> but I certainly would expect those credentials to stand on their own, > regardless of the path the person took to get there. I agree totally with the above, also the part about the profession of LCs being so rich, simply because we do come from so many different backgrounds and professions. I think eventually some standardization of education/clinical practice will strengthen our profession, but I for one don't want an RN to be a pre-requisite and I don't want LC-ing to be "medicalized". I think part of our passion for BF comes from the very fact that we approach things from "outside the box of medicine". Rigidity of the walls of the box of medicine is what is currently causing so many moms to not succeed with any BF goals at all! I came into nursing through the back door, I was the mother of 5, a LLLL and a childbirth educator, and I think that, as much as my subsequent years of nursing practice, is what makes me what I am today. We all have various talents to contribute to the profession of LCs and docs will eventually catch on, just have they have with many other allied health professionals. Sincerely, Pat in SNJ *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html