PA Behavior Specialist License: 5 Tips for Completing the Coursework Section of the Application

The Pennsylvania Behavioral Specialist License application process can seem like a daunting task. In fact, each section of the application requires a lot of attention to detail. But from personal experience, completing the verification process for the 90 hours of evidence-based courses was quite time consuming and challenging. I have provided you with five tips that will hopefully help you complete this section of the application. Of course, the best thing to do is review the application instructions within the application.

* It should be noted that the information provided below is from my personal experience through the licensing process. It should not be considered official in any way. If you have any questions regarding the licensing process, you should contact the Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine (see link at the end of the article).

90 clock hours

It is important to remember that the license requires 90 clock hours, not 90 credit hours. Keep in mind that clock hours are similar to most continuing education credits (that is, 1 clock hour equals 1 CEU). On the other hand, 1 credit hour generally equates to around 15 clock hours.

Talk to your school ASAP

For some of you, the courses you completed to earn your master’s degree may actually cover everything. I found this possibility to be more thoughtful for people who have a degree in Applied Behavior Analysis or with a concentration in autism, as many of those courses are similar to the content areas required for licensing. However, without contacting your university, you are unlikely to know if you fall into this scenario right away. Also, even if you have a master’s degree in a related field, your university is a major deciding factor in determining whether your courses will count toward the 90-hour requirement. Fortunately, during the last year with the increase in license applications, it is very likely that colleges and universities are becoming more aware of the requirements of the courses to obtain the license. This means that your university may already have a plan in place on how to combine your courses with the requirements set by the licensing board.

One of the first things to do is contact a university representative in your respective department to see if they already have something in place. If not, hopefully you can get the review process started as soon as possible. You may find it best to work with them throughout the process, for example going through each course you took and sharing your thoughts on which content area the course would fit into. In addition to making you think about where you may have some shortfalls so that you can plan accordingly, it can make them a little more willing to complete all your paperwork in a timely manner.

Use the free course work

If you are unable to complete the 90 hours through your master’s program, you have several options to meet that requirement. The Office of Autism Services (BAS) offers free online courses and trainings that will cover every hour you need. The online registration process is quite straightforward and you can easily browse the course catalogs, which are divided into the 8 content areas. In addition to the courses being completely free, once you pass the course, you can print your certificate directly from your home or office.

Talk to your agency

If you work for an agency, you may have already completed BAS-approved trainings. I advise you to speak with your training coordinator to see if any courses have gone through the approval process. If so, be sure to obtain a certificate, as you will need to include a copy with the application. If they haven’t, you may want to encourage them to look into it. In my opinion, it’s a great way for the agency to be a little more competitive, with minimal effort.

Alternative course work

For board certified behavior analysts, the licensing board accepts continuing education credits from the Behavior Analyst Certification Board that can meet the 90-hour requirement. Remember, it is your responsibility to provide supporting documentation with your application. There are several great providers that offer these CEUs, but I would recommend the Florida Institute of Technology as they have a full section of online trainings dedicated to the PA Behavior Specialist License. Pricing is about $ 11 per clock hour and all courses are taught by some of the most revered behavior analysts in the field.

http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/state_board_of_medicine/12512/licensure_information/599413