Even though I usually lurk, Betsy has inspired me to post. In the lastweek or so I have spoken with 4 other IBCLCs with 15 plus yearsexperience and ALL of us are upset and disillusioned with the actions ofthe IBLCE board. These LCs never post either. I have a feeling there arehundreds of LCs who do not appreciate the fact that when they arepracticing responsibly as they have been, they are now outside the scopeof practice and legally at risk.I have to wonder who is this Board and how and when did we give them thepower to define and regulate our profession? Three issues have come upthat make me wonder if we might need another organization that moreaccurately represents the working lactation consultant. These threeissues demonstrate how out of touch the Board is. Can we somehow reclaimownership and representation of our field? Would we really loose so muchif we abandoned the designation “IBCLC” in favor of another title? Idon’t think the title “IBCLC” is worth so much in my area (north of NYCity).Here are the three issues:The new Scope of Practice- enough said!!!The Lower Credential- what’s the motivation for this and who profits?The IBCLC credential itself seems mighty tenuous to me- how about wework on that?Last but not least-the exam. We started an initiative concerningrecertification at the ILCA conference last summer. The petitions wentin and NO RESPONSE. I guess they were busy with other urgent matters(see issue #1). The cover letter read:"Attached are 18 pages of petitions signed by 261lactation consultants at the 2006 ILCA conference.The petition states:We the undersigned petition the IBLCE to permit IBCLCswho have passed the entry level exam 2 times, torecertify every five years thereafter by CERPs orexam, as they choose.We (Beth Shulman, Chonyi Glassman and Beverly Solow,the originators of the petition) were surprised by howmuch support there is for a change of the IBLCE policyon recertification. The signatures were extremelyeasy to collect. The response was overwhelminglypositive, with a very few people declining to sign.Many people on this signature list volunteered thatthey did not intend to take the exam a third time.They also stated that after so many years of practice,not having IBCLC after their name will not affecttheir reputation in their communities or their earningpower. This would mean that many of our mostexperienced lactation consultants will no longer callthemselves IBCLC, nor will they pay therecertification fee. PPLC and LACTNET participantsexpressed an interest in continuing a discussion ofthis issue on-line after the conclusion of the ILCAconference.We know that this is a complex issue. There iscertainly a need to require credentialed lactationconsultants to remain current. There are IBCLCs whoabuse the current recertification process (by CERP orexam), who do not keep their knowledge up-to-date.The IBLCE tried to address these issues several yearsago, with inconclusive results. The recommendation toeliminate the exam requirement (for consultants whohave passed the exam twice) may not be the best way toaddress these complexities. At the very least, thepositive response to the petition argues that theIBLCE should open up this question for reneweddiscussion.Beverly Solow, who wrote to IBLCE expressing her ownpersonal concerns about this subject back in February,never received a response. This issue is too seriousto ignore when so many lactation consultants areconcerned about a meaningful recertification process.We look forward to your response."This letter was signed by Beverly Solow, Beth Shulman,and Chonyi Glassman. There has been no response fromIBLCE as of 10/31/06.I for one would love more transparency concerning the make-up,responsibilities and the decision making process of the board.Respectfully- Chonyi Glassman    

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