That’s Outside My Scope of Competence
In early August, I designed a training on scope of competency. Your scope of competency is important for BCBAs because it helps ensure that we are engaging in behaviors we are skilled in and working ethically.
This is a topic I have been interested in for several years. I have worked with BCBAs who, when discussing some of their clinical cases, have told me, “That’s outside my scope of competence.” I always wondered: What exactly is outside your scope of competence? “That” is a bit vague.
The statement can also sometimes seem reactive to feedback about a case. As BCBAs, we all know that feedback is part of our field. It is intended to help us grow, improve our practice, and become better clinicians. If our response to feedback is simply, “That’s outside my scope,” it may not leave much room for exploring or responding to that feedback.
So, what is outside the scope?
Broadhead and colleagues (2018) identified several domains of competency:
Procedures and strategies
Populations
Settings
So, that must be the “that,” right?
As BCBAs, let’s be more specific. Instead of saying, “That’s outside my scope of competence,” we could say:
“Working with this magnitude of aggression is outside my current scope of competency.”
“I have never supervised a client in a public school setting.”
“I have limited experience implementing this particular intervention.”
Being specific helps us identify our actual domain of competency. It also gives us a clearer signal about where there may be a growth opportunity.
Identifying an area outside our current scope may be uncomfortable, but it can also be an invitation to learn, seek supervision, gain experience, or expand our competencies.
As I read recently, “A comfort zone is a beautiful place, but nothing ever grows there.” —Unknown.