Anyone going for IBCLC?

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I am currently a pre-nursing student hoping to get my RN license in 2013 and I also want to start a pathway to qualify for the IBCLC exam so that when I get my RN license I will hopefully be IBCLC also. I am going to ask about the WIC peer counseling to gain my hours but I will also ask around about having a mentor. I have kind of heard you should pay for these mentorships? - How does that work? Does anyone have this experience? And I'm sure it's the wrong attitude but I feel like a burden following someone around for 1-2 years, even though I will be loving every minute of it I'm sure.

What pathway did you go about and how many hours/year are you getting in?

Thanks everyone~

Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

And holy moly. In 2012, they're changing the requirements to 1000 consultancy hours? Wow. When I took the exam, they required 4000. It took me EIGHT YEARS of work to get my IBCLC.

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Specializes in maternal child, public/community health.
And holy moly. In 2012, they're changing the requirements to 1000 consultancy hours? Wow. When I took the exam, they required 4000. It took me EIGHT YEARS of work to get my IBCLC.

I also think they changed how far back you can count hours too though. I think the idea is to be sure you have pretty current experience.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
I also think they changed how far back you can count hours too though. I think the idea is to be sure you have pretty current experience.

Are you sure? My understanding is that lactation specific education hours can only be counted back 5 years, but that consultancy hours do not expire.

When I took the exam in 2006, my consultancy hours went back more than 8 years.

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Specializes in ED, Tele, L&D.
Great info everyone. I sooo wish I lived in CA so I could take the LC program. But MN is a long ways away. Maybe I can convince hubby and baby to move there for a year? :)

I just started the lactation consultant program at UCSD and there is a girl who moved down from Canada for the year, another who moved from FL, and another who is flying in from Miami for class every month :)

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Specializes in NICU, adult med-tele.
There's a worksheet that you have to turn in with your application materials.

There is no formula, you just have to estimate how many hours you spend in direct lactation assistance. And you have to have the sheet approved/signed off on by your supervisor.

So if you work three shifts a week, and you estimate that you spend 2 hours a shift assisting moms with lactation, then your estimate would be approx. 300 hours/year (6hours x 52 weeks in a year).

Ok that is tremendously helpful. I couldn't find it cause it didn't exist! ;) I saw those worksheet examples but I've been tearing apart the internet trying to figure out how you do it.

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I sat this year for the IBCLC exam. The 2012 exam requirements should not be an issue for a nurse to meet, they are requiring more classes then previously required. The reason being that non-medical professionals that were sitting for the exam where often ill prepared. Even though I have been an RN for 8 years, I went through a different pathway to get my clinical hours for the exam. I have been a LLL Leader for years and also work for WIC running their peer counselor program, I used my years with LLL to qualify with IBCLC.

I'm also a LLL leader and went with pathway 1 to qualify for mine. I worked as a WIC peer counselor as well. I am just starting nursing school in January and when I sat for my exam, I was the only non-healthcare candidate taking it in Denver but I did awesome. Becoming a leader is something in itself.

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Are you sure? My understanding is that lactation specific education hours can only be counted back 5 years, but that consultancy hours do not expire.

When I took the exam in 2006, my consultancy hours went back more than 8 years.

I'm taking the exam this year, following pathway 1 - I've been a LLL leader since 2001. The application for pathway 1 is very specific that you cannot count any lactation-specific clinical experience or breastfeeding-specific education from priot to Jan 1, 2006 (so, 5 years back for both clinical hours and education)

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

Something else that has changed since I wrote the exam! When I took the exam (2007) I was able to count 8 years of LLLL experience (from 1999).

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