The problem with basing staffing guidelines on current staffing patterns is that if staffing is poor in many hospitals then you are setting up poor standards. But I do think having that information is important so we know where we are coming from. Staffing guidelines need to be based on what it takes to provide the type of care Lactation Consultants give. I believe that a large amount of the problem in hospitals is that we are managed by nurses that may not know very much about what Lactation Consultants do. We have to have the kind of support a professional organization can give us. So I agree joining ILCA is essential, but we also need to let ILCA know what we need. Is this only a problem in the US or in other areas? *********************************************** 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(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html