Hi. I'm new to Lactnet.  My name is Kim Connor and I'm a Physician Assistant
( in Family Practice), and a C.L.E. (via UCLA).  Are there any other
Physician Assistants out there???  I became gungho on bf after I had my first
baby, Samuel Macklin.  I was a Lt. in the Air Force at the time, stationed in
Southern Calif.  (so that's how the UCLA thing happened).  I pumped and
worked full-time until my son was 13 mo. old. I also ran a working mom's
support group and taught prenatal bf classes until I left the AF.
Next we moved to Cleveland, I opened a pump rental station, and had baby #2,
Jordan Elise (a home birth by the way).  I continued teaching classes and
doing home consults.
Then about a year ago we moved to Western PA (Sharpsville) to be closer to my
family.  I've continued the pump rental station, and started working again
part-time as a PA-C. Now I also see occas. bf consults through the Dr.'s
offices in which I work.

I'm very interested in becoming an IBCLC.  However the process is sort of
frustrating  to me because it seems geared to nurses.  Those 2500 contact
hours are slow in coming for someone like me who works from the
diagnosing/treating end instead of with day to day patient care.  I think my
only chance of becoming an IBCLC within  the next decade is to work as a
Physician Assistant  with a Pediatrician who wants and isn't afraid of my
lactation knowledge.  A bit of a challenge, but it will happen.

I'd love to hear about other people's non-conventional routes to IBCLC.