Letters to LLLI
New Requirements
for IBCLC Certification
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 38 No. 5, October-November 2002 p. 112-13.
Dear LLLI,
I decided to take the IBCLC
exam this July. I just spent five days taking a preparation course with
a room full of nurses. This was quite a different perspective and my
head was spinning from all of the numbers. It got me wondering why the
requirements to pass the exam have been changed for the 2003 exam year.
The new requirements make it much more difficult for the average Leader.
I’m surprised at this. I thought that La Leche League started the
IBCLC certification and that Leaders would be able and encouraged to
qualify.
Sincerely,
Heather Kay
Belle Mead NJ USA
Dear Heather,
Thank you for sharing your
letter. I’m sure it is of interest to many Leaders. As the Executive
Director of the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners
(IBLCE), I hope to answer your questions.
Organizations that offer
certification—and are accredited by the US National Commission
for Certifying Agencies -- must do periodic Role Delineation Studies.
All those currently certified are surveyed to determine their academic
and experiential preparation, their continuing education, and what they
actually do in practice. These surveys become the legal basis for eligibility
requirements and the exam content outline.
The IBLCE is not permitted
to set eligibility criteria wherever we wish. Nor can we create exams
containing what we think they ought to cover. The main purpose for the
Role Delineation Studies is to prevent artificial barriers -- requirements
that might exclude applicants who really are qualified to practice.
An example of an artificial barrier would be requiring a health professional
degree because there is no evidence that people who possess such degrees
are better qualified than people with many other academic backgrounds.
But our 1998 Role Delineation Studies showed that most people currently
practicing as Board Certified Lactation Consultants have had formal
academic training—or formal continuing education—in the scientific
disciplines. Most of these individuals have not had full semester courses
in each subject area, but they have had survey courses that have covered
several topics in one course. Or they have chosen to take non-credit
continuing education classes in those subject areas. So this kind of
background has been included in the criteria for next year.
This increase in eligibility
criteria is an inevitable progression, at least if the history of other
fields is used as a model. Ethical practitioners always seek to update
their skills and knowledge. By doing so, they gradually increase the
standards of formal education that become viewed as the norm for that
field. The IBLCE cannot set eligibility requirements higher than is
currently the norm, such as requiring a specific degree or even a degree
at all, because a large number of our certificants are RNs who have
a program diploma but do not hold four-year degrees. Nor can we set
requirements lower than those that are currently the norm for the field.
Part of the reason these
new requirements are now standard may be because so few LLL Leaders
and other mother support group leaders/counselors (who are not also
health professionals) take the exam. In the last few years, this number
has averaged only about five percent. Many have taught themselves such
subjects as medical terminology or general human anatomy by buying textbooks
and referring to them frequently while practicing. They have confirmed
their knowledge by taking continuing education courses. Medical terminology
is increasingly appearing in the articles they write, the courses they
teach, and the research they develop. New practitioners will no longer
be entry-level without acquiring some background in these subjects before
they begin to practice, instead of acquiring it as they go.
Please note that the requirement
is for "a background in," not "a course in." The
Role Delineation Studies supports the "background in." So
a minimum of four clock hours (as opposed to a semester) of instruction
in each of the subjects named will satisfy the new requirement—provided
that each four hours is designed to be a general overview and not a
portion of a longer course. Many people find general courses at community
colleges or on the Internet and these are set up as semester courses
with academic credit. But demand creates supply. I expect that there
will be courses created to meet these guidelines, supplying four hours
of instruction in each of the required subjects. La Leche League International
is exploring the idea of implementing a course that would be accessible
over the Internet.
The data was collected in
1998, analyzed in 1999, and a three-year lead time was provided when
the new requirements were first announced. This was to give people already
preparing for the exam time to complete their preparations and then
take the exam before the new requirements went into effect. It would
allow those who would not be ready until after the implementation date
to include the needed preparation in their plans. Finally, it would
allow course directors time to create new programs if they wished to
do so. As is human nature, however, most people didn’t really begin
to pay attention until this year. As a result, candidate numbers are
probably higher this year, and will probably be lower next year than
they would have been otherwise.
The best way to keep La Leche
League training and values reflected in the Role Delineation Studies
is to encourage Leaders to take the exam. This would increase the percentage
of IBCLCs who received their primary preparation through La Leche League—the
best possible training for the job!
JoAnne Scott, MA, IBCLC
Executive Director, IBLCE
Requirements
To sit for the
IBLCE, applicants must provide documentation that they have
a background, or have completed coursework, in:
- Anatomy
- Physiology
- Sociology
- Psychology or
counseling
- Child development
- Nutrition
- Medical terminology
A degree (including
diploma RN) in one of the licensed health care professions
is sufficient documentation. For individuals who are not licensed
or registered health professionals, they must submit the following
documents:
- official transcript
from a college, university, or post secondary institution;
or
- a signed statement
from the course provider(s);
- the course syllabus
outline; and
- the curriculum
vitae or resume of course provider(s)
Additionally, all
applicants will need to provide evidence of a minimum of 45
documented clock hours of education in lactation, reflecting
the Exam Content Outline, in the three years immediately proceeding
the exam. The 45 documented clock hours is in place of the
30 hours of education previously required. Applicants will
still be required to accumulate the Breastfeeding Consultancy
Practice hours for whichever standard pathway they qualify.
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Helpful Resources
Free IBLCE Candidate
Information Guides and Application Booklets are available
from: International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners
(IBLCE), 7309 Arlington Blvd., Suite 300, Falls Church, VA
22042 (USA); 703-560-7330; Email: iblce at iblce.org; Web site:
www.iblce.org
The LLLI Web site,
www.lalecheleague.org, has a wealth of information
on:
- Media releases
from LLL Groups from all over the world
- Breastfeeding
articles from our various publications
- Conference and
workshop information
- Corporate lactation
support
- Breastfeeding
and the law articles
- Professional Information
section
- Center for Breastfeeding
Information (CBI) database, a free service for those doing
research
Web site discussing
common IBCLC questions: www.lalecheleague.org/FAQ/LC.html
LLLI Continuing
Education, which includes:
- Continuing Education
Recognition Points (or CERP credits)
- Lactation Specialist
Workshops
- Seminars for Physicians
- Peer Counselor
Program Administrator Trainings
- Area and International
Conferences
- Independent Study
Modules
- LLLI Professional
Breastfeeding Resource Center (BRC) memberships, which include:
- One copy of THE
WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING
- One copy of BREASTFEEDING
PURE AND SIMPLE
- A subscription
to BREASTFEEDING ABSTRACTS, our health professional publication,
and a subscription to NEW BEGINNINGS, our mother-to-mother
sharing magazine
- A copy of almost
every pamphlet and tear-off sheet in our Catalogue
- 15% discount on
most Catalogue items
- quarterly update
mailings
- up to one hour
consultation with the LLLI Center for Breastfeeding Information
The International
Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) is a global organization
whose members receive the Journal of Human Lactation. Many
chapters form study groups for those preparing to sit for
the IBLCE exam. Information is available from: 1500 Sunday
Drive, Suite 102, Raleigh, NC 27607 (USA); 919-787-5181; Email:
ilca at erols.com; Web site: www.ilca.org
LACTNET is an informal
Internet discussion group for lactation consultants and other
professionals interested in lactation who wish to share professional
information regarding lactation and case management. Subscribers
to LACTNET must follow specific instructions on how to use
the service. To join LACTNET go to:
http://peach.ease.lsoft.com/archives/lactnet.html
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What
is IBLCE?
The International
Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) is a nonprofit
corporation established in 1985 by La Leche League International
to develop and administer professional certification for lactation
consultants. An International Board Certified Lactation Consultant
(IBCLC) is a person who has passed the exam prepared by the
IBLCE. LLLI serves on the IBLCE board, along with other agencies
and health care professionals. The exam is held once a year
worldwide. Certification is for five years. Re-certification
by continuing education or re-examination is required.
The IBLCE examination
focuses on lactation and also encompasses many disciplines
such as anatomy and physiology, nutrition and biochemistry,
immunology and infectious disease, pathology, pharmacology
and toxicology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, growth
parameters and developmental milestones, research, ethical
and legal issues, breastfeeding equipment and technology,
techniques, and public health and advocacy. The standards
are set at a university level of difficulty, and one must
meet specific eligibility criteria before being approved to
sit for the certification exam.
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Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:47 UTC 2007.
