7 Reasons the RBT Certificate Benefits You and Your Community

The path to a successful career can feel daunting, especially when you’re exploring the field of human services. If you’re looking for a fulfilling and intrinsically rewarding role in behaviour analysis, this blog is for you! Here, we’ll explore some of the key benefits that come with being an RBT: from personal satisfaction to community impact.

1. Variety. When working as an RBT, you will work with clients of all ages, diagnoses, skill-based programming, and in a variety of locations. If you’re wanting to avoid the repetitiveness of a 9–5 job, an RBT position is for you! Scheduling will vary depending on your clients but expect to work a variety of hours which will allow you more freedom in your week. As an RBT, each day can change. One morning you may be working with a young client teaching them how to communicate. In the afternoon you may be supporting a teenager to gain the skills they need to prepare a meal independently.
2. Collaboration. If you become an RBT, you will be able to partner with Board Certified Behaviour Analysts (BCBAs) as well as other types of providers in your area. This could include speech and language pathologists, teachers, counsellors, psychologists, and early childhood educators. These are excellent chances to create a supportive network and learn more information about complementary programs for the people you work with or potential future occupations.
3. Growth and Learning. An RBT certificate can be the first step in a rewarding career in Behaviour Analysis. An RBT is a para-professional certificate in ABA. If you choose to continue within this field, the BACB has a series of certificates that one can obtain at each level of education. If you obtain the eligible coursework within your bachelor’s degree, you can sit for the BCaBA exam. If you complete a Master’s degree, you are eligible for the BCBA exam. And if you complete a PhD, you are eligible for the BCBA-D exam. You can review the Verified Course Sequence here.
4. Standardized Certification. The RBT certification not only allows potential clients to verify your knowledge and skills but also provides a sense of safety in your community. Because you will be working with vulnerable populations as an RBT, the certificate gives both parents and other professionals assurance that you have met all qualifications and are receiving proper supervision.
5. Job Security. RBT’s can work with a wide range of populations and in various locations (i.e., daycares, schools, private homes, ABA clinics, camps). Entering a career offered across a variety of locations opens the job market significantly. Noted on ZipRecruiter.com, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects a 6% increase in behavioural health technician roles. Becoming an RBT allows you to step right into the workforce in an entry level career. This provides on the job skills that will further enhance your future employability, and depth of service to future clients.
6. Community Inclusion. As an RBT, you may be responsible for accompanying a client to appointments or classes outside the home. This includes the grocery shopping, swimming lessons, group activities, using public transportation. This supports somebody’s ability to connect with their community, allowing them access to essential resources and social interactions.
7. Rewarding. People often enter the human services field because they want to help others. The most rewarding job is one in which you help your client, and their loved ones achieve goals that matter to them. As an RBT, that’s precisely what you’ll do: create individualized programming to make progress towards those objectives. As an RBT, you will be able to identify daily moments of growth that leave you feeling fulfilled and excited about the work you do.

Written by Monica Millar MA, BCBA