For all student IBCLCs, clinical hours must be obtained as part of the prerequisite for sitting for the exam! This often proves to be the most challenging part for many IBCLC students. The IBLCE decision map is the best tool in determining which pathway is best for you: https://iblce.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/04/Which-IBLCE-Pathway-is-Right-for-Me.pdf
From there I would look into what your area resources are for clinical internship hours. Pathway 3 may seem ideal, but if you do not have any local resources to shadow under, it may not work in your case leaving you to decide between pathway 1 or 2.
Pathway 3 aspiring IBCLCs find it hard to find a clinical internship in rural or underserved areas. The nuances are so difficult sometimes when understanding just how one can get over this hurdle to obtain their IBCLC certification! In this article I have compiled some resources for student IBCLCs. If you do decide to go pathway 3, here are my recommendations to make that process more fluid:
- First and foremost, join this Facebook Group: Want to be an IBCLC? https://www.facebook.com/groups/740576072630200
2. Read through the IBLCE pathway 3 guide if deciding to go the pathway 3 route: https://iblce.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/2020_May_9_Pathway_3_Plan_Guide_FINAL.pdf
3. Complete your 95 hour lactation program, before beginning a clinical internship. Many mentors require it as a prerequisite.
4. Work through those 15 health science college courses.
5. The clinical hours are the biggest part of this process. Some people find internships with WIC, hospitals, clinics under lactation staff there. Other student IBCLCs enter into a contract with out-patient community IBCLCs (private practice IBCLCs) for a fee to be mentored by them. That fee ranges broadly depending on the location, consultant and many other factors. To provide an example, my clinical internship fee in Washington D.C in 2019 was $5,000.
USLCA has a locate a mentor tool here: https://uslca.org/resources/find-mentorships/
Alternatively, if you aren’t finding mentorship opportunities – many student IBCLCs choose the breastfeeding peer counselor route which would be pathway 1.
The two large organizations for that are:
La Leche League: https://www.llli.org/have-you-ever-thought-about-la-leche-league-leadership/
BF USA: https://breastfeedingusa.org/content/becoming-breastfeeding-counselor
Excerpt from IBLCE pathway 1 paper counselor information:
- For clinical practise, breastfeeding support counselors from a Recognised Breastfeeding Support Counsellor Organisation, clinical hours must be earned in a delivery setting which meets the following criteria:
o Provide structured training programmes for their counselors which include comprehensive education in breastfeeding and lactation management
o Have a Code of Ethics or Professional Conduct
o Provide structured supervision for counselors, with an appropriate level of training
o Provide a continuing education programme for counselors - Please note: Candidates associated with an IBLCE Recognised Breastfeeding Support Counsellor Organisation are to earn clinical hours on an hour-per-hour basis. Please reference the IBLCE Recognised Breastfeeding Support Counsellor Organisation on the IBLCE website for detailed implementation information.
- Whether a Recognised Health Professional or a breastfeeding support counselor from a
Recognised Support Counsellor Organisation, the 1000 hours does not need to be directly supervised.
If interested in exploring that route I would look up the La Leche League or BF USA groups near you and reach out to the leaders/peer counselors of your local groups for more guidance.
Finally, the IBLCE website is a great resource when getting your footing as you navigate the process and figure out what is the best route for your education! https://iblce.org/step-1-prepare-for-ibclc-certification/lactation-specific-clinical-experience/