Becoming a Lactation Consultant

You are interested in becoming a lactation consultant.... Perhaps you are an RN who has worked in maternity nursing for many years, and you are wondering if there is something more you can do. Perhaps you are a La Leche League Leader. You might be a dietitian, a physician, a midwife, a childbirth educator or a doula. Perhaps you are a mom that had a great breastfeeding experience, and you are wanting to share that with others. In any case, you are now exploring your options and want to find out just what it takes to embark on the path to this new profession.

Women have been helping other women breastfeed for millennia. Most often, it is in an informal, mother to mother, woman to woman setting. In the mid 1980's, an international exam was developed by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) to certify those who wanted to become lactation professionals. Currently there are thousands of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLC) around the world working in a variety of settings such as hospitals, WIC clinics, public health, physician's offices, private practice, health clinics, and so on. IBCLCs come from a number of backgrounds - there are those that are health professionals, and those may have a degree in child development, psychology, anthropology, social work, speech, occupational or physical therapy. Still other IBCLCs come to the profession simply because they are committed to breastfeeding and have a strong desire to help other mothers and infants.

How do I begin?

Step 1:  Enroll in an education program such as is offered by Lactation Education Consultants (LEC) that is at least 45 clock hours in length. This will give you a solid basis and preparation in lactation management and how to work as a lactation consultant.  LEC offers a Certified Lactation Specialist course (CLS) that covers the IBLCE exam blueprint, is 45 hours in length, and is designed as a stepping stone to becoming a board certified lactation consultant.

Step 2: Unless you are following Pathway 3 (see www.iblce.org for explanation), you will need to have 1000 supervised clinical hours working with mothers and babies.  "Supervised" means that it needs to be in a clinical setting such as a WIC office, physician's office, hospital, clinic, or with a lactation clinic.  It does not mean you have to have an IBCLC supervising you -- just that there is someone in a supervisory capacity that can verify your hours.  Both your CLS program and your clinical hours must be completed within the 5 years immediately prior to sitting for the exam.  See Calculating Your Hours. This qualification was changed in September, 2008.

If you are not an Licensed Health Care Provider (LHCP), we recommend you take your CLS program prior to beginning your clinical work and obtaining your hours with mothers and babies.

NOTE: These requirements are new as of September, 2008. For more information, please see the IBLCE website (www.iblce.org). Keep in mind that you must complete all your requirements (course and practice hours) before applying for the exam.  It is wise to take your 45 hour course the year before you plan to take the exam, even if you have all your practice hours.

Recommendations (not requirements) if you are not an LHCP:  At least one course in each of the following disciplines – Anatomy & Physiology, Nutrition, Psychology, Sociology (or cultural diversity), Infant Growth and Development and Medical Terminology. Up until mid-2008, these courses were required, but now they are recommended.  While IBLCE requires the 45 hour lactation course regardless of your background, they recommend 80 to 150 hours of lactation education.  One of the ways to accomplish that is to take LEC’s Independent Study Units which will provide an excellent learning strategy.

What to Consider:

What about the job market?
There are far more mothers and babies that need help with breastfeeding than there are IBCLCs to work with them.
More and more hospitals are hiring IBCLCs, as are more physician's offices, WIC clinics, and home health agencies. Keep in mind that over 4 million babies are born yearly in the United States. 65 to 70% of new mothers initiate breastfeeding in the hospital, about 2,600,000. Currently there are just over 9,000 IBCLCs in the United States, 18,000 worldwide.

What kind of pay can I expect?
That's a great question, and the answer varies depending on where you are working, and in which part of the country you settle. Hospital based lactation consultants will probably make as much or slightly more than a staff nurse; clinic and physician-offices will pay slightly less. IBCLCs in private practice - well, it depends on how hard you work at developing your practice, the particular needs of your community, and what the market will bear. One study estimated that the median pay for an IBCLC working in a hospital full time is over $60,000/year.

What are the costs involved in becoming certified?
You are embarking on a whole new career path! While it may not be as costly or as time consuming as obtaining a four year degree in education, for example, it does require time, energy, money, and commitment. There is the tuition for your lactation consultant preparation program - a week long course may involve airfare to the city where it is being held, hotel and meal costs. Then there are the lactation management texts you will need to purchase, and finally, the cost of the exam itself. You may need to hire an experienced IBCLC to mentor you while you obtain your BC hours. It isn't cheap - but nothing that is worth having comes without a price and some sacrifice. Being an IBCLC should not be viewed as a hobby, or something you can do "on the side" while your children are young. This is a profession, and the rewards are terrific!

Steps to Becoming an LC

1. Acquiring Experience

2. Certification Prerequisites

    Lactation Mgt Program

3. BF Consultancy Hours

    Caclulating your Hours

    Ways to Obtain Hours

4. Board Exam


What to Consider

Job Market

Pay

Costs