Behavioral Health Tech - Clinical Experience?

[deleted1071450]

Hello! I am currently a sophomore and recently applied to work as a behavioral health tech since I cannot currently work directly in a hospital b/c of my dad's autoimmune condition and for fear of bringing Covid home.

My question is, would being a BHT count as clinical experience? From what I have read people see it both ways, but the jobs description states: "provides support and services to individuals with autism across their various stages of life. We utilize Applied Behavior Analysis to provide support through our Early Intervention, School, Adult Services, and Outreach programs"

It is providing support in homes or in schools. I'm not sure if this is too loosely clinical, but I absolutely love psychiatry and counseling, and am also considering genetic counseling currently, so it seems like it could be the best of both worlds and I could possibly use it as experience for either path I choose. I always hear that you should do something you love rather than just checking off boxes for med school experience, and this is something I would truly love to do.

Over the past 4 months I have applied to various medical assistant positions, but all later told me that I would have direct contact with covid patients, which I cannot afford right now to keep my family safe. I also applied for a scribe job, but they need a 1 year commitment and I will be studying abroad my junior fall 2021. Finding doc shadowing opportunities right now has definitely been difficult!

Thanks!!

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[LizzyM]

Okay, at this point you may or may not know my definition of "clinical" which is mine alone but which is very simple... are you working with patients. If these people aren't patients seeking/receiving/leaving after receiving clinical care, then how can you call it clinical care?

I may be biased becasue the person I know best who works with kids with autism came to behavioral therapy (she has a master's degree in the subject) from a school setting and had previously been a teacher. I think that work with individuals with autism does straddle that gray area between health care and education.

Are there doctors' orders being followed in your work place? Are their doctors or mid-level practioners (advanced practice nurses, physician assistants) present and working with you? If not, why do you think that it might be clinical care? What do you think makes a thing clinical care?

All that said, if this makes your heart sing, go for it. It may point you in the direction of your true calling. It may be that medicine is your calling and that this activity, while not clinical, is valuable and gives you a work experience (or volunteer service opportunity) with individuals who are on the margins of society and who have challenges in accessing health care while being in need of health care services from providers in many different specialties.

 

[Moko]

Hello! I am currently a sophomore and recently applied to work as a behavioral health tech since I cannot currently work directly in a hospital b/c of my dad's autoimmune condition and for fear of bringing Covid home.

My question is, would being a BHT count as clinical experience? From what I have read people see it both ways, but the jobs description states: "provides support and services to individuals with autism across their various stages of life. We utilize Applied Behavior Analysis to provide support through our Early Intervention, School, Adult Services, and Outreach programs"

It is providing support in homes or in schools. I'm not sure if this is too loosely clinical, but I absolutely love psychiatry and counseling, and am also considering genetic counseling currently, so it seems like it could be the best of both worlds and I could possibly use it as experience for either path I choose. I always hear that you should do something you love rather than just checking off boxes for med school experience, and this is something I would truly love to do.

Over the past 4 months I have applied to various medical assistant positions, but all later told me that I would have direct contact with covid patients, which I cannot afford right now to keep my family safe. I also applied for a scribe job, but they need a 1 year commitment and I will be studying abroad my junior fall 2021. Finding doc shadowing opportunities right now has definitely been difficult!

Thanks!!

Regardless of whether this is considered clinical, I think that you should pursue this experience since you are passionate about it. Bonus points since it also helps pay the bills, and will develop a skillset that will be useful in your future.

I'm rather ignorant of what a behavioral health tech does, so pardon any mischaracterizations. From a quick Google description of ABA, it seems most similar to a special ed teacher (a non-clinical role), though I can also see parallels to clinical jobs such as in-home or outpatient physical therapists, psychotherapists, etc. Is this something that is typically paid for by health insurance?

I personally would not hold issue with an applicant categorizing this as a clinical activity (and if I were to see it listed as 'non-clinical' there's probably a good chance I would bump it up as 'clinical' during my review), but I would also want to see some more 'traditional' patient experiences on your application. Just my thoughts

 

[deleted1071450]

Thank you both for your answers - I really appreciate it! I think I might end up pursuing it and then combine it with some scribe work and hospital volunteering later down the line. I would agree that it is more loosely clinical since it is not directly under the supervision of doctors. It seems like a really great experience and is very workable into my school schedule, so I think I might go for it.

 

[Katy16]

I work in a similar job and love it, but make sure you are aware of what the Covid related risks are for you. Although I technically don't work with Covid patients, I have been exposed to multiple patients who were later discovered to have Covid, some of whom had yelled at me with their masks off for extended periods of time. In a community with high levels of Covid, any job in which you are exposed to others who do not mask properly is a risk, so please exercise caution around high risk members of your family.

 

[LizzyM]

I work in a similar job and love it, but make sure you are aware of what the Covid related risks are for you. Although I technically don't work with Covid patients, I have been exposed to multiple patients who were later discovered to have Covid, some of whom had yelled at me with their masks off for extended periods of time. In a community with high levels of Covid, any job in which you are exposed to others who do not mask properly is a risk, so please exercise caution around high risk members of your family.

Too true. The only person in my extended famiy who has had Covid is the person I mentioned in post #2 and that was an occupational exposure.

 

[deleted1071450]

I work in a similar job and love it, but make sure you are aware of what the Covid related risks are for you. Although I technically don't work with Covid patients, I have been exposed to multiple patients who were later discovered to have Covid, some of whom had yelled at me with their masks off for extended periods of time. In a community with high levels of Covid, any job in which you are exposed to others who do not mask properly is a risk, so please exercise caution around high risk members of your family.

Thanks for the heads up! I'm really happy to hear you love it. I'll definitely have to ask about covid safety during my interview.

 

[Moko]

I also wanted to mention another point that @Katy16 reminded me of. I understand the fear of working with patients with COVID-19. Many of my colleagues and I were similarly anxious prior to our first clinical COVID shifts. However, when we were there, we all quickly realized that we were actually in the safest place in the hospital as we were guaranteed to be in full airborne precautions. We also knew who had COVID, while those working on non-COVID units worked with presumptive negatives (some of whom subsequently turned positive on recheck) and unknowns. On these non-COVID units and in the community, I wear a standard level I-III face mask (+face shield when seeing patients), which do not provide anywhere near as much protection. There's also enough COVID in the community now that my chances of catching it are probably highest in the grocery store/community, followed by the non-COVID units, and then the COVID units as a distant third (this is supported by our internal data of COVID infections among clinicians). Something to think about when deciding between job offers. You will be exposed to COVID no matter which job you take. The only real differentiator between them is how much PPE you will have on (face mask vs N95), and whether you know who the COVID patients are. Best of luck and stay safe.

 

[deleted1071450]

I also wanted to mention another point that @Katy16 reminded me of. I understand the fear of working with patients with COVID-19. Many of my colleagues and I were similarly anxious prior to our first clinical COVID shifts. However, when we were there, we all quickly realized that we were actually in the safest place in the hospital as we were guaranteed to be in full airborne precautions. We also knew who had COVID, while those working on non-COVID units worked with presumptive negatives (some of whom subsequently turned positive on recheck) and unknowns. On these non-COVID units and in the community, I wear a standard level I-III face mask (+face shield when seeing patients), which do not provide anywhere near as much protection. There's also enough COVID in the community now that my chances of catching it are probably highest in the grocery store/community, followed by the non-COVID units, and then the COVID units as a distant third (this is supported by our internal data of COVID infections among clinicians). Something to think about when deciding between job offers. You will be exposed to COVID no matter which job you take. The only real differentiator between them is how much PPE you will have on (face mask vs N95), and whether you know who the COVID patients are. Best of luck and stay safe.

That's a great reminder for sure. Sometimes a thin cloth mask definitely doesn't feel like enough in the grocery store! I am going to try to apply for positions broadly and hopefully be able to take a closer look at which ones will be safest. Thank you so much for the advice! I'm glad that SDN is around to ask questions.

 

[RejectedfromPSU]

That's a great reminder for sure. Sometimes a thin cloth mask definitely doesn't feel like enough in the grocery store! I am going to try to apply for positions broadly and hopefully be able to take a closer look at which ones will be safest. Thank you so much for the advice! I'm glad that SDN is around to ask questions.

Just wanted to add insight. I’m currently working as a behavioral tech and the communication skills alone are going to help you in your future career. I had a few interviews this cycle and I lit up whenever someone asked about this job. It is really special to develop long term relationships with the family and child. Slowly you develop your own language and friendship. Clinical or not, you should totally pursue it with vim and vigor!

 

[over]

a lot of behavior tech hires people with CNA certification, so i think it's pretty close to clinical.
i actually thought it was before reading the response by adcoms here

 

[deleted1071450]

Just wanted to add insight. I’m currently working as a behavioral tech and the communication skills alone are going to help you in your future career. I had a few interviews this cycle and I lit up whenever someone asked about this job. It is really special to develop long term relationships with the family and child. Slowly you develop your own language and friendship. Clinical or not, you should totally pursue it with vim and vigor!

Thanks so much! I have my interview tomorrow so crossing my fingers all goes well The ability to connect with children and their families seems like such a wonderful experience.

 

[deleted1071450]

a lot of behavior tech hires people with CNA certification, so i think it's pretty close to clinical.
i actually thought it was before reading the response by adcoms here

Oh that’s interesting!

 

[deleted1071450]

Just wanted to come back here to say I got the job!!! Thanks everyone for the encouragement

 

[alm414]

I know friends who did this and had plenty of great stuff to talk about during interviews, and the schools liked it a lot. The friends who scribed? Well that's boring and you literally have no critical decision making to do. What did you do when things got heated and stressful? Type more furiously?

Apples to oranges. Behavioral tech is going to net you more meaningful patient experiences. Scribing is going to get you more medical terminology and give you a better idea of how medical examinations are conducted/how doctors interact with patients. YMMV, but that was my experience working in similar roles.

 

[deleted1071450]

I know friends who did this and had plenty of great stuff to talk about during interviews, and the schools liked it a lot. The friends who scribed? Well that's boring and you literally have no critical decision making to do. What did you do when things got heated and stressful? Type more furiously?

I had my interview yesterday for the behavioral tech job and they stressed how you will be dealing with a lot of de-escalation situations and have to think fast on your feet, so it will definitely be a very meaningful experience and I think I will learn a lot.

Probably won't be improving my WPM, but that's ok for now

 

[deleted1071450]

Apples to oranges. Behavioral tech is going to net you more meaningful patient experiences. Scribing is going to get you more medical terminology and give you a better idea of how medical examinations are conducted/how doctors interact with patients. YMMV, but that was my experience working in similar roles.

Definitely. I am 100% planning on scribing later down the line so I can truly see doctor/patient interactions. Most of the scribe jobs I see right now want placement in the ED (where I'm assuming Covid is most hard-hitting), but I am trying to stay away from that for my family's safety. I think this behavioral tech role will be a great starting role (and bonus bc it seems to be super flexible while I'm in school full time).