Behavior analysis has emerged as an essential field in today's society, and it's rapidly growing in popularity as people seek to bring positive change in one's lives through this practice.
Applicants must complete supervised fieldwork in applied behavior analysis. The following sections describe all of the requirements for supervised fieldwork
When can I start BCBA fieldwork?
You can start accruing fieldwork hours right after attending your initial ABA course and once you and your supervisor both sign your contract.
How Many Supervision Hours Are Required For BCBA
Choosing the right path in the journey to becoming a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) involves deciding between Concentrated Fieldwork and Supervised Fieldwork, each with its own set of requirements.
In the realm of Concentrated Fieldwork, trainees commit to completing 1500 hours of hands-on experience, ensuring that at least 10% of that time is supervised, totaling a minimum of 150 supervision hours. This option offers the advantage of a shorter overall duration for completing fieldwork, but it demands more dedicated time with a supervisor. This commitment can translate into associated costs, whether in the form of monetary compensation for the supervisor's time or the trainee's invested time.
Conversely, the alternative, Supervised Fieldwork, necessitates a total of 2000 fieldwork hours, with a minimum of 5% dedicated to supervision, totaling at least 100 supervision hours. While this path requires a greater overall time investment, it grants trainees an extended period to nurture and refine their skills, albeit with less direct time spent with their supervisor.
Deciding between these two options involves weighing the benefits of a shorter, more intense experience against the advantages of a prolonged period for skill development. Whichever path is chosen, it's essential to consider the associated time and financial commitments that come with the pursuit of BCBA certification.
What are Hell is restricted and unrestricted hours?
Unrestricted tasks encompass the diverse range of activities that a BCBA is likely to engage in. The primary objective of BCBA fieldwork is to equip aspiring analysts with the skills essential for the BCBA role, necessitating that a significant majority (60% or more) of the fieldwork experience focuses on activities fostering BCBA-related competencies.
Activities falling within the unrestricted category may involve:
• observation and data collection
• training staff and caregivers on behavior-analytic programs or content
• conducting assessments related to the need for behavioral intervention
• meeting with clients about behavior-analytic programming and services
• conducting behavior-analytic assessments (e.g., functional analyses, stimulus preference assessments)
• data graphing and analysis
• researching the literature relevant to a current client’s programming
• writing and revising behavior-analytic programs
Unacceptable Activities: Only behavior-analytic activities may be counted toward fieldwork requirements. Non behavior-analytic activities, while valuable, may not be counted. Examples of activities that will not count as fieldwork include:
• attending meetings with little or no behavior-analytic content
• providing interventions that are not based in behavior analysis
• performing nonbehavioral administrative activities
• non behavior-analytic trainings related to service delivery (e.g., crisis management, CPR, billing systems)
• completing nonbehavioral assessments (e.g., diagnostic assessments, intellectual assessments), paperwork, documentation, billing, or any other activities that are not directly related to behavior analysis
• attending professional conferences, workshops, or university courses • didactic-course assignments (e.g., completing homework assignments, readings)
In contrast, restricted activities pertain to the direct implementation of therapeutic and instructional procedures, typically carried out by behavior technicians or other paraprofessional roles. It's worth noting that individuals pursuing BCBA certification are not obligated to fulfill any restricted hours, and they have the flexibility to complete 100% unrestricted hours if they choose. However, a common approach involves a combination of both unrestricted and restricted hours.
The crucial requirement is to ensure that at least 60% of the total hours are dedicated to unrestricted activities, with no more than 40% allocated to restricted tasks. For those accumulating 2,000 hours, this translates to a minimum of 1,200 unrestricted hours and a cap of 800 restricted hours.
It's essential to be mindful that the BACB's guidance on fieldwork activities is designed to be broad, covering various populations and applications of behavior analytic principles. While the BCBA handbook provides examples of allowable activities, it doesn't explicitly specify whether a particular activity qualifies, underscoring the importance of thoughtful consideration and consultation during the fieldwork experience.
What are the monthly supervision requirements?
​ | Supervised Fieldwork | Concentrated Supervised Fieldwork |
Fieldwork hours required to qualify | ​2000 | 1500 |
Number of supervisor observations with client | 1 | 1 |
Number of contacts with supervisor | 4 | 4 |
Supervision hours per supervisory period | 5% | 10% |
There is flexibility in choosing a combination of supervised and concentrated fieldwork to meet BCBA requirements. Notably, hours accumulated during concentrated supervised fieldwork hold a higher value, calculated at 1.33 times that of regular supervised fieldwork. To apply this multiplier effectively, use a factor of 1.33 for any months in which you accumulate hours following the concentrated fieldwork criteria.
And yes, your total supervised hours have to total out be 2000 hours with you do both!
How long does the fieldwork experience last?
The maximum accrual rate for fieldwork hours is capped at 130 hours per month. If you consistently achieve this maximum, you have the potential to fulfill the fieldwork hour requirements in a relatively short timeframe. Specifically, completing the required 1,500 hours for the concentrated route could be accomplished in as little as 11.5 months, while the traditional route of 2,000 hours might take around 15 months.
However, it's crucial to recognize that the typical duration for student analysts to complete their fieldwork hours falls within the range of 1.5 to 3 years. It's worth noting that there's a five-year limit to complete these hours, which is a factor to consider when planning your timeline. This becomes especially relevant if you anticipate taking breaks during your journey or if you plan to accrue hours at a lower monthly rate (bearing in mind the range of 20 to 130 hours per month).
Strategically factoring in potential breaks and considering your expected monthly accrual rate is essential for a well-paced and realistic plan towards BCBA certification.
How do you track Fieldwork Hours?
Keeping track of your fieldwork activities is crucial. The BACB suggests holding onto your records for seven years in case of an audit. It's important for both the Supervisor and the Supervisee to keep copies of all the documentation to ensure everything is properly recorded and accessible when needed.
For more resources
The following links are more BACB resources specific to the fieldwork experience. I highly recommend reviewing each of these.