This talk was filmed at the 2019 Ethics in Professional Practice Conference at Endicott College
About the presentation:
Scope of practice is a range of activities authorized for an entire profession based upon a credential or license (Brodhead, Quigley, & Wilczynski, 2018). Scope of competence is a subset of practice activities defined by a professional based upon education, training, and supervised experiences BACB, 2019a). As the number of and demand for behavior analysts continues to grow (BACB, 2019b; Carr & Nosik, 2017; Deochand & Fuqua, 2016) there is an increased need for discussion regarding scope of competence and its relationship to training new behavior analysts. As stated by Carr & Nosik (2017), two-thirds of all behavior analysts have obtained the BCBA credential since 2011, even though the credential has been available since 1999. Although much experience can be obtained prior to a credential (and likewise little experience might occur post credential), the recent growth of BCBAs indicates practitioners are young, with limited breadth and depth of clinical experiences. The purpose of this paper is to describe and provide preliminary data for evaluating scope of competence in relation to supervising behavior analytic trainees. Specifically, what is the relationship between supervisor evaluation of competence (i.e., content specific exams, proof of training and experience, and declaration of competence) with supervision outcomes (i.e., supervisee content specific pre / post exams, accuracy of learning activities, and supervisor social validity measure)?
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of the presentation, the participants will be able to:
1. state the definitions for scope of practice and scope of competence based upon Brodhead, Quigley, and Wylczynski (2018)
2. Describe how the Confidence and Competence Checklist (Brodhead, Quigley, & Wylcznski, 2018) can support a professional in defining personal scope of competence
3. Describe the processes and outcomes of the Melmark BCBA supervision project
About the presenter:
Shawn Quigley is the Senior Director of Clinical Services and Professional Development at Melmark, PA. He earned his doctorate degree in Behavior Analysis at Western Michigan University. He completed a post-doctoral psychology fellowship with the University of New Mexico Medical Group. The fellowship provided Dr. Quigley an opportunity to conduct diagnostic evaluations in an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) clinic, support families and individuals with ASD, and help build capacity for behavior analytic providers. Dr. Quigley has professional experiences in many capacities from direct care to administration across many different entities. He has had opportunities to manage a federally-funded research grant; help develop county-level mental health service systems for adults and children; help develop state regulatory guidelines for autism services; and direct the development of clinical and training practices. These experiences have provided a strong foundation for understanding service development, regulatory requirements, scope of competence issues, resource allocation, and service delivery. Dr. Quigley has supported the profession through service on editorial review boards; publishing research; being active with regional and national service groups; teaching at multiple universities; and volunteering as a subject matter expert for the Behavior Analyst Certification Board (BACB).