We’re writing about burnout in ABA—especially among BCBAs. Last week I dove into ways that we as clinicians can burn ourselves out.
Emphasis—again—is on our.
If you haven’t checked the article out, I suggest doing so.
Note, that I could have listed a gazillion additional ways we burn ourselves out, but didn’t have the time or carpal endurance. I love writing articles like last week’s because—should a clinician address a few of those areas that I highlighted—other parts of their life get better (not simply their work life). Some of these areas I listed last week are:
Having a healthy personal life
Managing time and distractions well
Managing expectations—especially those of others
Knowing when to advocate for ourselves
Knowing when to close our laptop and walk away from work
But, sometimes burnout isn’t always related to our personal habits. Instead, it’s the job…or the role…or the company. And that’s not to put the blame entirely outside of ourselves—we should always be advocating for ourselves in a professional and reasonable fashion—but it’s a thing that happens. And it’s a thing that happens a lot in this field for RBTs and BCBAs.
So there are several red flags that the nature of the role will contribute to a clinician’s burnout. This week, we’ll focus on one:
A caseload size or billable expectation that is too high. These are two sides of the same coin. You can have a reasonably sized caseload, but your weekly or monthly billable expectation is to high…and you fry. You can have a reasonable weekly or monthly billable expectation, but you simply have too many clients…trying to see all of them is a challenge…and you fry.
I’m not going throw out any numbers here. However, expecting 35-40 billable hours a week out of a BCBA is pretty excessive. I’ve seen it. Certainly, we should all expect to work 40 hours if we’re considered full time employees. However, 40 billable hours doesn’t mean working 40 hours per week. It’s usually fair to easily factor in an extra 10-12 hours of non-billable time along with it. 50-60 hour work weeks are cool for some people…but they become taxing after awhile. Note: I’ve known BCBAs who can get those 40 hours. If you want them and can do them without losing your mind, you do you. Props.
Additionally, caseload sizes that are massive (15-20 kids for example) will also be a challenge. Even if the standard consultation time for each kiddo is only a few hours, there are a variety of moving parts. In the event that it somehow is humanly possible to see each kiddo and meet billable hours, there are a variety of other factors that often get overlooked.
A few questions to gauge whether or not your caseload or billable expectation is reasonable goes as follow:
Am I able to spend significant time with each of my RBTs each week?
Are my RBTs comfortably receiving their monthly supervision hours?
If a client cancels when I've planned a consultation, can I easily rearrange my schedule to ensure I see them that week? Or is it like playing Tetris from Hell in my Calendar to get it done (if I get it done)?
If a significant problem behavior develops with Client A that I am not with, is it feasible for me to leave my current consultation with Client B to go support the staff? Or, if I help out with Client A, does it mean that I probably won’t get back to Client B this week?
Is it really hard to find the time to make program changes around the time my client’s treatment plan and assessments are due?
Do I normally have time to attend IEP meetings and collaborate with other service providers?
ATTENTION!
You can’t completely blame the position if you haven’t advocated for yourself with your supervisor, or if your time management skills need to develop more. So often, center managers and clinical directors will work with clinicians—sometimes changing the expectations of the role altogether—to make sure the job is doable. Some companies leave the caseload size up to the clinician, so that means the clinician has to let their managers and directors know when things are getting too heavy. Additionally, in speaking with leadership, you’ll want to be prepared to change some of your own behaviors as well. You’ll also want to adopt a growth mindset and a willingness to get better and minimize distractions.
Stay tuned for more burnout talk next week!