I know the question referred to mentors and not mentees, but I hope no one
minds if I comment as a mentee.

First, I did pay for my training for a specified period of time.  As with
charging appropriate fees, I think this is a perfectly appropriate
professional approach.  The time of IBCLCs is valuable and should be
treated as such. I no longer pay for my training because my supervisor
feels that I am actually making a contribution to her practice.

As a clinical psychologist and an analyst, my husband has paid for
supervision from psychologists with skills in areas that could assist him
and been paid for his services as a supervisor. At certain points in time,
when he has a case that is outside his general range of expertise, he still
seeks supervision even though he had a full practice and is very
experienced.

The practice where I am training is a high risk group practice that is
generally very busy.

I have appreciated the fact that I am exposed to lots of different
situations and travel all over New York. The two women with whom I work
have somewhat different styles.  My "mentor" asks tough questions all the
time and has involved me in patient care from early on, starting with
writing out care plans and working up to seeing some clients on my own.
With the other practicioner, I spend a lot of time asking questions and
discussing the emotional aspects of the mothers and its relationship to
breastfeeding. She found it a little harder to let me intervene, but found
having me develop the care plan an easier way to start.

The practice has a secretary who emails me a tentative schedule the night
before I'm on.  Sometimes things fall apart, but usually something else
turns up.  Perhaps the changeability of the schedule is a little easier for
me having had to wait for days and sometimes even weeks for airlines in
developing countries. I look upon cancellations and slow periods as a
chance to catch up on questions and go into more depth, do extra reading,
help out with call backs, or continue working on a research protocol that
I'd love to get funded.

I was shocked when I heard one person mention that she was concerned that
some people who work with lactation consultants don't get much time to
practice and spend too much time doing things such as cleaning breast
pumps.  I have NEVER had to clean a breast pump.

I do find the fact that I am only in training part time a hindrance, but I
will not do more since my son is still a toddler.  It makes it much harder
to follow patients closely.  Fortunately, the practice has enough long term
follow up that I have seen many patients through from start to finish with
difficult latch on problems despite my part-time schedule.

On the receiving end, I can't imagine any other way of training that would
be as rich as being able to constantly discuss all the things I'm
learning.  Lactnet is a second rewarding source, but its not the same as
seeing, hearing, touching, etc with someone else present.

Susan Burger, PhD, MHS

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