I have been stewing over this for a few days and I really hate to post this
(too busy to deal with flames this week), but I would hate to see the IBCLC
credential go the way of requiring a particular education, even that of a
healthcare profession.  Whoa, don't aim those flame throwers, yet, hear me
out!   I am grateful that the IBLCE has stuck with the historical view of
professional readiness - that competency may be gained by experience,
independent study, apprenticeship, or classroom study.  This was the
standard for most professions - the law, medicine, and others, until fairly
recently.  Our view that knowledge only comes through receiving lectures is
a new one in human history.

I fear that the a lot of the desire for a particular education for IBCLCs
comes from the natural desire for respect in the medical community.  I saw
the same thing in the teaching profession years ago.  "We want to be
professionals!"  was the cry and the answer was increased educational
requirements, teacher competency examinations and requirements that all
teachers be certified in every subject they taught.  Yes, this did insure a
minimum level of knowledge in our field, but I would argue that it insured
competence not at all, and excluded many incredible teachers whose
background was, for example, in chemistry instead of science education!

I would hate to see us do that!  One of the most fantastic IBCLCs I (and all
of us :-) know, was a mother and La Leche League leader with me in Louisiana
many years ago.  Her experience nursing her children and her passion for
others led her to get the knowledge she needed to be the expert she is
today.  My situation is similar.  Yes, I have a degree - in Biology - and
graduate work - in education, but I've nursed six children and led La Leche
League groups in 3 states over the past 12 years - and I've read everything
I could get my hands on.  Am I handicapped because I am not a nurse or don't
have a lactation degree?  I don't think so, I scored within 2 points of the
high score on last year's exam!

The ones I feel are most handicapped are the nurses (sorry, gals and guys
:-) who've never nursed a baby, work only in a hospital environment, and
really have no experiential knowledge base beyond the first week.  I work
with some of them when they have their own babies and I have really seen how
little an expert knowledge of the first day or two after birth translates
into understanding the normal course of breastfeeding past that.  I feel
certain, though, that they can extend their knowledge just as I've learned
the more medical side of being an LC.

Although I wholeheartedly agree that we need a high standard of expert
knowledge (if not us, who else??), but I think our profession should
uniquely recognize the enormous value of experience as a mother, and allow
the opportunity for baby-friendly learning by independent study and
apprenticeship and mother-to-mother help.

With you for mothers and babies,
Melanie Young,
LLLL, IBCLC

             ***********************************************

To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail
To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest)
To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet
All commands go to [log in to unmask]

The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned
LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(TM)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html