On August 15th a writer stated "As for ILEAC, I can't say that I am
convinced this 'accrediting body' is what
the lactation profession needs. In essence, I feel it amounts to the
blessed blessing the blessed. Both the accreditors and the accreditees are
in the business."
Accreditation is highly sought after in other professional education
programs. It is an expectation in most professions, that people will receive
their education from accredited courses or programs. Courses and programs
are normally accredited by the respective professional association with an
extensive objective criteria based process. Who else would have the
knowledge base to perform this function?
"FROM SOUTHWEST AIRLINES SPIRIT MAGAZINE, Aug 2005
Spirit of Education
"Most colleges and universities receive one or more references from
recognized accreditation agencies that attest to the quality and veracity of
their program. Beyond simply identifying whether a school is generally
legit, though, accreditation agencies (or councils) also offer approvals for
specific programs, such as nursing, education and engineering, which may
prove critical with employers.
'For many jobs, you need to come from an accredited program,' says Maria
Teresa Velez, associate dean of the Graduate College at the University of
Arizona in Tucson. The U.S. Department of Education offers a handy search
engine (www.ope.ed.gov/accreditation) for checking up on a school's various
accreditations, and for those considering certified fields, such as
engineering or psychology, the national organization supporting those
professions may also accredit them.
'It's a seal of approval, a demonstration that the program meets the higher
standards of the association,' says Velez.
A little research goes a long way with regard to online course work. 'There
are a lot of schools popping up these days - literally - so you need to be
careful,' says Lynn Reinke, director of communications for extended learning
at West Virginia University and instructor at the university's Perley Isaac
Reed School of Journalism. 'Distance learning should meet the same
accreditation requirements as any other school. The red flag could be that
they actually pooh-pooh accreditation on their website. If you see "Get an
MBA in three months", then you won't.'
"For many jobs, you need to come from an accredited program. It's a seal of
approval, a demonstration that the program meets the higher standards of the
association."
This is exactly what ILCA, the professional association for IBCLCs is
trying to achieve through ILEAC.( International Lactation Education
Accreditation Council - a sub committee within ILCA)
To move this profession forwards we each need to encourage all education
courses/programs to become ILCA Accredited - application forms are available
on the website www.ilca.org
Individually we must start asking if courses are accredited by ILCA, as part
of our own evaluation process for selection of an education offering. This
will help to raise the bar on the standards around lactation education.
Equally important, individual memberships in ILCA enables the professional
association to continue to implement these programs on behalf of our
profession; if you don't have a current ILCA membership, please join NOW!!
Maureen Fjeld, IBCLC, RLC
Calgary, Alberta
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