Dear all:

I am sorry if I see the issue of MDs quite differently.  I have written reports, made every effort to 
communicate, and I find that most MDs are quite reasonable.  And some of them don't.  

I think of the pediatrician who didn't read my report, nor the report of the endocrinologist who 
diagnosed a baby with a genetic abnormality in her aldosterone levels that caused her to lose 
weight rapidly.  This pediatrician yelled at the mother for seeing the gastroenterologist that the 
pediatrician herself told the mother she must see.  

I think of the pediatrician who devoted an entire chapter in his book on "breasfeeding consultants" 
denigrating us as a profession.  He did not devote any other chapter to any other health care 
professional denigrating their profession.

I totally agree that it would be embarrassing to come to a conference where your profession is 
spoken of in disrepectful terms.  IBCLCs should not do so.  

However, the onus goes both ways.  How many times have IBCLCs been treated disrespectfully?  
This continual process of operating under adverse conditions when our profession is not taken 
seriously, or even worse, thought of in negative terms by other health care practitioners puts us in 
a position of weakness.  Studies in management show that "sabotage" is most likely to occur when 
compentent people are not allowed to function autonomously and thus, the reaction of 
complaining, grumbling, making jokes about those who are in a position of power.  It should not 
happen, but it does.  Students criticize teachers, employees criticize their bosses, etc.

If we are going to call for IBCLCs to have this in their scope of practice, I would say that we should 
call for a similar action in the scope of practice for MDs at the same time.  Do MDs have a 
requirement in their scope of practice that they must work collaboratively with other allied health 
care practitioners?  Are they subject to losing their lisence for slaundering other professions? 

MDs are in a position of power.  That means that they should (and again I will say many do) act 
even more responsibly than those over whom they exert that power.  That means, first and 
foremost, their clients and also allied health care professionals with whom they work.

I would love it if the ABM conference would address this issue specifically to develop MUTUAL 
respect.  And I do ask the MDs on the list how they would help this process along with their own 
peers.  I know that you are not responsible for the actions of the few of your peers who continually 
criticize our profession, but you do work with them as well and may have insights into strategies 
for improving communication.  It MUST work both ways.  Even if we do hold ourselves as IBCLCs to 
a higher standard in treating others with respect, it does not always mean that we will be treated 
with respect ourselves.  

Best regards, Susan E. Burger, MHS, PhD, IBCLC

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