Our state has a opening for a person to develop a statewide breastfeeding
peer counselor program. They are listing the job for a Nutritionist. When I
questioned that job classification I received a reply that they feel it is
essential that the individual hired have clinical training and academic
preparation in nutrition and the lifecycle, maternal and infant nutrition, metabolism,
education design and theory, and diet and disease. And be ADA eligible. I
have 23 yrs experience in bfing counseling, have trained peer counselors and PC
program administrators for LLLI, have worked as a PC program administrator,
have a degree in public health and have designed and developed public health
programs.And I have been an IBClC for many yrs. It looks like a person with
my qualifications would be a better fit then a recent graduate of an
university with academics in metabolism and disease. We can't make peer counselor
programs work, without personnel who are committed to breastfeeding, and
understand what works and don't work in the system. It is more then lipservice. How
many nutrition programs in America train students in lactation, lactation
management, lactation program design and development, lactation resource
development, evaluation, continuing education, etc. I don't think it is very many.
Don't get me wrong, I think there is a place for nutritionists in our system,
but unless they are committed and very well educated and trained, and
experienced in breastfeeding counseling, I don't think they can do a good job
developing and supervising peer counselor programs. The population being served
deserves better.
Barbara Whitehead, BS, IBCLC, RLC
Eastern NC
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