How to become a Lactation Consultant?

[ndobrydnik]

Dear fellow nurses,

I am trying to research how to become a lactation consultant. I have went on the website that provides certification and it provided me with information on how to get certified. My problem is that I currently do not work in Labor and Delivery, thus I am unsure of how to meet the clinical hours requirement to be eligible to take the exam. Please advise if anybody has any ideas.

Thank you.

[duskyjewel]

^^^^That's really cool! You learn something new everyday. :)

[NurseNora, BSN, RN]

Even though you have to wait for someone to retire to get into OB in your hospital (I worked at one like that), there will still be new Moms who need more help than the staff can give. Enroll in the program, talk with the OB director about needing hours to become certified and volunteer to help those moms. Be available at certain times, make roundabout on breastfeeding moms, offer to do home call to breastfeeding moms to see how they're doing and help with problems, ask her how you could both benefit. Just throwing out some ideas.

[perfexion, ASN, RN]

There is an online pathway to IBCLC but it's really expensive. I took a lamaze educator course with some lady who had just passed her IBCLC that way. She's not a nurse. She's not a mother. She's just a woman who wants to help moms. She's certified in lamaze, breastfeeding, bradleys and hypnobirthing. I think she's also doing doula training. Since she has no medical training she has had to take the longest, most expensive routes to all her certs but she's determined! It's definitely possible.

[klone, MSN, RN]

You still need to do your lactation consultancy hours, and that cannot be done online. It has to be in person, working directly with breastfeeding women.

I'm guessing that your referring to the lactation-specific education that all pathways require. Yes, that can be done online - many programs offer the online education modules. I took mine through Health E-Learning - their BreastEd course. It fulfills the 90 hours of lactation specific education, and cost around $900, I think.

If you don't have a degree in healthcare, you must also take some additional courses in anatomy, physiology, and human growth & development.

[Marymoomoo]

You already have a degree in nursing, correct? In that case, the degree programs would not help you much.

What you need is:

1) Lactation Specific Education Hours

These can be easily earned online. Health e-Learning is a course that's been around a long time and has a great track record. There are many others.

2) Clinical Experience Hours

You can earn these through volunteering (requires breastfeeding experience--usually 9-12 months), through Peer Counseling (WIC hires PCs that have been on WIC and have breastfed at least 6 months), through work (on the job hours working with mothers and babies), through a degree program (you have to find your own local mentor), and through a mentorship.

It sounds like you may not qualify to volunteer as a counselor for most mother support organizations. You already have the core classes, so you don't need the degree program. Have you considered finding a mentor? See pathway 3 here: Pathways | IBLCE

[klone, MSN, RN]

The degree programs specific to lactation would help, in that it reduces the clinical hours from 1000 to 300, and they often help arrange clinical "preceptorships" with IBCLCs in order to get your consultancy hours. That would be very beneficial for nurses who don't work in OB/mother-baby.

[eager1hasbegun]

I agree you don't need to be get into OB nurse first. One of the best lactation consultants I worked with was a NICU nurse and never worked a day in OB! Good luck!

[TexRN, BSN, RN]

I am currently enrolled in UCSD's Hybrid LC program. It costs about $4000. I am doing my 300 clinical hours at a hospital that I found and an IBCLC is mentoring me. We start on September 29th. A prerequisite though is UCSD's 45 hour CLEC (certificated lactation educator counselor) which was $800 and lasts 3 months.

[Yamamama]

Although I sat for the exam because I'm a long time mother to mother support counselor, I did spend 1.5 years with a mentor doing home visits prior to the first exam. I cannot stress how invaluable that experience was! While you have a goal to become an ibclc, you want to be sure to be the best ibclc you can be and that may mean having a lot of varied experiences and learning. For most ibclc's to attain the credential, it isn't the quickest process but is a labor of love and passion to the art and science of lactation. Best of luck to you as you pursue this!