BCBA Clinical Apprentice

Job Description

Job Description

Summary

LittleStar ABA Therapy is committed to training the next generation of Behavior Analysts! Whether you are interested in staying with LittleStar once credentialed as a BCBA or would like to transition to another agency, the Clinical Apprentice position will prepare you to be effective in your work! We understand the need for a guided supervisory experience with access to diverse unrestricted experiences and have designed a supervision curriculum to bridge the gap from university coursework to practical application. This curriculum has 42 competencies that cover the majority of the 5th edition task list and the 2022 Ethics Code. Through individual and group supervision, Clinical Apprentices access targeted experience on various applications of Behavior Analysis within the context of autism spectrum disorders. For more information about our model, read the article we published in the Behavior Analysis in Practice journal in 2016, "The Apprentice: an Innovative Approach to Meet the Behavior Analysis Certification Board's Supervision Standards".

Qualifications and Skills Required

• Bachelor’s degree required
• Enrolled in graduate-level Applied Behavior Analysis courses, and actively working towards certification as a board certified behavior analyst
• Six months of prior experience conducting ABA Therapy with patients with autism
• Completion of a minimum of 800 restricted supervision hours (preferred)

Essential Duties and Responsibilities:

• Design, implement, and systematically monitor skill-acquisition and behavior reduction programs under the supervision of a Clinical BCBA
• Assist the Clinical BCBA by researching the literature related to specific patient’s programs
• Oversee the implementation of behavior-analytic programs by Technicians
• Assist the Clinical BCBA by conducting assessments related to the need for behavioral intervention (e.g., stimulus preference assessment, functional assessment, staff performance assessment)
• Assist the Clinical BCBA by writing objectives to be tested for initial assessments and assisting with initial assessments in any other way needed
• Analyzes and summarizes results of assessments and graphs results regularly
• Writes 6-month progress reports with supervision and guidance by the Clinical BCBA
• Train and design behavioral systems and performance management for Technicians
• Conduct naturalistic observation of patients as directed by the Clinical BCBA
• Provide staff and caregiver training
• Meet with the supervising Clinical BCBA at least once per week to discuss patient progress and behavior analytic tasks that must be completed for each patient (can meet on the floor with C-BCBA and Patient present)
• Facilitate team meetings for patients as needed, with supervision and feedback from Clinical BCBA
• Attend monthly clinical staff meetings
• Conduct approximately one patient observation per week by giving feedback and instruction to Technicians, with supervision and feedback from Clinical BCBA
• Write monthly goals for patients as directed by the Clinical BCBA
• Assist with the implementation of an assigned patient’s behavior deceleration plan, as needed
• Analyze and graph patient data as directed by Clinical BCBA
• Create and update data sheets and electronic data collection system
• Make oneself available to answer questions of Technicians working on patient’s cases
• Assist the Clinical BCBA with answering emails from parents
• Follow-up with the caregivers to ensure generalization of patient objectives
• Ensure accuracy of Technician’s data collection
• Create, prepare and update acquisition program materials for patients
• Sort data sheets, scan data sheets, and shred data sheets
• Cover Technician’s patients for breaks and lunches
• Provides one-on-one therapy as needed
• Assist supervising Clinical BCBA in any way needed
• Spend a minimum of 10 hours per week on the floor with C-BCBA as they provide program modification to patients
• Work with a patient(s) for 20 hours per week
• Provide patient shift coverage as needed
• Maintains client, family and employee confidentiality per LS policy and HIPAA Privacy Rule Regulations.
• Promotes a positive company culture with open communication, respect, and teamwork

Condition of Employment

• Must successfully pass the initial and updated criminal history, background, and record checks, which includes driving history checks.
• Must provide transportation to patients using your personal vehicle and travel to different locations within the surrounding area to provide therapy.
• Must provide proof of automobile insurance with a minimum of $100,000 combined in property and medical liability prior to and during employment.
• Must sign a supervision agreement.
• Per the BACB, the RBT credential requires that the employee does not have a physical or mental condition or addiction to any substance that could impair competent and objective professional performance of behavior analysis services and/or jeopardize public health and safety.
• Must wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), as provided by LittleStar, as required, for both illness (i.e. masks, etc.) and patient behaviors (i.e. protective jackets, sleeves, hats/helmets, etc.).

Preferred Qualifications:

Completion of a minimum of 800 restricted supervision hours is preferred

Supervisory Responsibilities:

This position helps to supervise the Technicians working with their assigned Clinical BCBA’s caseload of patients.

Work Environment

Position operates in a clinical environment. This role routinely uses standard office and audiovisual equipment. The environment is open with bright lights and active patients that result in a loud environment. Position may also operate at offsite locations including a patient’s home, school, or place of employment. This role will be expected to work at multiple sites with different patient profiles, including a range of ability level(s) presenting challenging behaviors.

This position is not eligible for telecommuting.

Physical & Psychological Demands

The physical & psychological demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of the job. This position is required to work with special needs/disabled patients, who can be aggressive based upon their diagnosis. It is a physically active position, working with patients of varied activity levels and movement. Patients will move throughout the building to various locations during therapy.

Employees will be required to implement appropriate behavior management techniques as prescribed by patient’s behavior plan. This will include physical management procedures in response to aggressive or unsafe behaviors. Employees must successfully demonstrate techniques learned during Crisis De-escalation and Intervention (CDI) training within the first few weeks of employment and annually thereafter.

Employees must be flexible and adaptive to working with multiple patients with different patient profiles, including a range of ability level(s) presenting challenging behaviors.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to meet the following demands.

Physical requirements:

• Speaking – must speak and understand the English language
• Hearing – requires hearing ability sufficient to perform job duties safely and effectively
• Reaching with hands and arms; be dexterous while using hands to finger, handle or feel

• Exhibiting physical agility such as walk/run/climb stairs; sit/stand for long periods time; dodge/lunge/pivot/shuffle ; have quick reaction time / move quickly; bend at waist, in all directions; be able to sit on floor with legs extended, then lean back supporting weight on elbow; be able to lay flat on floor, facing down; be able to get up from floor to stand quickly, without assistance of wall, chair or pushing themselves up with their hands
• Lifting/pushing/pulling at least 50 lbs.
• Enduring high levels of constant physical activity

Psychological requirements:

• Patient behaviors may precipitate and/or impact an employee’s personal mental health. This role may not be suitable for people with certain behavioral health conditions (e.g., PTSD, Anxiety, Bipolar, etc.).
• Must remain calm and focused under pressure

Other requirements:

• Supervise employee’s patient consistently and independently
• Be able to work with patients who may be larger in height and/or weight than employee

Travel

Travel to satellite sites, patient’s homes, and/or training events or conferences may be required.