To all;
        Some time ago there was discussion about precepting students in your
clinics. I have recently had some difficulty with someone who is a certified
prenatal instructor with about a year or two of experience since she became
certified. Her only background is as a fitness instructor, with no medical
or nursing background. She has not been involved with LLL. but wants to
qualify to write the exam. Her first goal was this year, now she would like
to try for next year. She has taken one breastfeeding course at one of our
local colleges which is really an introductory course.
        She been in my clinic in the hospital once a week, for about2 hours,
since October. Most of this has been observational. Now she feels that I
should let her have patients of her own and I should just assess her care.
        I do not feel that she is ready and has not had enough hands on
experience with the normal breastfeeding dyad. Not having had any medical
background., I find that she discusses her own experience too much. I feel
that she should go the route of mother to mother support or follow the LLL
route to gain much more knowledge. She did not care for this response too
much and when on several occassions I asked her to let me explain things to
my patient with out interrupting or asked her to leave me alone with a
client who I sensed was very upset, she also became quite defensive and
wondered how was she ever going to learn to deal with these kind of clients.
I had only asked her to leave because I felt that the client needed fewer
people talking at her. She needed time and space.
        How do you deal with precepting these type of people? She is no
longer under the direction of a breastfeeding course and doing this as a
hospital volunteer. Am I legally responsible if she gives misinformation? I
cannot let her chart since she is not a hospital employee. Do any other
clinics allow hands on participation with volunteers. What do LLL leaders do
when people want to qualify? How many hours, days or years would it take to
be a leader?
        I am very busy and find that if I do the assessment and care I am
better able to chart etc. I have had others who are nurses or have LLL
experience, to be very helpful, although it always takes much more time when
you teach someone. Sometimes I take an hour or more to finish my charts
after they leave and don't get paid overtime. I know I'm sounding selfish
buuut!!
        I do not want to be unkind to her or discouraging her in her goals
for herself. Should this be the track she should take to be able to qualify
to write her exam to become an IBCLC?
        One more question. Does anyone working in a hospital clinical
setting use volunteer IBCLCs and can they chart on clients? Am I leagally
responsible for their actions and what they say? Some requests have come to
me from that direction also.
        I am sorry this is so lengthy but I feel I need to know what others do.
Thanks in advance.

Attie Sandink RN. IBCLC.