As a nurse, I do not have to retake my test.  As a matter of fact, in Arizona I 
don't even have to prove additional education.  But, to maintain  NCC 
certification (which uses the same standard as IBCLE does), I have to 
maintain my certification by continue education hours every 3 years.  Being 
extremely test phobic, I am extemely grateful.  I was always told that IBCLE 
has IBCLCs retest at 10 years because it was the standard of the National 
Commission for Certifying Agencies.  I haven't been able to find such 
standard.  I did find this: According to the Standards for the Accreditation of 
Certification Programs...

"Standard 20

The certification program must demonstrate that its recertification 
requirements measure or enhance the continued competence of certificants.

Essential Element:
A. The purpose of periodic recertification, whether to measure continued 
competence or to enhance continued competence, must be stated. If the 
purpose of recertification is to measure continued competence of certificants, 
then the certification program must substantiate the validity and
reliability of the assessment instruments used to measure continued 
competence. If the purpose is to enhance continued competence of 
certificants, then the certification program must demonstrate
how the policy contributes to professional development of the individual 
certificant.

Commentary:
A. Methods used to measure continued competence may include an up-to-
date edition of the assessment instruments used for initial certification or 
assessment instruments designed specifically for recertification.
B. Methods used to enhance continued competence should be provided, with 
an explanation of how the requirement supports professional development of 
the certificant.
C. Suggested evidence to document that the Standard has been met should 
include certification renewal policy and procedure documents and a candidate 
handbook."

If the purpose is to show "professional developement of the certificant", how 
does taking a test every 10 years do that? Why can we not continue with 
education as we did in the first five years? When the test is not easily 
accessible to everyone, is it not better to have options?  Would this not be 
supportive to the community?  Many of the certification boards of other 
professions do not require retesting; they require proof of continue education 
hours.
Maybe we should be looking at the different organizations that use the same 
standards to evaluate how recertifications are handled.  

It's a thought-
Renee Palting- RN, IBCLC, RLC
Tucson, Arizona

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