How to Become a Lactation Consultant
PRO-LC announces formation of a Mentoring Consortium to provide clinical experiences for those interested in becoming International Board Certified Lactation Consultants!
Congratulations on your interest in becoming an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant, or IBCLC! PRO-LC, the Pennsylvania Resource Organization for Lactation Consultants, has organized a consortium of locations willing to provide clinical experience for those wishing to qualify for the IBLCE exam. This program is geared toward those candidates pursuing Pathway 3, but candidates for other pathways may also apply. This is an exciting opportunity to gain your clinical experience in a variety of settings, as recommended by IBLCE. The information below outlines some of the questions you may have about the program. Please read through it, and if you have any questions, please contact the coordinator, Lisa Mandell, at
What are the different pathways for becoming an IBCLC?
The International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners, which administers the exam for IBCLC certification, offers three pathways toward the exam. For detailed information on the pathways, visit www.americas.iblce.org.
Here is a quick description of the different pathways:
Pathway 1: This is for those working in a paid or volunteer job providing breastfeeding care to families. Candidates pursuing this pathway are required to complete the general education and lactation specific education requirements (see below), and to document 1000 hours of clinical practice in lactation care. It is expected that these candidates will use their paid or volunteer work experience to count toward this clinical practice, but some Pathway 1 candidates may benefit from additional supervised clinical experience, and can apply to this program.
Pathway 2: Individuals seeking qualification through Pathway 2 must graduate from an accredited academic program in human lactation and breastfeeding (these are limited at this time). This pathway requires 300 hours of clinical practice in lactation care directly supervised by current certified IBCLCs who are supervised by the academic program director. Pathway 2 candidates may contact us for more information about our program providing their clinical experience.
Pathway 3: This is for those without a background in either maternal/child health or volunteer breastfeeding counseling. (If you have those backgrounds, you may wish to pursue Pathway 1.) Candidates pursuing this pathway are required to complete the general education and lactation specific education requirements (see below), and to submit a plan for 500 hours of clinical practice in lactation care supervised by a recertified IBCLC. This Mentoring Consortium program is designed to provide this clinical experience.
Starting in 2012, Pathway 1 and Pathway 3 require the following:
General education: 8 higher education subjects and 6 continuing education topics
http://www.americas.iblce.org/general-education
Lactation specific education: 90 hours
http://www.americas.iblce.org/lactation-specific-education
A listing of course providers offering lactation specific education is available here:
http://www.ilca.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3353
What are the requirements for the internship?
We prefer that applicants have already completed all of the general education required.
- The eight higher education subjects are:
- Biology
- Human Anatomy
- Human Physiology
- Infant and Child Growth and Development
- Nutrition
- *Psychology or Counseling or Communication Skills
- Introduction to Research
- Sociology or Cultural Sensitivity or Cultural Anthropology
- The six continuing education topics are:
- *Basic life support (e.g. CPR)
- *Medical documentation
- *Medical terminology
- *Occupational safety for health professionals
- *Professional ethics for health professionals
- *Universal safety precautions and infection control
- The subjects marked with an asterisk are the minimum requirement to be considered for the program.
- We also prefer that applicants have already completed the 90 hours of lactation specific education; at a minimum, at least 45 hours must be completed.
- You must purchase Clinical Experience in Lactation: A Blueprint for Internship (by Linda Kutner and Jan Barger), referred to as "Blueprints"
- You must join ILCA/USLCA, and also PRO-LC (or your local chapter)
- You must purchase student liability insurance (available through USLCA)
- You must be willing to complete the requirements for each clinical site, which may include vaccinations, criminal background check, child abuse clearance, drug screenings, and education; you will need to cover any costs for these requirements
- You must be willing and able to travel to internship locations, and commit to regular hours with some locations, or be available for flexible hours with others.
- You must be willing and able to do independent work (primarily through Blueprints) as identified by the Chief Mentor.
- You must spend time observing each clinical instructor, for a period designated by each clinical instructor, prior to starting to gain your clinical experience with that instructor.
- You must keep track of your clinical hours, and have them authorized by each clinical instructor.
- You must fill out evaluations.
What practice settings are available?
We have organized a variety of practice settings, including hospital mother/baby units or postpartum units, Level II and Level III nurseries (NICU or Special Care Nursery), an outpatient breastfeeding clinic, private practice IBCLCs, and a pediatric practice. IBLCE recommends gaining clinical experience in at least three settings.
Specific locations may include the following (not all locations will be available at all times; most locations can take only one or two interns at a time):
Hospitals:
Pennsylvania Hospital (Philadelphia)
Chester County Hospital (West Chester)
Reading Hospital (Reading)
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia (Philadelphia)
Private practice/home visits:
Liz Brooks (Montgomery and Philadelphia Counties)
Linda Derbyshire (Delaware and Philadelphia Counties and the Main Line)
Lisa Mandell (Delaware and Philadelphia Counties and the Main Line)
Lisa Petrino (Bucks County)
Private practice/office and home visits:
Newborn Concepts/Robin Frees (Chester and Montgomery Counties and the Main Line)
Outpatient clinic:
Breastfeeding Resource Center (Abington)
Pediatric practice:
Center City Pediatrics (Philadelphia)
Other/observation:
Philadelphia Department of Public Health
WIC
La Leche League, Nursing Mothers
How will I coordinate my clinical experiences and independent work?
Each Lactation Consultant Intern will work with a Chief Mentor who will help coordinate the clinical experiences, discuss these experiences, and assign additional independent work.
What are the fees for the program?
$125 non-refundable application fee (NOTE: not all applicants will be accepted into the program)
$7500 for up to 250 hours of observation and 500 hours of clinical experience
Additional observation or clinical experience hours will be billed at $10/hour.
The fee may be paid in full when your application is accepted, or may be paid in installments (a specific installment plan will be worked out with each intern, but most will require a minimum of $500 per month)
If you are following another pathway and need fewer hours, contact us to discuss fees; the fee schedule will follow a template of $10/hour for both observation and clinical practice hours
Fees will be paid to PRO-LC.
How do I submit an application?
Download the application from this page, fill it out, scan additional materials, and email your completed application to Lisa Mandell, Coordinator, PRO-LC Mentoring Consortium. Email her at . She will contact you about sending your application fee after receiving your emailed application.
What is the time frame?
We will review applications as they are submitted. If you are a Pathway 3 candidate, your application to IBCLE is due by September 30 of the year two years prior to the year you plan to sit for the exam. To allow time for you to work with a Chief Mentor in developing a plan, contact Lisa Mandell at
to identify when your application will be submitted.
Additional Links:
