Pick a logging rhythm you can sustain
Log each activity the same day if you can. If daily entries are unrealistic, set a fixed weekly appointment to reconcile your calendar, supervision notes, and clinical work while you still remember what happened. Consistency matters more than a particular app. Do not wait until the end of the month to reconstruct weeks of hours from memory.
- For each entry, record the date, start and end time or duration, activity description, restricted or unrestricted classification, supervisor and setting, and whether supervision or client observation occurred.
- Describe the clinical work specifically: “analyzed acquisition data and drafted a program revision” tells more than “admin.” Avoid identifying client details in a personal tracker unless the system and organization permit it.
- Keep your supervision contract, independent log, feedback or work products, and signed monthly and final verification forms in a secure place you can access later.
Compare trackers before committing
A spreadsheet is flexible and easy to export, but formulas, version control, and monthly checks are yours to maintain. Ripley Fieldwork Tracker advertises free core tracking, monthly checks, supervisor review, and prefilled verification forms; it may be a good fit if straightforward hour logging is the priority. MentraTrack emphasizes linking entries to competency development and gives supervisors a shared view of progress; that structure may help when your team uses competency-based supervision, but it asks both people to adopt the workflow. Product features and pricing can change, so test an export and confirm current terms before moving all your records.
- Try entering one realistic week, including a split activity, supervision, and observation. Can you correct an entry without losing the history you need?
- Check whether the tool supports the 2022 and 2027 rules that could apply to your application, including both forms if your timing is uncertain.
- Can you download readable entries and signed forms if you change jobs, supervisors, or software? Who can access your records?
Close each month with your supervisor
Compare your tracker with the BACB requirements for that supervisory period: eligible total hours, supervision percentage, contacts or observation duration, individual supervision, and unrestricted balance. Resolve discrepancies before signing the correct Monthly Fieldwork Verification Form within the BACB deadline. An app can flag a gap but cannot decide whether your particular activity was eligible; your supervisor should review the underlying work.
- Set a midmonth check to catch a supervision or observation gap while it can still be addressed.
- Export a backup after the form is signed and keep both parties’ copies. BACB documentation must be retained for seven years.
- Use the next supervision meeting to choose a substantive unrestricted project and get feedback on the work, not only the count.
Check the source
Requirements and clinical guidance evolve. Verify the current rules and adapt any suggestions to the learner’s individualized plan and supervisor direction.