The hospital where I worked for the past 10 years (recently resigned to
continue with schooling) hired me specifically as IBCLC, even though I was
also RNC. They NEVER pulled me to the floor to do non-lactation related jobs,
and most of the staff did not even know that I was capable of such tasks! I
was actually once challenged by the NICU doc for cup-feeding a baby because
she thought I would not know if a baby was in respiratory distress (she did
not know that I had NICU experience). However, another IBCLC/RN who worked
with us was OFTEN pulled on her assigned lactation days to cover staffing
problems, because they "knew" her as a staff nurse.

I think that it depends on your job description (as well as your previous
history with the unit). RN/IBCLCs should have it spelled out clearly in their
job desription that one does NOT get pulled for staffing purposes. Clearly,
the moms are the ones who suffer when this happens. The advantage to me was
that I received RN pay, with added money for my Maternal-infant
certification, as that was hospital policy. Many hospitals (in our area) will
not hire an RN into a designated IBCLC position so that they do not have to
pay them as much.

Kathy Rubin in NJ
IBCLC, RN, C (Maternal/Infant), APN, C (Family Nurse Practitioner)
PhD Candidate & full-time student at Rutgers, NJ College of Nursing

             ***********************************************
The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html