Great post, Liz! 
I am so sad that folks think becoming an RN is part of the process of becoming an IBCLC. We medicalize this profession more and more every day and we do no service to ourselves or the families we care for when we undermine the value of our own work in this way.

Jennifer Tow, IBCLC, CT, USA
Intuitive Parenting Network, LLC



Date:    Mon, 4 Jan 2010 09:09:19 -0500
From:    Elizabeth Brooks <[log in to unmask]>
Subject: Non-RN IBCLCs??

The prevalent and easiest way to find employment as an IBCLC (in the USA, at
least) is at a hospital.  Most hospitals will have a "requirement" that the
IBCLC also be an RN.  Blame that on antiquated notions on the part of of
hospital administrators, who do not understand the substantial clinical
elements of the IBLCE Scope of Practice for the IBCLC .... or blame it on
selfish notions on the part of hospital administrators, who would like to
"pull" the IBCLC off her lactation rounds to go do RN work because they are
swamped today in med-surg or the ER or wherever.  Ask any RN IBCLC who is
susceptible to such last-minute yankings how often it happens ... and you'll
learn it happens a lot.

Yes, yes, I know there are hospitals out there that "get" lactation, and the
appropriate use of an RN IBCLC -- and I am not talking about these excellent
facilities.  Nor am I talking about the hospitals out there that hire non-RN
IBCLCs (including yours truly .... until they closed the maternity ward!)

But investing time and money to get an RN license as a self-perceived
prerequisite to getting paying work as an IBCLC exam does not strike me as
even a very secure plan, much less a well-laid one.

A non-RN IBCLC can find work in many areas:
* private practice
* public health (like WIC, or the state or municipal public health dept)
* in another HCP's office (midwife, pediatrics, OB-GYN, family practice)
* workplace lactation support (in-house, or more likely as a consultant
hired by the workplace)
* at a hopsital, as a contractor providing IBCLC services (that's the way I
did it)
* as an educator (teaching breastfeeding classes from any of the gazillions
of outlets for adult education; speaking at lactation conferences)
*  [gasp] as a retail outlet offering ethical sales and rentals of BF
equipment, clothing or books (though that often requires a
substantial up-front investment in inventory, and you have to be very much
interested in being a small business owner, not just an IBCLC)

The harsh facts of life are this:  the economy is tight, all jobs are
scarce, job security is a thing of the past, and disposable income [by the
mom, deciding where to spend her child-rearing dollars] is carefully
dispersed.  Anyone seeking to make a living as a non-RN IBCLC -- or even an
RN IBCLC -- has to be willing to invest some time, energy and self-promotion
into the process.  Heck -- people have to hustle, and keep a frequent look
over their shoulders, in every single field of employment these days.

There are many creative and forward-thinking mentors in our field who have
scrambled to make it work as non-RN IBCLCs:  Becky Mannel, Diane DiSandro,
Linda Smith, Kay Hoover, Diana West, Diane Wiessinger, Robin Frees, Cathy
Carothers, Cathy Genna spring to mind.  There are many RN IBCLCs who have
made a success of doing it the non-traditional, not-in-the-hospital way:
Denise Altman, Carol Chamblin, Jan Barger, Nikki Lee, Karen Gromada spring
to mind.  I am not trying to offend anyone by omitting them from this list
... but if any of these names are familiar to you, there is a good
reason why they are known in the lactation community.  That in itself is a
hedge in job security!

Liz Brooks JD IBCLC FILCA
Wyndmoor, PA, USA


 

 



 


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