I agree with Susan:  

"While I absolutely agree that we need IBCLCs from all walks of life to
enrich our knowledge and mother/baby care, and we need our IBLCE
requirements to support those pathways,  I find the current "RNs bad",
"other LCs better" to be another version of the intolerance and globalized
judgements often vented on lactnet."

I certainly hope no one gets the RN bad and other LC better aspect from me.
I know many RN, IBCLC's who are great and many 'other' LC's who are not.

Yes we need to support each other, absolutely.  As in any field you will
find practitioners who are amazing and some far less than substandard.  

However, when it comes to the IBLCE of late - from what I have read and can
see, what they are doing is effectively phasing out anyone but a medically
trained person and others in different countries from even being able to
consider taking the exam.  It isn't there just yet - but is certainly headed
that way.  The requirements appear very USA centered and that, my friends,
will split the organization into little pieces in the future as other
countries get sick and tired of that nonsense and form their own
organizations with their own sets of criteria for Lactation Consultants.
Then we will have lost something so precious...!  Look at how many people
don't even bother to take the exam - and for very valid reasons!  And how
many are we losing out of inability to meet the requirements because they
don't make sense for an entry level exam?

Since IBLCE is an International Organization, it behooves them to carefully
evaluate ALL educational requirements to ensure that ALL countries can be
accommodated.  And because LC's do come from such varied and diverse walks
of life and professions that add to the richness of our field, it is again
absolutely imperative that IBLCE take that into consideration and NOT do
anything that will take away from that.  Ever.  Sadly - that is not what
they appear to be doing.

The Exam is an Entry Level Exam.  Let's keep it that way.  If they want to
make recertification exams tougher, fine.  I'd be much more appreciative of
spending $400+ dollars on an exam that makes me think and tests me on what I
actually DO, rather than be done in an hour for each section and see that
much of what I actually DO isn't even represented.  What PPLC's, WIC LC's,
LC's in a Peds office and hospital based LC's do is very, very different.
It has to be simply based on the time allowed with the patient and also the
environment and the age of the baby! 

So - really?  This isn't even about RN, IBCLC vs non-RN, IBCLC - it is about
IBLCE taking a look at what they are doing - listening to us at least HERE
on LN because as many of us have found, talking to them directly...does
nothing.

Respectfully,
Jaye

Jaye Simpson, IBCLC, CIIM
Breastfeeding Network
Sacramento, CA
www.breastfeedingnetwork.net

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