I apologize for the mess of a last post ( new computer).  Let's hope this one is better!Eventhough I usually lurk, Betsy has inspired me to post.  In the last weekor so I have spoken with 4 other LCs with 15 plus years experience andALL of us are upset and disillusioned with the actions of theIBLCE board.  These LCs never post either.  I have a feeling there arehundreds of LCs who do not appreciate the fact that when they arepracticing responsibly as they have been, they are now outside of thescope of practice and legally at risk.I have to wonder who isthis Board and when did we give them the power to define and regulateour profession?  Three issues have come up that make me wonder if wemight need another organization that more accurately represents theworking lactation consultant.  These three issues demonstrate how outof touch the Board is.  Can we somehow reclaim ownership andrepresentation of our field?  Would we really loose so much if weabandoned the designation "IBCLC" in favor of another title?  I don'tthink the title "IBCLC" is worth so much in my are (north of NY City).Here are the three issues:The new Scope of Practice- enough said!!!TheLower Credential- what's the motivation for this and who profit?  TheIBCLC credential seems mighty tenuous to me- how about we work on that?Lastbut not least- the exam.  We started an initiative concerningrecertification at the ILCA conference last summer.  The petitions weresent and NO RESPONSE.  I guess they were busy with other urgent matters( see SOP above).  The cover letter read:"Attached are 18 pagesof petitions signed by 261 lactation consultants at the 2006ILCA conference.  The petition states:         We the undersigned petition the IBLCE to permit IBCLCs who have passed the entrylevel exam 2 times to recertify every five years thereafter by CERPs orexam, as they choose.  We (Beth Shulman, Chonyi Glassman, andBeverly Solow, the originators of the petition) were surprised by howmuch support there is for a change of the IBLCE policy  onrecertification.  The signatures were extremely easy to collect.  Theresponse was overwhelmingly positive, with very few people declining tosign.  Many people on this signature list volunteered that they did notintend to take the exam a third time.  They also stated that after somany years of practice, not having IBCLC after their name will notaffect their reputation in the community or their earning power.  Thiswould mean that many of our most experienced lactation consultants willno longer call themselves IBCLC, nor will they pay the recertificationfee.  PPLC and LACTNET participants expressed an interest in continuinga discussion of this issue on-line after the conclusion of theILCA conference.We know that this is a complex issue.  There iscertainly a need to require credentialed lactation consultants toremain current.  There are IBLBCs who abuse the current recertificationprocess (by CERP or exam), who do not keep their knowledge up-to-date. The IBLCE tried to address these issues several years ago, withinconclusive results.  The recommendation to eliminate the examrequirement (for consultants who have passed the exam twice) may not bethe best way to address these complexities.  At the very least, thepositive response to the petition argues that the IBLCE should open upthis question for renewed discussion.Beverly Solow, who wroteto IBLCE expressing her own personal concerns about this subject backin February, never received a response.  This issue is too serious toignore when so many lactation consultants are concerned about ameaningful recertification process.  We look forward to your response."The letter was signed by Beverly Solow, Beth Shulman, and Chonyi Glassman.  There has been no response as of 11/2/06.I for one would love more transparency concerning the make-up, responibilities and the decision-making process of the board.Respectfully-  Chonyi Glassman

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