BT – Keerthana K.

Hi! My name is Keerthana Karthikeyan and I am currently a 4th year at UCSD. This is my second year as a part of PPASO and my first year serving on board as your Co-Public Relations Officer! I have been working as a Registered Behavior Technician/Therapist for about 7 months now. I will be describing my personal experience as an RBT and provide insight to anyone who might be interested. Make sure to conduct some more research about the field as well or reach out to me for any further questions! I hope this information helps you determine if working as an RBT is right for you on your path towards becoming a PA.

What is a Behavior Technician?

A Behavior Technician, or Therapist, is a behavior analyst who implements behavior reduction and skill acquisition treatment plans. They assist individuals on the autism spectrum with day to day activities and monitor their behavior all while recording and collecting data on the patient’s progress. BT’s can work part time or full time and require no certification. All the training is provided within the job, which includes the process of becoming a Registered Behavior Technician, or RBT. In order to become registered (which I had to do a few months into the job), an online test is taken. However, not all companies will require you to become registered. The test itself is very common sense based and easy to pass.

What Do You Do?

I currently work with 2 clients for a total of 12 hours on a weekly basis, seeing them each twice a week based on my hours and availability. As a BT, you are provided with specific goals that you must run with your client during your session. Throughout sessions, you record data and use different toys to play with your client. An example of a goal might be that your client must independently choose between two options provided to them (e.g. toy car or truck). You are constantly provided with support and feedback from your supervisors, who help you learn different methods of implementing goals and how to deal with behaviors. From this job I have learned how to be incredibly patient and collected, while also knowing how to react properly in the moment. I have become much more empathetic as a result, being able to understand my clients’ thoughts and requests despite them being unable to convey such due to their limited language.

This job has been difficult but also extremely rewarding. The progress made by your clients can definitely be seen as time goes by. Tasks that your client would not have been able to do a month or two ago are now being completed effortlessly and independently. Whether you are good with kids or not, there is so much to learn as a BT. I never considered myself good with children, however learning different methods to work with them and help them learn has made me much more confident with them! This job will definitely help you with your people skills. Every session is one on one patient care experience, and this job definitely provides you with experiences and anecdotes to talk about during interviews, especially since not many people would have had a job like this.

How Did You Get the Job?

I applied for this job through a referral from a friend, however the job itself was listed on Handshake. There are multiple companies throughout San Diego that provide the same services so I recommend applying to more than one. Some companies have offices in more than one location like mine does, so if I were to move back home in Irvine I would be able to continue working if I chose to do so.

Qualifications?

You will need a car, as you will be driving to your clients’ houses to conduct sessions. The company I work for understands that I am still a student at UCSD, and as a result, try to accommodate my requests regarding my hours. No previous experience or certification was required to become a BT.

PCE:

Most schools accept your hours as a BT for PCE. However, there are some schools that may not. You might have to provide them with a description of your job as a BT, to which most schools then accept your hours. It is important to confirm with the schools you are considering applying to.

I hope you now have a better understanding regarding the role of a BT! If you have any more questions, please feel free to reach out either through message or email (kkarthik@ucsd.edu). Make sure to check out our other blog posts as well! I wish you the best of luck on your journey to becoming a PA (: