Kathleen;
I agree totally that the clinical component is what we are most short on at
this point.  I hadn't meant to imply that we shouldn't be concerned about
it, just that while we strive to improve, we can't lose sight of where we
have come from and how far we have actually progressed as well as the longer
goal ahead.  Even with a rudimentary clinical plan in place, I have heard
that many aspiring LCs have trouble connecting with a current LC able to
provide it.  Those hospital and clinic based LCs who have to mix LC work
with other work can't provide a predictable plan and too many private
practice LCs aren't doing so full time and have the same challenge to
provide any predictable course of clinical experience.  It rarely works to
say, "I'll call you to come along when I see someone"!

I suspect that educational institutions have an easier time setting up
clinical experiences for their students and graduates than an individual
when working with an institution such as a hospital.  In the years that I
worked as a HBLC, I did work with 3 LC interns.  One was set up through the
Georgetown course (I know it goes by another name now) and the hospital was
somewhat reluctant to go along with it-only the lure of sharing the tuition
tipped the balance.  Another was for the wife of a doc on staff which
certainly gave her an "inside track".  The other was only through the
persistence of the aspiring LC who "bugged" the Women's Health Director to
help her find something to do with her time.  She was a foreign trained OB
nurse without US liscensure and was willing to do it with no compensation.

Winnie

-----Original Message-----
From: Kathleen Bruce [mailto:[log in to unmask]] 
Sent: Saturday, May 21, 2005 7:28 AM
To: Lactation Information and Discussion
Cc: Winnie Mading
Subject: Re: educational standards

Hi Winnie. I agree. We have not had the time to develop full educational
tracks, etc. I think you are right... And it's not so much this that I am
concerned with... The youth of our profession, etc. It's the misinformation
that comes from a lack of consistent preparation that causes the problem...
For mothers,  and for other professionals who are adequately prepared and
informed.

It reminds me of how it would be in nursing school, if we were to graduate
without any clinical component. All the book learning in the world woudln't
have helped me without a clinical component.... Without help from my own
peers in how to organize myself physically and mentally around the
kinesthetic work involved.

That what was I meant. Not to rush the process, but to point out what works
and what doesn't at this moment in time.  Not that I have a great
solution... ...  Thanks for your astute note...

Warmly, Kathleen


Kathleen Bruce RN IBCLC
Independent consultant: Breastfeeding Clinic of Vermont, Lactation
Resources of Vermont, Medela, Inc. Listowner Lactnet listserv
[log in to unmask]
Archives: http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html




On 5/19/05 12:04 PM, "Winnie Mading" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> Frequently I see people posting lamenting the fact that we don't have
> similar educational standards for our profession like there is for RNs,
OTs,
> PTs, etc.  This is very true, and we do need to keep working on this
issue.
> However, I feel it is not realistic to expect us to have full educational
> tracks in place and widely available at this stage of our development.
Look
> at the history of any of the other medically related professions and see
> where they were when they were only 20 years old!  To expect the LC
> profession to be right now where these other professions are right now is
> unrealistic.  I forsee the time when one can get a degree in Lactation at
a
> number of educational institutions, go through a clinical or internship
> period and then take an exam to be IBCLC.  This is where other professions
> are at this time.  However, in the meantime, we are still exploring
exactly
> what is needed to become an effective LC and how to measure when one is
able
> to function in a fully professional capacity in this field.  I think we
are
> ahead of where many other professions were at age 20 and one would expect
> that in our modern world with so many ways of instant communication and
> access to information but we can't expect to be "there" yet.
> 
>  
> 
> Even when we have a track comparable to that of an MD, RN, OT, dietitian,
> social worker or whatever, we will still have need to "police" our peers.
> We all know of members of those professions that make us wonder how they
> ever got certified (or liscensed or whatever).  I suspect we will always
> have some of our own profession that make us cringe.  This in no way
lessens
> the need for us to continue to develop our standards and ways to be sure
> they are followed.
> 
>  
> 
> I remember many years ago being at a meeting of our Division in LLL.  One
> woman had a 2 year old who was large for his age.  As a result, others had
> the tendency to expect his to behave like an older child.  Mom placed a
note
> on his back that said, in effect: "I may look older, but please understand
I
> am only 2 and will behave like a 2 year old."  Certainly, a 2 year old
needs
> guidance and help to keep maturing but we don't expect him to act like
he's
> 6 or 7.  As a profession, maybe we are in the toddler stage-still growing
> and learning.
> 
>  
> 
> Winnie
> 
> 
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