a missing entry on this page does not mean none is required: check with your state's licensing board and see how to become a psychiatrist.

Most psychiatrists surveyed by O*NET (59%) name post-doctoral training as the education the job requires.

Job title: Psychiatrist
[Company] · [City, State] · [Full-time or part-time] · [Pay range, where your state requires one]

About the role
[Company] is hiring a Psychiatrist to diagnose, treat, and help prevent mental disorders.
[One sentence on your team and why this role matters.]

What you will do
- Prescribe, direct, or administer psychotherapeutic treatments or medications to treat mental, emotional, or behavioral disorders.
- Gather and maintain patient information and records, including social or medical history obtained from patients, relatives, or other professionals.
- Collaborate with physicians, psychologists, social workers, psychiatric nurses, or other professionals to discuss treatment plans and progress.
- Counsel outpatients or other patients during office visits.
- Analyze and evaluate patient data or test findings to diagnose nature or extent of mental disorder.
- Examine or conduct laboratory or diagnostic tests on patients to provide information on general physical condition or mental disorder.
- Design individualized care plans, using a variety of treatments.
- Advise or inform guardians, relatives, or significant others of patients' conditions or treatment.

What we are looking for
- [Education: BLS lists a doctoral or professional degree as typical for this occupation; set the level this role truly needs]
- [Experience: BLS lists no related work experience as typical to enter; set what this role needs]
- Strength in active listening, social perceptiveness and critical thinking
- Working knowledge of Medicine and Dentistry and Therapy and Counseling
- [Software your team uses, e.g. Epic Systems or MEDITECH software]
- [Any license or certification your state or company requires]

[Schedule, benefits and how to apply]

Illustrative: every name, employer, school, date and number in these samples is fictional or a bracketed placeholder. Replace each bracket with your own true details; never copy a result you did not achieve.

Not a real job posting. This template is TryHired's illustration built from government occupational data. It is not an opening at any employer, and no employer wrote it.

The median annual wage was $281,870 in May 2025. The median hourly wage was $135.51. BLS estimates about 27,980 jobs in this occupation in the U.S.

BLS projects employment of psychiatrists to grow 7.2% from 2025 to 2035, with about 900 openings a year over that period, including openings to replace workers who leave.

See the full psychiatrist salary breakdown by percentile, state and metro.

• Read a real psychiatrist posting next to the core duties above. Duties it repeats, such as “Prescribe, direct, or administer psychotherapeutic treatments or…”, tell you what that employer weighs most; anything it adds is specific to that team.
• Tailor your resume to the posting, not to this page: describe only psychiatrist work you have actually done, with your own results.
• Prepare a story for each of the top-rated skills (active listening and social perceptiveness).