Is RBT Certification Worth It?

The number of children who are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in the United States and around the world is increasing every year. While there are many different reasons why the ASD prevalence rate is climbing, the fact is that more trained professionals are needed to help support these children through applied behavior analysis (ABA therapy) and other treatment options.

If you are passionate about helping children with autism grow and succeed, and believe wholeheartedly in the power of ABA therapy principles, then you should consider working directly in the field.

There are many different ways you can do so, but the most common place to start is by becoming a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). Doing so requires education, specific coursework and passing an exam, so you might question whether it’s worth this work.

Below, we’ll discuss why RBT certification is worth it, as well as what goes into becoming an RBT.

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What is It Like to Work as an RBT?

One of the great parts about RBT certification is that you won’t be limited to just working in one specific position. RBTs have the ability to work in many different locations, including community organizations, ABA therapy clinics or other health clinics, hospitals, schools and more.

This is one of the biggest advantages to RBT certification. While all RBTs will learn the same skills and principles, and how to apply them in real-world scenarios, there are many different ways in which you can contribute to the field and help children with ASD who are in need.

Because of this, it’s challenging to describe exactly what it is like to work as an RBT — since the day-to-day can be so varied based on the different options available.

What RBT certification does is give you many options for how you want to work in the field of ABA therapy specifically, or related behavior analysis fields. It also gives you a leg up on other prospective applicants who don’t hold the certification, and opens up possibilities for career growth as well.

Work Setting	Patient Type	Typical Schedule	Environment Type
ABA Therapy Clinics	Children (1-on-1)	Weekdays	Structured clinical
Schools	Students (group)	School hours	Educational setting
Hospitals	Pediatric patients	Variable	Medical
Community Organizations	Families/groups	Varies	Outreach/flexible
In-home Settings	Individual clients	Custom per family	Personal/interactive

What Does RBT Certification Entail?

To become a certified RBT, there are some requirements you must first pass.

Prerequisites include having a high school diploma or equivalent and passing a background check.

You must also complete 40 hours of certification coursework at a certified provider. These classes can be taken in-person or online, depending on the provider you choose.

Next, you must complete an RBT competency assessment, which is administered by a BCBA. This will test how you are able to apply the knowledge you gained in the classroom to real-world scenarios.

Finally, you must pass an official RBT certification exam, which is the written portion of the test.

There are both financial and time commitment considerations to RBT certification, of course.

From a financial perspective, RBT certification could cost between $170 and $650, which includes the RBT training program, certification exam fee and background check fee.

From a time perspective, it’ll take between 40 and 60 hours total to complete all the necessary steps. However, these hours could be stretched out depending on how fast you want to proceed through the coursework, as well as the availability for taking the competency assessment and exam.

Step	Time Required	Cost Estimate
Background Check	1–3 days	$20–$50
40-Hour Training Course	1–4 weeks (flexible)	$100–$400
Competency Assessment	1–2 hours (scheduled)	Included or $75–$100
Certification Exam	1–2 hours	$45
Total Estimated	40–60 hours total	$170–$650

Is RBT Certification Worth It?

While you should certainly weigh the financial and time commitments required for becoming an RBT, it’s a process that’s worth it for many people.

RBTs can make a huge impact on the lives of a lot of people. They work directly with patients, helping them to build social, communication and daily life skills while also equipping them with ways to modify certain behaviors.

This can greatly improve a child’s quality of life as well as their prospects for living independently in the future. In turn, this helps to ease some of the burden on parents, caregivers and other family members, and helps them grow as well.

Beyond the satisfaction that you can get from helping children with ASD and their families, being an RBT can be a financially-rewarding career as well. The median salary for an RBT in the United States is estimated at $56,000 annually.

Not only that, but you could also eventually decide you want to become a Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) — which requires more extensive education and supervised fieldwork — which has a median salary north of $100,000.

Benefit Category	Details
Personal Fulfillment	Helping children with ASD directly improves their quality of life and builds meaningful relationships.
Career Growth	Can be a stepping stone to becoming a BCBA; enhances your resume in behavioral health fields.
Flexibility	Variety of work settings, flexible hours depending on location.
Financial Reward	Median salary ~$56,000/year in the U.S.
Skill Development	Gain foundational ABA therapy skills and real-world clinical experience.

Give Back in a Huge Way By Becoming an RBT at Blue Gems ABA

There are many ways in which you can play a huge role in helping children with ASD build the social, communication and daily life skills they need to succeed in life. Being an RBT is one of the most rewarding ways that you can do so.

En Blue Gems ABA, we employ a team of certified RBTs and BCBAs who administer ABA therapy on a one-to-one basis with children on the autism spectrum. We craft all of our treatment plans to specifically address the unique strengths and challenges of each of our patients.

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