Mary Kay says,
> CLE is also conferred by UCLA which is where mine is from. It's been a long
> time and it was a lot of work so forgive me if I don't list all the
> pertinent
> details. CLC is also given by the Healthy Children 2000 organization after
> a
> 5 day course and a 50 question exam. I think all of these are a fine start
> but the gold standard is IBCLC.
>
All of these various initials which imply certification are "end of course"
certifications -- and as you can see, if they are confusing to US, imagine
what it does to the public!  The mother thinks that she has a lactation
consultant, and actually it's someone who has gone thru a
"one-day-wonder-course" and has been deemed "certified" by the instructor.
Great marketing ploy on the instructor's part, very confusing for the public,
and does not indicate any level of competency on the part of the certificant.
 Look at the variety of things that have to be done in the various programs
to "earn" the certification.  When a person earns the IBCLC designation,
regardless of where they took their initial education, we know what they had
to do to get to that level.

Given the level of confusion, and despite the excellence of the education
programs and what they require of their students, I wish there were another
term that could be used besides "certified."  Qualified?  Bonafide?
Dignified?  Sanctified?  Whatever. A person who receives a 'certification'
from one program is no better prepared than a person who attends another
program that chooses not to use that term because of the problems and
confusion associated with it.  I struggle with whether or not it is ethical
for a program to award a designation of certification that is not in line or
an active member of the National Organization of Certifying Agencies such as
IBLCE is.

Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC -- Wheaton IL
Lactation Education Consultants
www.lactationeducationconsultants.com

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