Again, since my course was mentioned by name in a previous post, I want to
clarify some issues.

1. A license or certificate is one measure of assuring the public that the
holder has competence in the material. Licenses are the most restrictive and
are issued by governmental entities. Certificates are less restrictive and
issued by various agencies, some of which are themselves certified by the
National Organization for Competency Assessment. IBLCE is certified by NOCA.
2. Some licenses and certificates require the candidate to complete an
accredited course of study. Other professions do not have a required
educational pathway. For example, in some areas, a prospective lawyer does
not have to have graduated from (or even attended) an accredited law school
to take the bar exam - the candidate can prepare for the exam in a variety
of ways including self-study. If the individual passes pass the bar exam,
he/she is a duly licensed lawyer just like others who also hold degrees from
prestigious law schools.
3. The central issue in our field is "how much education/training is
enough?" More is always better. Many of us, once we began practicing,
quickly realize how much more there is to be known about lactation and
breastfeeding - and how little we knew last year, five years ago, ten years
ago. Take an example from another field: Do you need a 1-hour lesson to
learn to draw, or can anybody figure it out on their own? How about a
one-week course? A 2-year college degree? Masters degree in Fine Art? Any
degree at all? Apprenticing for __(how long?) with an expert? How does one
determine an expert? Is an ordinary pencil good enough to start drawing? Or
does everyone need $2000 worth of professional grade materials before
beginning? My sister holds a MFA degree and is a full professor of Fine Art;
I can draw breast diagrams well enough to illustrate a breastfeeding
problem. We can both "draw," but are clearly NOT equivalent in our level of
skill and knowledge. She knows breastfeeding is good for babies, so do I -
in a depth and breadth far exceeding anything she ever imagined. We are
clearly not equivalent in this area either!
4. The IBLCE exam was designed from the outset to be the minimum
knowledge/skill necessary for anyone directly working with mothers and
babies. IBLCE's mission, as with other credentialing agencies, is to find
the bottom line, below which represents unacceptable knowledge, skill, and
attitudes. This task is very complex and tricky in every profession, and
lactation is no exception. IBLCE has always sought and implemented the most
highly respected psychometric techniques to establish this floor.
5. Recertification is one of these issues where IBLCE is using the best
techniques to assure the retention of only competent providers in the field.
More and more professions are re-testing their practitioners periodically
because other methods have not been shown to assure the public of continuing
competency.
6. For those who propose a lesser credential than IBCLC, what would you
leave out???

Linda J. Smith, BSE, FACCE, IBCLC
Bright Future Lactation Resource Centre http://www.bflrc.com
Lact-Ed, Inc. http://www.Lact-Ed.com
Dayton, OH USA