Timing for Meeting the IBCLC Requirements
In the field of lactation the highest level certification is the IBCLC credential. Getting this credential takes years of time and financial investment, and there are timing concerns that you should keep in mind when deciding to pursue this path. There are three different pathways to the IBCLC credential (we will talk about those options in another post) that are comprised of essentially three components: health sciences education college level classes, lactation specific education and clinical experience hours.
When it comes to your health science classes it is important to remember these have no expiration date. The class you took 1, 2, 5, 10 or more years ago? If it meets the requirements, it counts! If you are in a job as an approved health care professional, you are exempt from this requirement as it is assumed you already completed coursework providing the prerequisite education that the health science courses are intended to cover. Given that everything else has time limits on how long you can count them towards your application requirements, a great first step is sitting down to evaluate what classes you have, what you need, and what is realistic in how to obtain them.
Lactation specific education is valid for a period of five years. You need 90 hours of lactation specific experience, but there is no one program required for this. I will discuss some of the more popular options at a later date. Some of the lactation specific education programs actually give you a certification that allows you to begin practicing with a more narrow scope of practice than an IBCLC, but a wider scope of practice than a peer supporter. I personally recommend looking into one of the online lactation conferences before deciding if this is a career field you want to get into. For less than $250, you can get exposure to many different lactation presentations and decide if this is something you are passionate enough about to do 90 or more hours of lactation training, thousands of hours of experience, and to invest the money required to eventually sit for the IBCLC exam. I listened to my first conference and was immediately hooked. You may find the same thing, or you may decide while you are passionate about breastfeeding, this is not the career field for you.
Clinical experience hours also have a five-year time limit. The number of hours is between 300-1000 hours of clinical experience depending on the pathway you are on. This is an area where a lot of people struggle as they have a deadline to accomplish this, and for some people, gathering these hours requires creativity and a plan. The rules for what counts are very clearly spelled out, and some require pre-approval. If you are considering even possibly going for the IBCLC credential, I recommend taking a solid look at all the requirements so that you have a plan in place to make this happen if you want it.
