In a message dated 2/2/2005 1:55:16 P.M. US Eastern Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

WIC is  mostly an educational setting.  They don't do any hands on helping  of
actual mothers and babies - at least in Maryland. I worked for WIC for  over
10 years, and it was always more important to keep the numbers up than  to
actaully help people. It,like many other business, was about the  money.  If
you didn't have high enough enrollment figures you didn't  get as much
federal or state money. It does concern me that many WIC IBCLCs  might know
the information, but not be able to put it into practice. Taking  a test is




This is not always the case in WIC and less true now than perhaps 5 years  
ago.  My clinic has a system to assure that mothers who come in saying they  
want formula or a pump are worked into individual appointments with someone who  
can spend the time with them to assess their problems and concerns.  Yes  WIC 
is about education but it is also about providing mothers with current  
information and referrals when appropriate.  We do hands on and in our  state we are 
taught hands on, not sitting behind a desk.  In some states,  WIC personnel 
have gone to an educational program that states she cannot do  hands on with a 
mother.  If someone has told this they would hesitant to  help mothers hands 
on. IN our state, employees who have attended our  training programs are 
expected to work directly with the mother. So some of  these employees may simply be 
victims of a program that has prohibited them from  touching. As I said in my 
previous post, we trained current IBCLCs to be  clinical instructors so this 
would not be problem.  We are not the only  state to do this.  Texas has a 
clinical program in conjunction with a  hospital where candidates can spend time 
to acquire additional clinical  experience. WIC is changing in many areas.  To 
make blanket statements  about WIC everywhere in the US is like making 
blanket statements about hospital  personnel in every state.  There are differences 
and change is  happening.  Many of us in the WIC feel change is too slow in 
coming but I  think all of us in the lactation profession feel the same  way.

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

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(R)
mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to:
http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html