Why I Work At Milestone: Tina Sullivan, RBT & Angela Totos, RBT
Tina and Angela are both Registered Behavior Technicians (RBTs) working in Milestone’s Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) department. Today they will be sharing their favorite key aspects of working at Milestone: compassion, opportunity, and support, touch on what can make their days tough and recount some favorite memories at work!
Compassion
Tina: Since the day of my first interview to be an RBT at Milestone, I had been searching for my purpose and an employer who would benefit my life as a RBT, mother, student, daughter and friend. While it is beautiful to have the opportunity to wear so many hats full of many responsibilities, the only way to truly succeed in many of these areas is to find an employer who holds these same values. Milestone seems to have done just that. From out of the gate they have always valued compassion. From the moment I walked through the doors to my interview, there was no denying the amount displayed in both the relationships between their kiddos and employees. It was palpable.
What’s nice is that, under the direction of the Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBA’s), I am able to express my compassion daily by safely assisting kiddos through challenging situations they may be facing in their life by supporting self-management and coping strategies. I also get to teach them the skills they need to navigate those situations in moments when we may not be there to directly support them, which is the ultimate goal – self management. If you look at it, I get to go to work and give them the tools they need to live a full and meaningful life. It is amazing to watch kids that have struggled with coping skills learn to engage these skills in different settings, some even prompting others in their life to engage in the behaviors they were taught (by me!) as well. Getting the opportunity to be a part of these moments is what keeps me going. I’m challenged to learn and grow in my role at Milestone, and I love meeting it that challenge daily.
Milestone’s culture gives us the opportunity to grow as individuals and as a team, ultimately helping us so we can provide the best possible service to our kiddos. Make no mistake, the role of an RBT can become overwhelming at times, but the support and value placed on our role in children’s lives is not one taken lightly. Because of the support and encouragement that Milestone provides, we can navigate any situation knowing that we are in the best environment to provide quality care that we would want for our own if they were in a similar situation. And that’s where I think a lot of the compassion comes from. The idea that we’re taking care of our own.
Opportunity
Angela: Milestone provides so many opportunities for those wanting to grow in their careers it’s kind of frightening. From stepping stones up the ladder in one’s own position, to making a transition to a completely different department / role in administration as some of my friends have done, it’s great that they always look inside for candidates before they look out. In my specific situation, as an employee currently in school, Milestone provides the opportunity to be a supervisee, a requirement for my Masters. With this opportunity they provide, I am not only able to obtain the hours needed, but also grow and learn with amazing mentors for hands-on experience.
Tina: As a student gaining fieldwork experience hours through Milestone’s BCBA Supervision Program, I have been given the chance to support kiddos during clinic based services and also in neighboring school districts. The experience I have gained through this process has helped me to become a more well-rounded professional, as seeing this variety of environments isn’t something many of my friends in the field get elsewhere. I love that our BCBA working with the school district is there side by side with the school’s teachers, administrators and support staff to ensure that student’s needs are being met. The collaboration that occurs between all is very supportive and positive. Getting the opportunity to see different disciplines working as part of a collaborative team in the school setting has helped me to see just how big of an impact I can make while being a Milestone employee.
Support
Angela: Being an RBT is a very tough but very rewarding job. The turnover rate in this field is high for a reason. It is easy to get tired and burned out, and this is especially true if one’s work environment is not a supportive one. There has yet to be a day where I’ve walked into Milestone and not felt the support I need – and then some. This is shown in many different ways. From words of encouragement and cheering each other on when our kids are hitting a milestone, to offering a helping hand when someone is having a rough day, it always seems to be just what I need to keep moving forward. It sounds trite, but we are not just employees and coworkers, on many levels we are friends and family.
As RBT therapists at Milestone, we want to provide the most optimal therapeutic experience we can. We do this in many ways. One of these ways is to provide professional, therapeutic support to kids and their families. To provide this support though, we ourselves need the same. Even on the toughest of days my colleagues can make me forget the small stuff and remember the big! This happens in a million different ways. Supervisors provide tokens of a job well done, which can result in a gift cards or things of that nature. And let’s be honest – who doesn’t love to hear “great job” and get a gift card? Other things like team bonding activities and group outings help us all remember to care for one another too, and allows us to leave work at work and remember we’re more than just our job titles. Because Milestone provides its therapists with these types of support and more, we can provide the best and most effective quality of care to the kids in turn!
Interested in joining the team? Contact us!
Written by Tina Sullivan, RBT and Angela Totos, RBT