I am an RNC/IBCLC who has been in practice for almost seven years.
For all of those years I have worn the "two hats" of hospital and private
practice.  Our community of 120,000 (one county) has only one hospital
and, until a year ago, had exactly three LC's!  Needless to say, if I had not
had a private practice, there would not have been LC service available to
most clients after hospital discharge.
As to whether it is "tricky", yes, of course.  One must be careful to separate
the two practices (different names, office sites, business cards, etc.) and
be careful of "advertising" yourself in the hospital.  (This was difficult for
me
when I first was in practice since I was the ONLY LC in my community!)
Some would claim there is a "conflict of interest" here, but realistically in
most
small communities, there may be only one practictioner (be it MD, PT, or other
health care provider) to refer to.  Obviously you cannot refer to yourself,
but
physicians and midwives who know of your practice in the hospital may wish
to send patients to you in the outpatient setting.
Best of luck to you; e-mail me privately if you need additional information
([log in to unmask]).
Jeanne Brotherton, Bellingham, WA