I was at a College of Allied Health Sciences faculty meeting today and it
was mentioned that the 1998 US News and World Reports list of Best Health
Care Careers for 1998 listed Physician's Assistant as the number 1 health
care profession for 1998, but number 2 was lactation consultant.  To me,
that says you guys must be doing something right, because the demand for
your services must be there if it's runner-up on the list.  If you want to
see the article, you can go to:

         http://www.usnews.com/usnews/issue/971027/27CORE.HTM

The list and the information the article gave about lactation consultants
is given below.

>HEALTH CARE
>
>RUNNER-UP HOT TRACK. Lactation consultant. Breast-feeding rates are steadily
>rising. Lactation consultants fill the knowledge gap for women whose mothers
>bottle
>fed them.
>
>WHAT HEALTH CARE JOBS PAY
>
>MEDICAL ASSISTANT $22,250
>
>LACTATION CONSULTANT $25,000+
>
>DIETITIAN (CLINICAL) $34,150
>
>SPEECH THERAPIST $35,850
>
>REGISTERED NURSE $36,250
>
>NURSE PRACTITIONER $50,000+
>
>PHARMACIST $51,600
>
>OPTOMETRIST $80,000
>
> Note: Typical 1996 salaries (dietitian, '95)
>
>Sources: American Academy of Physician Assistants, American Dietetic Assn.,
>American Optometric Assn., American Academy of Nurse Practitioners, Bureau of
>Labor Statistics, International Lactation Consultant Assn.


Donna J. Spannaus-Martin, Ph.D., MT (ASCP)
Assistant Professor, Clinical Laboratory Sciences,
University of Tennessee, Memphis
http://www.utmem.edu/allied/Med.Tech./med.tech.html