Mary Kay said,

> . I will challenge the idea that RNs should
> be IBCLCs. A good "CLC" course would be a good place to start, and might
> influence someone to continue to seek further certification.
> This is a never ending debate with many good perspectives.
>
Didn't you mean you'd challenge the idea that IBCLCs SHOULD be RNs?  I will
too.  Of course, it would be nice to see all the RNs on the M/B unit being
IBCLCs, but that's another issue.

I do, however, take exception to your statement that someone needs a good
"CLC" course.  What they need is a good, comprehensive, lactation management
education program -- preferably with NO certification attached to it so that
it doesn't confuse the public.  (I actually think that's what you meant, Mary
Kay).  ILCA has requested, time & again, that education programs do NOT affix
a certification to their programs -- for all the reasons that have been noted
on Lactnet (this comes up about every 6 months), but just recently Barbara
Wilson-Clay was very eloquent about the whole issue of educational programs
conferring a certification that is not up to the standard of the IBCLC.

There have been too many instances in which a mother has thought that she was
counseled by a "Lactation Consultant" when in fact, it was someone that had
not earned that credential.  And when the counseling is poor, it gives the
whole profession a bad name.  It's bad enough when poor counseling is given
by an IBCLC -- but to have to defend the profession against people who are
not IBCLCs but are perceived to be by the unsuspecting public is a bit too
much.

Those who are not IBCLCs need to be very upfront with mothers about what they
CAN do, and need to explain that they are NOT IBCLCs, but have just taken a
course so they are more knowledgeable about breastfeeding than the average
person, but can not yet state they are a consultant.  They should probably
refer to themselves as breastfeeding assistants....much like a nursing
assistant or patient care tech in a hospital.  (Even if a nursing assistant
has gone to nursing school -- unless she has taken the board exam and passed
it, she is NOT an RN -- she is a nursing assistant).

As for hiring someone who is not IBCLC in the hospital?  Unless she/he is
planning to sit for the board exam within a very short period of time -- and
is, in fact, "board eligible" according to the IBLCE, then having personnel
that are not qualified to do what the IBCLC can do is a waste of FTEs.

Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC -- Wheaton IL
Lactation Education Consultants
www.lactationeducationconsultants.com

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