I know it was said not to take this personally, but this is now the second week where someone has seen fit to denigrate how registered nurses qualify to take the IBCLC exam.  Please follow the standards put forth by the board hosts.  RN's who decide to also certify as a lactation consultant, cannot merely use their work hours on the floor to be able to take the exam.  I, too, had to work with mothers for many years before taking the exam.  I have to work in my LC time around seeing my regular assignment of patients. My LC work which I enjoy comes under the heading of "other duties as assigned"...I am not paid extra for this although I have to get extra CEU's, pay for the exams, classes & texts.  I have also come in on my time off to see mothers in need when no one else was available.  I see & work with the breastfeeding families that other staff members either feel they cannot or prefer not to assist with this aspect of care.  I educate new & experienced staff members in helping new mothers in breastfeeding basics and have mentored others from initial resistance to breastfeeding to progressing along the road to becoming a certified LC themselves.  I see mothers & babies in Pediatrics, NICU, PICU, OB, & on the general hospital floors as well as answering telephone calls regarding lactation & seeing the drop-in clients as a followup to some of these phone calls.  I work as an advocate when breastfeeding families are in the hospital to help maintain that relationship & give support to the family & resources to the physician.  I get torn emotionally at work when I am assigned to a critical care patient or patients in isolation and cannot assist the mothers who are breastfeeding directly, but then must communicate through another nurse on the ward. Over the last week, I have been getting the impression from a few blanket statements that nurses are bad & patients need protecting from us & that a registered nurse LC is somehow a second class LC. I come here for ideas, support & inspiration.  I really need this to be a safe place to come for refueling.  Thanks.
Linda A. Madsen, BS, CPN, IBCLC

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