Rheta writes: "Respectfully, Kathy, I think you might be confusing schooling
with
education.  One can be schooled yet uneducated, just as one can be educated
without formal schooling.  Your post seems to imply that only classroom
education and preceptorships are valid learning paths.  You deem a log of
hours "wishy washy".  This devalues the important contribution of highly
educated LCs who have chosen a non-schooling path.

I am a retired RN (who used to work OB) and my learning about breastfeeding
truely began with preparation for the birth of my first child. I continued
my breastfeeding education by participating in volunteer run breastfeeding
support groups.  Becoming a LLL Leader gave me access to a plethoria of
research based written information,  professional workshops, and the
opportunity to accumulate a log of hours that could not be considered "wishy
washy" by any means.

I feel that IBCLCE is on the cutting edge in recognizing the validity of
other learning pathways.  I'm sure that its model will come to be accepted
in other leading professions and organizations in the not-to-distant future.
The requirements and accepted pathways are standardized already."

Rheta, I think you are misunderstanding my post. My learning about
breastfeeding came about in exactly the same way yours did, by breastfeeding
my first child and then joining a volunteer mother to mother support group.
I had been an RN for some years before any of this occured and did not learn
one thing about breastfeeding (albeit this was in the early 70's) from being
a nurse. When I did become interested in breastfeeding, however, the NICU
became my personal classroom and my mission became to help NICU moms  provide
breast milk to their babies and  ultimately to help them to breastfeed.

The criticisms that have been made recently on this list, however, are that
maybe La Leche League hours aren't good enough and that RN's fudge their
hours.  I suspect, without any disrerespect to either group, that there may
be a grain of truth in this. If we want to grow as a profession and garner
greater respect I believe we need a formal pathway with minimum requirements
for didactic learning and clinical experience.  I don't mistake schooling
with education. I know one can be educated without formal schooling. It seems
most of us  have come to be IBCLC's through a "non schooling" path.   I, like
you, also read everything I can get my hands on about bf and attend every
conference I possibly can.    There is no way I would devalue the work of
highly educated LC's who have arrived  through a non schooling path. But if
we have to spend days debating amongst ourselves which type of LC is better,
La Leche League or RN, not to mention the many other very excellent
backgrounds that contribute to this profession, it seems something is not
quite right. We will all always bring different skills and personal resources
to the table, but the basic educational pathways can be  standardized just as
they are in other professions. Nursing has done a very poor job of this, with
2, 3, 4 and 5 year pathways to licensure and I'll tell you, our house is not
in order and young men and women are not joining the nursing profession in
droves.

Every week we have people calling our lactation center asking how to become
an LC. I don't know what to tell them. If OB nursing and La Leche League
Leadership are not to be the only paths to becoming a lactation consultant,
then we need another way.

Kathy Boggs, RN, IBCLC
Mountain View, CA

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