Michelle, as usual, you make some excellent points, and I agree, that IBCLC's need more than just a HS educ. and the passing of the exam. And all internships are NOT created equal! Some are appalling. But as a LC in PP, I don't think I need to take course work in many of those subject areas that are required for working in a hospital. When I'm permitted to work in a medical setting, I'll be the first in line to get educated in those areas! I do agree strongly, however,that decent counseling skills, teaching skills and child development are a must and I don't know how anyone does this work w/o tons of training in (at the very least) active listening. Currently, those of us w/o nursing backgrounds bring a variety of skills and expertise to this field. It is rich! It will be a shame if we lose that. My big beef is that the new requirements don't address the realities of private practice. I don't think the members of IBLCE know what we DO every day!! Oh, and like I said to my intern today..It would be different if it were possible for us to make a real living wage as PP LC's.... sigh. BTW, I'm not implying that achieving IBCLC should necessarily be easy.... the passing score for the exam for example...We could set the bar a little higher. :) Such a great discussion and really unanswerable questions... Renee Beebe, M.Ed., IBCLC *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html To reach list owners: [log in to unmask] Mail all list management commands to: [log in to unmask] COMMANDS: 1. To temporarily stop your subscription write in the body of an email: set lactnet nomail 2. To start it again: set lactnet mail 3. To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet 4. To get a comprehensive list of rules and directions: get lactnet welcome