I've been reading everyone's eloquent posts and felt the need to weigh in
on this topic.
As someone with "initials" behind my name, my response would be that I
worked long and hard for my master's degree and studied to sit for a
licensure exam. This means I can state that I am an LSW. I am not,
however, an ACSW. I do not have the training, clinical supervised hours,
nor have passed an exam. This does not mean that I am better than a BSW.
And, yes, there are some ACSWs who are poor or mediocre in their
profession.
I have had friends state that I am a lactation consultant, to which I
state that I am not. I refer to myself as a breastfeeding counselor. I
have had a training course and do volunteer counseling with our local
group. I also hold a board position (Dir. of Fundraising) with this
group.
Part of being "certified" or "credentialed" shows people that there IS a
body of knowledge, that lactation consultanting IS a profession. This
does not mean that anyone who is not an IBCLC has no knowledge base and
is unprofessional. It just means that some people have pursued advanced
training and added to their knowledge base. Certifying exams and a
professional governing body is also a way for the profession to pursue
insurance reimbursement (in the USA). It's taken a long time for
insurance companies to decied that MSWs were capable of providing service
and could be reimbursed for that service. It will take a while for the
same companies to decide that LCs can do the same. However, we must all
continue to uphold a professional credentialing process in order to get
there.
Yes, I intend to sit for the exam and become an IBCLC as well as an LSW.
Why? Well, I'm tired of geriatric work for one. But I've decided I want
to work with women and infants in both capacities. Does this mean extra
work? Of course. (this is more than just contact and course hours, this
means I have to pull out my social work texts and find new texts to
familiarize myself with this population because I didn't want to work
with this population when I was in grad school). Am I willing to put the
time and money into it? Of course.
There is room for all of us here, and credentials do not make one person
better than the other, it just shows people that there are different
levels of training.
Johanna Berger, LSW
Breastfeeding Counselor
Bala Cynwyd, PA
(speaking of lacquer for nipples, my dh has been amused/shocked about all
the young women he sees with their nipples showing and can't figure out
how they got them to look "cold.")
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