Interesting post relating to teaching those who wish to gain IBCLC
status.

I have a student in my office.  Our arrangement, for the most post is

a comfortable one.  She is paid a nominal wage and is responsible for

data entry and billing for pumps.  She receives clinical hours and
has
opportunities to trail me. I have placed her on an "honor system"
in terms of keeping track of her clinical hours, as I don't wish to
be
the police.  Two mornings a week she takes the phones while I take a

couple hours off for personal reasons.

She also helps to schedule appointments, return calls, and now can
rent
breastpumps.  She could do more if she put in more hours, she has a
20
month old son.  Additionally, she is enrolled in a BCS course and
has
chosen to accellerate.

I am thinking about having a partner again.  I find it most difficult
to
be on call 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  When I use a replacement
LC
my practice looses revenue.

Sometimes I have mixed feelings.  I have discussed mentoring with
other
LC's and hear a jeunre of mixed opinions.  My feeling is that we who
so
passionately embrace our profession, need to share our clinical and
social skills with persons who will follow us.  We (LC's) are the
gener-
ation who has stepped beyond volunteer help with BF into a fee paid,

clear clinical pathway, which precedes even further development and
acceptance of our profession.

Some have stated that students should pay us for clinical hours.
Point
in fact is that RN, OT, RTs, RPH and other professions pay high
tuition
fees and probably don't receive the one on one personal teaching that
an
LC can eminate.  We all know, that students who work the hardest and
go
that extra mile, are the most dedicated and generally the most
professional and the most educated-therefore the most successful in
their
efforts.

I'm at a turning point in my career.  I have some important decisions
to
make, but one that I feel strongly about is education of those who
wish
to follow in my footsteps.  I have always believed that it takes a
very
special person, one who is intuitive, one who is nurturing and one
who
has great insight and communication skills to do my job.  I like to
teach
and believe that my practice will welcome those willing to learn.  I
am
interested to network with other LC's on this topic.