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Hiring the right people for your ABA practice is never easy, whether you're looking for clinical staff like BCBAs and RBTs or administrative professionals to keep things running smoothly. The stakes are high—finding and keeping great staff is key to maintaining high-quality care and efficient operations.
So, how do you recruit, train, and retain top talent in such a competitive field? Let’s dive into some practical tips and best practices that can help your ABA practice, whether you’re a small clinic or a larger operation.
The first step to successful hiring is getting crystal clear on what you need. When you're crafting job descriptions, go beyond the basic qualifications and highlight what makes your practice unique. Are you a small, tight-knit team with lots of room for growth? Or a larger organization with structured career development and a diverse client base? Spell it out.
For clinical staff like BCBAs, be upfront about things like caseload expectations and how much support they'll get from supervisors or colleagues. For administrative roles, focus on the specific tools and systems they’ll be working with—like scheduling or billing software—and how they'll contribute to the overall success of the team.
Be upfront about things like caseload expectations and how much support they'll get from supervisors or colleagues
The competition for top ABA talent is fierce, so offering a competitive salary is important. But don’t stop there—benefits can be a game-changer. Flexible schedules, health insurance, professional development opportunities, and even remote work options for admin roles can all be attractive perks.
If you're a smaller practice and can't offer the highest salaries, think about what else you can bring to the table. Flexibility, a family-like environment, or growth potential can be major selling points. Larger practices can focus on the stability they offer, along with more formalized benefits and career pathways.
If you're a smaller practice and can't offer the highest salaries, think about what else you can bring to the table.
It’s important to foster a respectful, inclusive culture that values everyone’s contributions. From the first interview, make sure your candidates understand that you’re committed to a positive workplace—one where communication is open and support is readily available.
If you’re growing quickly, it’s easy for training to fall by the wayside. But ensuring new hires are fully prepared to do their jobs is critical to maintaining the quality of care your clients deserve. Pairing new hires with mentors or experienced staff can be an excellent way to provide ongoing support and feedback.
Whether it's clinical or admin staff, regular training keeps everyone on their A-game. For clinical staff, make sure you're offering opportunities for continuing education units (CEUs) or specialized certifications. (If you're looking for free, on-demand Ethics CEUs, be sure to check out our library of resources.) Admin teams can benefit from sessions on billing processes, scheduling tools, or general office management. This doesn’t just improve the quality of work—it also keeps your employees engaged and motivated.
Once you’ve invested time and resources into hiring and training your team, retaining them should be a top priority. High turnover disrupts both your operations and client care, so it’s crucial to create an environment where employees want to stay long-term.
One of the best ways to retain staff is by showing them that there’s room to grow within your practice. For clinical staff, this could mean moving into leadership roles or taking on special projects. For admin staff, offer pathways into management or other leadership positions. Show them that staying with your practice means continued professional growth.
Creating a culture of respect and recognition is a must. Make sure your staff feels heard and valued. Regular check-ins, performance reviews, and just taking the time to acknowledge hard work can go a long way in fostering loyalty. Also, transparency is key—let your team know where the practice is headed and how they fit into those plans. (Learn more about cultural sensitivity and get 0.5 CEUs, by watching our free on demand Ethics CEU training.)
Compensation plays a big role in retention. Make sure you're paying competitively and keep an eye on market rates. If you can’t offer top-tier salaries, balance it with benefits like extra PTO, flexibility, or remote work options for admin roles. Also, be transparent about how pay is determined. Clear, open communication about compensation builds trust and helps staff feel valued.
Once you’ve invested time and resources into hiring and training your team, retaining them should be a top priority...Creating a culture of respect and recognition is a must.
Recruiting, training, and retaining top talent isn’t easy—and you don’t have to do it alone. We’re hosting an insightful webinar as part of our Outside the Session series on September 24th at 11 AM Central, focused on HR Challenges for ABA Leaders.
Robyn Rodriguez, SPHR, Founder and Chief People Officer at Her HR Help Desk, will dive into strategies for:
Whether you're struggling with high turnover or just looking to improve team morale, this session will provide practical, actionable advice. Register here for the live event or catch it on-demand afterward!