Want to learn more about the skills and techniques that lactation consultants use every day?

Attend the Clinical Skills Workshop online or in person

• 8 skills demonstrations
• Case studies
• Lectures: Initiating Breastfeeding: A Biological Perspective
• Solving Sucking Problems

Essential for those preparing for the IBLCE certification exam, useful for experienced Lactation Consultants!

12.5 Nursing Contact Hours and CERPs will be awarded for this workshop.

Videos cover the following subjects:

• Breast Exam
• Breast Pumps
• Cup Feeding and Hand Expression of breastmilk
• Finger Feeding and Supplementation at the breast
• Oral Assessment
• Paced Bottle Feeding
• Nipple Shells and Shields
• Test Weights
• Positioning and Latch-on

To attend in person:

October 15 & 16, 2011, Reston Hospital Center, Reston, VA

http://www.leron-line.com/Workshop/skills_workshop.htm

To attend online:

Available any time

http://www.leron-line.com/ClinicalSkillsOnline.html

The Clinical Skills Workshop is included at no charge for students of the Lactation Education Resources Lactation Consultant Training Course.

Try:

Ask a lactation consultant that you know.

Call your local hospital, ask if they have an internship program or if they would be willing to take an intern

Call your pediatrician and see who her/she recommends when a patient has a problem, or if her/she has a LC working in their office

Go the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners website (www.ilca.org) and click on the blue box that says “Find a Lactation Consultant”.  Put in your zip code and call the people of the list.

Ask a La Leche League Leader who the Lactation Consultants are in the area.

Attend your local Lactation Consultants Association meeting.  Get to know local LCs who might help you or refer you to someone who can help you.

Keep making calls and asking for who they would recommend.  Don’t give up after the first one or two calls.  You will eventually find someone who can tell you WHO to call, who can tell you who else to call…..  Until you find a LC who would love to mentor you!

THE DEADLINE FOR INTERNSHIP APPLICATIONS TO THE IBLCE FOR 2011 AND 2012 CERTIFICATION EXAM HAS BEEN EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 15, 2010.   THE IBLCE APPLICATION IS AVAILABLE AT http://americas.iblce.org/document-downloads.  Print out the application which you and your mentor can fill out together.

Lactation Education Resources has internship sites located at hospitals in the metro Washington DC and Baltimore MD areas.  For more details about this option, please go to http://www.leron-line.com/Internship.htm

We trained more than 4000 lactation consultants since the inception of this course in 1990.  We are proud to have a cadre of more than 20 teachers presenting our courses.  This provides a variety of view points and a depth of information that is unmatched.

There are three major components to becoming a Lactation Consultant: Basic education, lactation management education and clinical experience.  The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners sets the eligibility for the certification exam. (www.iblce.org)

1.   Eight basic education courses are recommended (Must be taken at a college or university)

• Biology
• Human anatomy
• Human physiology
• Sociology or cultural sensitivity or cultural anthropology
• Nutrition
• Psychology or counseling/communication skills
• Infant and child growth and development
• Introduction to research

These continuing education courses are required as well as:

• Basic life support (e.g. CPR)
• Medical documentation
• Medical terminology
• Occupational safety, including security, for health professionals
• Professional ethics for health professionals (e.g. Code of Ethics)
• Universal safety precautions and infection control

2.  Comprehensive Lactation Management Education.

A comprehensive lactation course of at least 90 hours is required.

3.  Clinical experience

For people who have the opportunity to work with mothers and breastfeeding infants in their paid employment, they can count their work hours for the portion of time that is actually counseling, teaching and assisting with breastfeeding.  Others can obtain this experience through volunteer activities, being  La Leche League Leader, peer counselor or other related position.

For people who have no previous clinical experience or the opportunity through paid work, you may take a Supervised Clinical Internship.  Please go to http://americas.iblce.org/how-to-qualify, scroll to the bottom of the page and look for information on Pathway 3 and the link for the Pathway 3 Plan Approval Guide.