From where I sit,  the previous 45 hours of education, combined with clinical hours that are completely unstructured (meaning a candidate may be performing the same task repetitiously over, and over again, with no diversity of clinical experiences), which may be earned BEFORE your 45 theory and education hours is entirely insufficient! In my state you need 1600 hours of education/in class didactic hours AND 2000 apprenticeship hours AND pass a written AND practical exam to get a license to cut hair! 


The problem with the previous criteria is that the declared entry-level core competencies of any IBCLC were completely inconsistent with the required education. The minimum education criteria required absolutely no post high school education in ANY discipline yet candidates who successfully qualified and passed the exam were considered sufficiently 'trained' to perform tasks that demonstrated knowledge related to the study of very specific disciplines that are superficially discussed at best if at all in even a very good lactation management course. 


Read the current competencies here:


http://www.iblce.org/upload/downloads/ClinicalCompetencies.pdf


IBCLC's are supposed to assess the physical, mental, and psychological state of the mother but we should not be required to receive further education re:Psychology/sociology/A&P?


IBCLC's are to demonstrate regard for the mother's race, creed, religion, sexual orientation, and age yet we should not be required to receive further education re: Cultural diversity, social justice, sociology?


IBCLC's are to provide evidence based/informed information yet we are not required to receive further education re: Research methodology?


IBCLC's are to participate in the development of policy and advocacy materials, and communicate with other members of the mother's health team yet we should not be required to receive further education re: Medical terminology or documentation?


Do we not perform evaluations and assessments, touch or examine mother and infant? We don't need to know universal precautions (for ourselves as well as our client?)?


IBCLC's are to evaluate and assess infant behavior, growth, and development yet we should not be required to receive further education re: Infant development?


In my opinion candidates should be required to 'demonstrate' their competency to perform these tasks as part of the clinical component criteria. 


I have spent a career in vocational/career education and training. I have served as faculty for an accredited vocational occupational/ career training technical college. When you train people for careers, you perform an occupational analysis, examine and study the tasks that are performed in the occupation, break them down into a taxonomy, and build educational curriculum and practicum experiences that support the student's ability to achieve the tasks.  You cannot have an outcome for the learner that isn't in your educational curriculum. If the candidates are expected to perform specific job functions, they must have at some point demonstrated the education associated with acquiring the knowledge, and skills that are necessary to perform the task. They either get it through the program didactic or practicum, or they earn it somewhere else.


The only criteria I would consider remotely arguable are the CPR and Occupational Safety criteria. CPR is a common skill necessary for employment in many settings in the US, I had to be certified CPR as a teacher! But I don't know that it falls under an IBLCE competency that directly applies to the IBCLC skills, same with Occupational Safety, it doesn't always apply. 


There is a component of discussion that is really missing in this dialogue. Credential setting is not about growing a professional discipline, it is about protecting consumers. 


Michelle H. Kinne BA IBCLC RLC ICCE CD(DONA)
www.CascadePerinatalServices.com





 

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