Burnout to balance: Sustaining a BCBA career at Scoot Education

For many Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs), the work is a calling, but the lifestyle—defined by late-night report writing, long commute times, and being “always available”—is often unsustainable.

With over 15 years in the behavior support field in clinical, residential, and educational settings, Jillian McGarry was no stranger to this cycle.

Today, as Scoot Education’s BCBA Coordinator, Jillian found a way to prioritize clinical excellence without sacrificing self-care. In this interview, she shares how Scoot empowered her to stay in the field she loves.

When I first applied at Scoot, I was not as familiar with outside agencies providing behavioral support beyond substitute teachers. Now, I see how crucial our role is; we fill gaps in schools in a meaningful way for students, teachers, and staff.

The challenge of BCBA burnout: Life before Scoot

Before I found Scoot, I was working more than full-time. My life revolved around my work schedule, rather than my schedule revolving around my life—a lot of late-night report writing and email responses—as well as making myself available in case my clients or educators needed anything.

I just wanted to provide quality support to students, and while my passion was there, I was struggling to practice self-care.

Finding flexibility and BCBA work-life balance

With Scoot, I was given everything I needed. I was able to make my own schedule and be paired with a local school district close to home. Because I work school hours only, I can clock out at the end of the day, turn my mind off, and be ready to go the next morning. It allowed me to make a positive impact without the fatigue.

Alleviating administrative duties with consultant support

One of the biggest advantages is having a Scoot consultant available. In past roles, navigating administrative duties, scheduling, and staffing needs took up a lot of my time on top of my clinical responsibilities.

At Scoot, consultants are available from 6 a.m. to 9 p.m. to handle all bookings and communications for you. You’re just notified where you need to go. It allowed me to focus entirely on the clinical part of my work.

Flexibility in school-based BCBA responsibilities

I also love that I can choose the roles I want to support. Whether I want to focus on Functional Behavior Assessments (FBAs) or spend more time on RBT supervision and staff training, I can choose the role that sustains me in the field longer. It makes me actually want to go back to work the next day.

My impact as Scoot’s BCBA Coordinator

As the BCBA Coordinator, my role is primarily oversight and compliance for Scoot’s behavior staff. I supervise, train, and coach our Registered Behavior Technicians to ensure we are meeting all certification board requirements. Because our RBTs also have consultants to handle their scheduling, I can dedicate all my time to purely clinical support for the BCBAs.

My work is diverse; I help our BCBAs with assessments, setting expectations for positive educator outcomes, and work with our own team to prioritize in-person supervision and quality report writing for our schools.

A person-first approach to behavior support

Scoot’s approach is unique because it is “person-first.” We know student behavior can lead to high burnout, so we listen to what our educators need to sustain.

For our BCBAs and RBTs, this means:

• Reduced drive time: Supporting multiple staff at a single site whenever possible.
• Streamlined scheduling: Coordinating with consultants to handle technician or student absences.
• Collaborative support: Creating a space for your team to consult each other, so no student or staff member misses out on feedback or supervision.

Closing thoughts: Making a lasting impact

These roles are still tough—the work we do is intensive. But by providing in-person support, quality RBT supervision, and smoother collaboration with school sites, we can truly support the students.

In ABA, our goal is always to “work ourselves out of a job.” We want to see behaviors decrease to the point where the student doesn’t need us anymore. At Scoot, we mirror that goal with our educators, while making sure the clinicians doing the work are supported every step of the way.

Find support in your BCBA and RBT career

Looking for a more sustainable career in the ABA field? Apply to Scoot Education.

Get your time back to focus on quality care and learning. You’ll get to meet Jillian who supports your career growth. Plus, our Education Consultants will manage billable hours and schedule logistics for you, so you can focus on quality care and learning.

Apply to Scoot Education today to find your balance or explore our BCBA and RBT pages to learn more.

Apply to be a Scoot BCBA

Apply to be a Scoot RBT