Breastfeeding Support Consultant

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Breastfeeding Support Consultants
Center for Lactation Education

Intern Sponsorship

Please note: as announced at the conference, this pathway is ending soon, and will be studied for a period of time. What will replace it, if anything is still in the discussion stages.

IBLCE Clinical Competencies Pathway F

Pathway F requires the applicant to complete a 45 hour lactation education requirement and the health professional background education, if applicable. Clinical experience must include a minimum of 500 directly-supervised clinical hours that address the Clinical Competencies for IBCLC Practice. Clinical Competencies for IBCLC Practice is similar to the experiences in the Barger and Kutner text, Clinical Experience in Lactation: A Blueprint for Internship. It is highly recommended that the intern use this text during the internship and that the mentor requires some of the written work that appears in the text to round out the intern’s knowledge of the clinical areas.

The Clinical Competencies for IBCLC Practice document is available on www.iblce.org and from the IBLCE International Office. All Clinical Competencies must be completed under the supervision of the mentor. Credit cannot be given for previous experiences with other individuals. Visit the IBLCE website for frequently asked questions about the pathway.

Education Requirements

Your acceptance into Course 953 is with the understanding that you have completed a basic lactation management education program of at least 45 hours that addressed the following elements relative to lactation:

Maternal and infant anatomy, physiology and endocrinology
Maternal and infant nutrition, biochemistry, immunology and infectious diseases
Maternal and infant pathology, pharmacology and toxicology
Psychology, sociology and anthropology
Counseling and communication skills
Growth parameters and developmental milestones
Reading and interpretation of research
Ethical and legal issues related to the practice of lactation consulting
Technology related to breastfeeding
Public health issues surrounding lactation
Chronological periods from preconception to beyond 12 months
Review of the Standards of Practice as delineated by the professional association
Your acceptance is also with the understanding that you have completed a minimum of two years of post secondary education or have comparable life experience.

Internship Requirements

It is the Lactation Consultant Intern's responsibility to arrange supervision by a Clinical Instructor and approval by the facility. If the internship is to be used to qualify for the certification exam offered by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners, please contact IBLCE for information on their Clinical Pathway F.

Complete All Competencies

The intern and mentor must complete the entire Clinical Competencies checklist. It is the responsibility of the intern and mentor to achieve a level of competency in each area. This may necessitate several experiences, more hours than planned, or following a complicated client for a prolonged period of time. Please keep in mind that the 500 hours requirement is a minimum only. It may well be that completing the checklist requires more hours.

Log Your Hours

The intern will be required to keep an accurate log of her breastfeeding practice consultancy hours, i.e., the minimum 500 hours, including dates, location of consultation, item on the checklist, and time spent.

Submit to IBLCE

Upon completion of the Clinical Competencies checklist, the applicant will submit a complete application and fee together with the completed, original checklist and logs to IBLCE.

BSC’s Responsibilities in the BSC Internship

BSC’s Intern Sponsorship program is available to IBCLC candidates who wish to pursue an internship with a facility which requires an affiliation with an educational institution. BSC will serve as the intern’s sponsoring educational institution and will provide the necessary screening and management to ensure that the intern meets standard requirements.

Intern’s Responsibilities in the BSC Internship

Before beginning the internship, the intern must submit a completed Intern Verification Form with required signatures. The intern must be supervised by a Clinical Instructor who is a recertified IBCLC with five years or more experience. The intern will be responsible for arranging supervision by a Clinical Instructor and approval by the facility where the internship will take place. The intern must submit a progress report to BSC at six month intervals throughout the internship, signed by the clinical instructor, and complete the requirements and sit for the certification exam no more than two years from the start of the internship.

Clinical Instructor’s Responsibilities in the BSC Internship

Any fee charged by the clinical instructor will be set and negotiated between the intern and the clinical instructor, and will be paid directly to the clinical instructor. It is the intern’s responsibility to contract with a qualified clinical instructor. It is the clinical instructor’s responsibility to notify IBLCE when the intern has satisfied all requirements for qualifying to take the IBLCE exam.

updated 9-14-05