How much does an IBCLC make?

Any IBCLCs out there? How much do you earn in your area? I'm trying to decide whether to sit for the exam next year. Will I get enough of a raise to make the $500 exam fee plus the cost of continuing ed credits worthwhile?

[bill4745, RN]

What is an IBCLC?

[Bree124, BSN, RN]

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant.

OP - I am sorry, I don't know how much they make. Can you find it on Salary.com? Our facility has three IBCLCs employed, solely in that role. They do not work as L&D or PP RNs. A few of our RNs have done the lactaction specialist training (far fewer hours than an IBCLC), and have not had an increase in pay.

[klone, MSN, RN]

If you are an RN, your employer generally is not going to give you a raise if you get your IBCLC. My facility has a lactation department, and that's all they do. As they are also RNs, they are on the same pay scale as the RNs. I am an RN, employed AS an RN, but I also have my IBCLC. I don't make any more than the IBCLCs or the other RNs. Nevertheless, it's nice to have the certification for personal satisfaction and for making yourself more competitive when you're looking for employment in Mother-baby/OB.

My employer has a generous continuing education fund for their employees, and will pay when I have to recertify (and if I had worked there when I originally sat for the exam, they would have paid for that, as well as all the lactation courses I took in preparation).

[Mec_Happens]

A friend of mine makes $40/hr as an IBCLC in an inpatient facility. She is also an RN, but works in the lactation department.

[klone, MSN, RN]

A friend of mine makes $40/hr as an IBCLC in an inpatient facility. She is also an RN, but works in the lactation department.

What do their RNs with equal number of years experience make?

[nurseynightnight]

our lactation consultant makes less then the floor staff. she is not a nurse so i don't know if that will make a difference or not.

[cradlehold]

Shouldn't a RN-IBCLC make the equivalent of a RN-C? Maybe we should change our letter around to RN-C (IBCLC)

[klone, MSN, RN]

IBCLC isn't an NCC certification, so we cannot use the RNC. And at my facility, I do make the same as an RNC (an extra $.75/hour) because they recognize and offer pay increase for all certifications that are relevant to the role.

[NicuGal, MSN, RN]

Ours (they are all RNs) make the same as a staff nurse.