Kudos to Kathleen Feather for her wonderful post.
Kathy E. and Karen and Catherine W.G. hit the nail right on the head. Being
a League leader is a tremendous amount of work. It's more than leading a
meeting every month, and taking a few calls. I think some people think it's
easier because of the "automatic 500 hours a year" rule in the eligibility
requirements, but in effect, if you added up all the time an average Leader
spends, it would be far more than 500 hours. (By the way, if you are accumulating
hours to sit and are a LLLL and you think you spend more than 500 hours a
year, document it and those extra hours will count toward your required total.)
I don't agree that everyone is saying the way they became an IBCLC is the
best way. I did it largely through LLLL hours, pathways G and H, volunteering
at hospitals, and a few other bits and pieces. I don't think that it was the
best way to do it. No one way is best, but what we have been saying is that
a standardized education program (like the UCLA program or something
similar, or something, someday that each program creates itself and competes for
students based on the excellence of their program and faculty) would in theory
be the best.
Pam H. is thinking along the lines that I was/am. So many people collect
their hours with little or no exposure to the beauty of the multidisciplinary
nature of our profession. Yes, a standardized education program should
absolutely include other allied health professions, SLP, OT, PT, RD, as well as
physicians. It should include a contribution by mother-to-mother support
groups. That's one of my biggest reasons for supporting formalized education.
It is a tangled web, and considering the history and genesis of the
profession, it is remarkable that we have come so far. In some ways, we are light
years ahead of other professions who are only now, after many, many years,
beginning to require recertification as a way to guarantee quality care and
protection of the public. There are a few certification organizations who are
trying, or who have tried, and failed, to go "international" with their exam and
certification process. There are other professions that require so little
for certification that is scares me that I put myself in the hands of these
'professionals'. We need to celebrate what we have done right, and
congratulate those who have gotten us there.
At the same time, it is not 20 years ago. Medicine and consumer
expectations, insurance, hospitals' concern with the bottom line, and other factors
worry me. My concern is that if we do not move with more urgency,
professionalism, and cohesion, to fix what is broken the lactation consultant as a credible
allied medical health care provider will cease to exist.
Now, say "we" somehow figure all this out. Are the new "standards" going to
be applicable only to the US? How do we keep the playing field level for
every candidate worldwide? Is it time to consider whether or not it is
realistic to keep the "international" nature of the credential? How could one
reasonably expect a country like Zimbabwe or Turkmenistan, or even Brazil or
Mexico to implement the same standards we are discussing here, when some of these
countries have no university systems at all? If you all think there's
territorialism with how we view what the best way of training is, I can assure you,
if/when this discussion moves to a deeper consideration than the
intellectual conversation of Lactnet, European, Australian, Canadian and other IBCLCs
are going to have something to say about it. By trying to improve and advance
our profession, we might well end up breaking apart the "international"
foundation of both IBLCE and ILCA.
If you think about it, MDs, RNs and other medical professionals can practice
in other countries, no matter where they were trained, provided they meet
that countries standards. That happens all the time in the US.
I've talked enough. Some of you are probably wondering why I can't stop
talking. Fact is I'm on medical leave for some minor surgery and can't work.
Not to fear, though, I go back on Thursday. But let's continue this thread,
please.
Barbara
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