To apply for the Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) exam a trainee must complete:
Graduate-level Coursework:
This is a master’s or doctorate degree that prepares students by providing a comprehensive overview of applied behavior analysis from the basics of behavioral principals to more technical behavior change designs. The degree is important, but it only scratches the surface when it comes to preparing students for a career as a BCBA.
Practical Supervised Fieldwork:
The fieldwork requirement is where trainees should truly focus on gaining the skills to be a competent behavior change agent. Supervised fieldwork allows trainees to interact with both the consumers and supervisors in a professional behavior analytic setting. To summarize, it is where we get to put our knowledge from our coursework into real-world practice with other people. Fieldwork requirements include:
o The concentrated track requires more contacts with a BCBA supervisor and a higher percentage of supervision per month.
So, how long does it actually take to finish supervised fieldwork for the BACB?
If a trainee were to max out their hours every month in the concentrated fieldwork track they would be able to finish their hours in under a year.
However, this isn’t always realistic in a clinical, school, or home-based ABA setting due to client cancellations, the availability of a BCBA supervisor, and the amount of hours that a trainee has available to them to complete in a given month. A great way to pursue additional hours is having multiple supervisors by utilizing an online supervision marketplace.
Supplementing Hours Remotely
Additional Hours On Your Schedule
Having a remote supervisor can allow for trainees to flexibly plan supervision meetings, or contacts, with their supervisor while still working fulltime and pursing their coursework. Interviewing multiple remote BCBAs can allow trainees to find BCBA supervisors with the availability to meet with them after hours or on the weekends- times that aren’t usually offered in a clinical ABA setting.
Keep The Hours You Earn
Having a remote supervisor that provides additional supervised fieldwork hours also means that trainees won’t risk losing hours by ensuring that minimum requirements are met each month. Working with one supervisor alone means that if they are unable to assign hours in a month then the trainee loses out on gaining hours and experience to count towards their fieldwork. A remote supervisor can ensure that trainees receive ample opportunities for unrestricted hours in a given month and also provide more supervision meetings. More meetings with a supervisor means a higher percentage of supervision hours in a month- so fieldwork can be considered concentrated meaning that only 1,500 hours are required instead of the regular fieldwork hour requirement of 2,000 hours.
Finish On Schedule
Remote supervised fieldwork hours can be extremely helpful for trainees who are getting close to their five year limit on supervised fieldwork. Adding hours remotely can ensure that hours are completed, documented and turned in to the Behavior Analyst Certification Board with enough time for trainees to study, prepare, and sit for the exam within the five year limit window. A trainee can pick up hours as they are approaching the limit as quickly as they need to with multiple supervisors to complete the hours in a timeframe that works for them. Some BCBA supervisors can provide training materials and study guides to their trainees as they get closer to completing their hours to sit for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board exam.
Diversify Your Supervision Experience
Having a remote supervisor in addition to a traditional in-person BCBA supervisor can allow for a more diverse supervision experience. As different supervisors have different experiences, trainees can leverage diverse specialties with different supervisors working in multiple facets of the applied behavior analytic field. Trainees with multiple supervisors can become more well-rounded, experienced, and better prepared for their careers as BCBAs.
References
Behavior Analyst Certification Board. (2023). Board Certified Behavior Analyst® Handbook. bacb.com. https://www.bacb.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/BCBAHandbook_231227-a.pdf