Tom has posed a question regarding lactation training. There are already
many courses available that provide up to 45 hours or so of lactation
education. CLC is not a generic certificate but a proprietary designation
that belongs specifically to one of the lactation courses. Other courses
offer certificates of completion and call those who complete the course
varying titles such as a certified lactation specialist or certified
lactation educator or breastfeeding specialist, etc. In order to sit for
the IBCLC exam one needs 90 hours of lactation specific training, 300-1000
of clinical practice, and 14 college level health science and related
courses. The breasts do not operate independently of the rest of the body
which is why college level anatomy and physiology courses are important.
These requirements are important to assure a level of competence that can
meet the needs of mothers beyond the basics. The IBCLC is the national
standard for lactation care. Other courses are wonderful mechanisms for
acquiring some of the didactic hours necessary to assist breastfeeding
families but none are equivalent to the IBCLC. 20 hours or 45 hours of
lactation education helps prepare one to help with basic breastfeeding
issues but is not enough to be able to handle more complex issues. Offering
90 hours of lactation training does not necessarily involve sitting for 2
straight weeks in a classroom. This education can be acquired outside a
classroom at conferences and workshops, online, by webinar, etc. Classroom
learning may best be stretched over weeks or months to allow time for
students to complete assignments to deepen their understanding, read
relevant course material, and integrate new information into a framework.
It takes time to acquire these hours and they should not be minimized in
order to crank out quantity rather than quality. Insurance coverage from
Tricare for breastfeeding support requires that the provider be licensed
and seems unconcerned what other certification is held.
I am confused as to what you are trying to accomplish. Are you creating
another certificate program for Tricare coverage? An RN with 20 hours of
lactation education is still only prepared to handle basic breastfeeding
issues. Who will they refer to for complex and complicated situations? Why
not provide the 90 hours of lactation education, create an avenue for
acquiring the clinical hours, and steer people to the college level courses
that they need or even provide scholarships for these courses. 20 hours of
lactation education is nice but cannot cover in depth what practitioners
need to know, especially if they intend to care for medically complex
mothers and babies.

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