Even though I usually lurk,  Betsy has inspired me to post.  In the last week or so I have spoken with 4 other IBCLCs with 15 plus years experience and ALL of us are upset and disillusioned with the actions of the IBLCE board. These LCs never post either. I have a feeling there are hundreds of LCs who do not appreciate the fact that when they are practicing responsibly as they have been, they are now outside the scope of practice and legally at risk.I have to wonder who is this Board and how and when did we give them the power to define and regulate our profession?  Three issues have come up that make me wonder if we might need another organization that more accurately represents the working  lactation consultant.  These three issues demonstrate how out of touch the Board is.  Can we somehow reclaim ownership and representation of our field?  Would we really loose so much if we abandoned the designation "IBCLC" in favor ofanother title?  I don't think the title "IBCLC" is worth so much in my area (north of NY City). Here are the three issues:The new Scope of Practice- enough said!!!The Lower Credential-  what's the motivation for this and who profits? The IBCLC credential seems mighty tenuous to me- how about we work on that?Last but not least-the exam.  We started an initiative concerning recertification at the ILCA conference last summer.  The petitions went in and NO RESPONSE.  I guess they were busy with other urgent matters (see issue #1). The cover letter read: "Attached are 18 pages of petitions signed by 261 lactation consultants at the 2006 ILCA conference. The petition states:  We the undersigned petition the IBLCE to permit IBCLCs who have passed the entry level exam 2 times, to recertify every five years thereafter by CERPs or exam, as they choose.We (Beth Shulman, Chonyi Glassman and Beverly Solow, the originators of the petition) were surprised by how much support there is for a change of the IBLCE policy on recertification.  The signatures were extremely easy to collect. The response was overwhelmingly positive, with a very few people declining to sign. Many people on this signature list volunteered that they did not intend to take the exam a third time. They also stated that after so many years of practice, not having IBCLC after their name will not affect their reputation in their communities or their earning power.  This would mean that many of our most experienced lactation consultants will no longer call themselves IBCLC, nor will they pay the recertification fee.  PPLC and LACTNET participants expressed an interest in continuing a discussion of this issue on-line after the conclusion of the ILCA conference.We know that this is a complex issue.  There is certainly a need to require credentialed lactationconsultants to remain current.  There are IBCLCs who abuse the current recertification process (by CERP or exam), who do not keep their knowledge up-to-date. The IBLCE tried to address these issues several years ago, with inconclusive results.  The recommendation to eliminate the exam requirement (for consultants who have passed the exam twice) may not be the best way toaddress these complexities.  At the very least, the positive response to the petition argues that theIBLCE should open up this question for renewed discussion.Beverly Solow, who wrote to IBLCE expressing her own personal concerns about this subject back in February, never received a response.  This issue is too serious to ignore when so many lactation consultants are concerned about a meaningful recertification process. We look forward to your response."This letter was signed by Beverly Solow, Beth Shulman, and Chonyi Glassman.  There has been no response from IBLCE as of 11/2/06.I for one would love more transparency concerning the make-up, responsibilities and the decision making process of the board.Respectfully- Chonyi Glassman

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