This topic raises many, many questions and controversies! What is a consultant? An individual, who after many years in a given profession, has acquired enough experience and skill to warrant the to the title "consultant". A new grad, or one who has taken a "super course" in a few weeks has not the experience to be a consultant, in my opinion. Maybe the title is wrong. Maybe the criteria for taking the exam is to low...30 CEU,s in the past 3 years! that's 1 1/2 day long conferences per year! While recognizing that there is a tremendous need for knowledgeable people to teach and guide, we shoul not try to "fill the void" which exists by tolerating minimal standards. The profession of nursing did this and it has created tremendous problems. Nursing has at least 2 maybe 3 entry levels and several other practitioners. One hardly knows who does what! It does not foster cohesion, either. Another problem lies in narrow practice of some when the whole field is so broad... for example the NICU nurse who has little experience with the older baby...or the WIC counsellor who does not enter the hospital. How do we all enter at the same point??? I marvel that so much has been accomplished in the 10 years the LC's have been around. My comments are not critical of what has happened, but intended to focus on some important issues which are before us as we shape our profession. I shudder when I hear people say they are taking the exam so they will have "those letters"...I think there is some thing more to this and I feel we can set even] higher standards. F1 ..................................... Anne Andrianos, MSN, IBCLC 4340 Young Road, Syracuse, NY 13215 (315) 492-6437 [log in to unmask] silsl i1y levels several 111hrem u Whay1