Calling all Boilermakers in ABA! If you’re interested in Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) and making a tangible difference for clients, this blog post is for you. Maybe you’re currently working on a master’s degree in ABA from Purdue. Maybe you’re interested but haven’t started an ABA program yet. Wherever you are in the process, we have some exciting news!
Integrity Learning Center is an approved practicum site for Purdue University. This means if you are currently enrolled at Purdue University for a Master’s in ABA, you could accrue fieldwork hours needed to take the Board-Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) exam at Integrity!
If you’re already enrolled in another master’s program, don’t worry! Integrity accepts all supervision students regardless of where they are receiving their degree.
Clinical fieldwork at Integrity can include:
- 100% of your restricted clinical hours paid
- Collaboration with on-site BCBAs
- Training new RBTs using behavior skills training (BST)
- 1:1 mentorship from the Manager of Orientation and Training Services BCBA
- A variety of clinical experiences across all topics in the BCBA Test Content Outline 6th Edition (TCO6)
What is Fieldwork?
All aspiring behavior analysts hoping for certification from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB) must complete 2000 hours of fieldwork experience. This ensures all new BCBAs have tangible, real-life experiences with the ABA principles learned in a master’s program. You can receive fieldwork experience under any certified BCBA that meets requirements. All of Integrity’s BCBAs are qualified to supervise fieldwork!
Fieldwork experience is broken down into two categories. The BACB provides a full explanation in the BCBA Handbook, but let’s do a brief overview here.
Restricted Hours
Only 40% of all fieldwork hours (800 hours) can fall within this category. A restricted activity is any instance where the supervision student is providing direct therapy to clients. This ensures that the aspiring behavior analyst knows how to provide direct therapy and has a clear understanding of effective intervention in practice.
Here’s some good news: working as an RBT counts as restricted hours! This means if you work for Integrity as an RBT, you can count all direct therapy hours toward your fieldwork total until you reach 800 hours.
Unrestricted Hours
A minimum of 60% of all fieldwork hours (1200 hours at least) must include unrestricted activities. An unrestricted activity is any behavior-analytic-related activity that a BCBA engages in during their professional role. This includes, but isn’t limited to, training staff, conducting assessments, planning interventions, analyzing data, and researching the behavior-analytic literature for evidence-based practices. It’s important to make sure unrestricted hours directly relate to a “client” – which is anyone receiving behavior-analytic instruction. This can include clients receiving therapy, parents receiving parent-training, and even other staff members whom you are training in behavior-analytic practices.
The goal of unrestricted hours is for the trainee to practice all tasks the BCBA must do in their role. At Integrity, supervision students get the unique opportunity to directly collaborate with BCBAs on client programming, data analysis, and staff training. Supervision students get a behind-the-scenes look at how ABA interventions are created and get to practice it themselves under close supervision.
Other Requirements
In addition to the distinction between restricted and unrestricted hours, there are other requirements put in place by the BACB to ensure that supervision students get high-quality fieldwork experiences. These requirements include:
- At least 5% of all fieldwork hours per month are directly supervised by a BCBA.
- The supervisee is observed with a client for at least 60 minutes per month.
- At least 50% of all supervised hours per month are individual (rather than group-based).
- A minimum of 20 hours per month must be logged for the entire month to count toward fieldwork hour totals.
- A maximum of 160 hours per month can be logged per month.
These additional requirements ensure that aspiring behavior analysts get consistent, ongoing, individualized supervision. At Integrity, the Manager of Orientation and Training Services BCBA, Jenny Davy, is responsible for all fieldwork-related activities. She ensures every supervision student gets 1:1 mentorship from her and individualizes fieldwork experiences to align with the supervisee’s long-term goals, current classwork, and areas of interest.
What Are the Steps to Become a BCBA?
It’s important to know the steps before starting your journey toward becoming a BCBA. It can feel a little overwhelming at first, but Integrity staff is excited to support you along the way!
Step 1: Enroll in and complete an APBA- or ABAI- accredited master’s program.
Step 2: Complete 2000 hours of fieldwork under a qualifying BCBA. (Good news: You can work on this step while working on your master’s degree!)
Step 3: Pass the BCBA exam from the BACB
Step 4: Celebrate! You’ve become a BCBA!
Final Thoughts: Fieldwork Opportunities at Integrity
Integrity Learning Center is committed to training up the next generation of BCBAs in ethical ABA practice. All supervision students receive top-notch supervision, collaborative opportunities with BCBAs, and a structured fieldwork program that ensures all content areas are covered during fieldwork experiences. We hope you join the many current Integrity employees working towards their BCBA credentials!
You can learn more information about BCBA requirements by viewing the BCBA handbook from the BACB.
Personal Note from the Author, Erin Walker, RBT
I am currently collecting fieldwork hours through Integrity Learning Center. I have worked at Integrity as an RBT for over 2 years and have found so many opportunities to collaborate with clinical staff about my current clients. I am working on my master’s degree from Arizona State University (ASU) and have about 1 year left of coursework. If you’re still not convinced that Integrity is the place for you, here are a few more reasons:
- I would love to see more Boilermakers on staff at Integrity. (I am a Boilermaker through and through – I got my bachelor’s degrees from Purdue in 2024!)
- There are 10+ other supervision students who are also working on fieldwork hours. We’ve created a supportive community of supervision students and we’re always excited to welcome new members!
- I have received a variety of clinical experiences that satisfy unrestricted requirements. I’ve assisted a BCBA with assessments, goal selection for new Initial Treatment Plans (ITP), behavior-intervention planning for interfering behaviors, data analysis, and program monitoring for client progress. I have fieldwork experience in Organizational Behavior Management (OBM), ethical decision making, designing and implementing behavior-change procedures, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and staff training. You too can have a variety of experiences!
- Clinical staff at Integrity are super receptive to collaboration! If you learn something in class that might be relevant to a client, our BCBAs are willing to listen and refine your ideas.
- I receive direct mentorship and supervision from Jenny Davy, who has so much experience in the field. She’s so supportive of my ideas and directs me toward relevant applications. You’ll get 1:1 mentorship too!
If you decide to join the Integrity family, I hope you’ll find me to say hello! I’d love to hear that this blog post helped you decide to pursue fieldwork experience with Integrity Learning Center.
Author: Erin Walker, RBT, BS, BA
