RBT requirements in Pennsylvania

The rules that affect RBTs

• Pennsylvania has no license, registration or certification for individual behavior technicians.
• Agency rule, not a credential: since July 1, 2020, a BHT-ABA at a licensed IBHS agency must hold BCaBA, RBT or BCAT certification or another NCCA- or ANSI-accredited behavior analysis certification (55 Pa. Code 5240.81(g)).
• Other routes: a high school diploma or equivalent plus a 40-hour training covering the RBT Task List with a certificate naming the BCBA or BCaBA trainer, or at least 2 years of ABA experience plus 40 hours of Department-approved or BACB-approved-CE-provider ABA training.
• Supervision: 1 hour per week for staff working at least 37.5 hours a week (otherwise 1 hour twice a month), including 1 hour of individual face-to-face supervision each month (55 Pa. Code 5240.82).
• Anyone new to BHT-ABA work needs 6 hours of onsite supervision before working independently.
• Direct observation: 1 hour every 4 months, or every 2 months for staff qualified through the 40-hour-training route.
• Pennsylvania's related professional license is the Behavior Specialist license from the State Board of Medicine, which is not specific to behavior analysts.

BACB requirements apply everywhere

Whatever the state adds, RBT certification itself is the same in every state: the 40-hour training, the Initial Competency Assessment, the BACB exam, and ongoing supervision of at least 5% of your service hours each month. In Pennsylvania, your supervising BCBA must also hold the state license. Your employer and the programs that pay for services, such as Medicaid or insurers, can have their own requirements too. See how to become an RBT.