Making the most of your lactation-specific clinical experience

The hard and soft skills of lactation consulting

It may be helpful to consider the process of becoming an IBCLC© in terms of "hard and soft skills." *

Preparing to actually be a board-certified lactation consultant takes so much more than just meeting the requirements to sit for and pass the exam. Think of the requirements as the "hard skills": the lactation-specific education, the health science knowledge, and the clinical experience.

The soft skills are what make you effective. Your ability to counsel someone, your approach to teaching people, your communication skills and methods - these are the building blocks of skilled lactation care.

Almost anyone could memorize some lactation facts and pass an exam. But the practice of lactation consulting isn't about memorizing facts and spitting out information to every person in your path.

We don't tell our clients what to do, and in that way, we are pretty different than many other health care professionals. We educate and offer suggestions, we help people create plans for navigating their lactation journeys, and we offer encouragement and human connection.

Lactation consulting is about your ability to listen; to give the right information at the right time in a manner that a person can receive it; to communicate effectively with clients and other health workers.

We have to remain open to new knowledge, new concepts, and new ways to help people. This humility sets us apart and allows us to work in relationship with our clients rather than as authoritarian figures.

Acquiring and practicing these soft skills is designed to be included in the work you are doing during the lactation-specific clinical experience portion of your exam preparation journey. By working with a mentor, you will have the opportunity to observe their soft skills in the consult room, and you will develop your own as you begin to practice under their supervision. Their feedback will allow you to improve those skills over time, and by the end of your clinical experience hours, you should have demonstrated to them that you are a very competent counselor, educator, and consultant.

Here I will outline some useful ways to make the most of your lactation-specific clinical experience hours, regardless of your Pathway or type of setting.

This is especially important in the case of Pathway 1 candidates. If as a Recognized Health Professional you plan to obtain your clinical hours through independent clinical practice, here's how to transform your preparation into an experience that serves you AND your clients better.

• Market your services clearly and ensure your clients understand that you are preparing to be an IBCLC, which means that if their lactation concerns or problems exceed your scope of practice or expertise, you will be referring them to a current IBCLC. (Keep in mind that the term “IBCLC” is not permitted to be used in any way by an individual who has not earned the credential as stated here.)

• Define your precise parameters for referral to an IBCLC. This will likely be a big list of lactation situations and scenarios. After all, you are not an IBCLC, and if your client needs one, you have not yet qualified to provide that level of care. Creating your list of parameters for referral includes determining exactly how you will be learning from these cases: will you be able to accompany your client for their IBCLC appointments? Will you be communicating with the IBCLC directly about the care plan they create with the client? Will you be following up with the client after the IBCLC releases them from their care?

• Identify at least 1 IBCLC with whom you can discuss clinical cases and questions. Include in your budget the expectation that you will pay them for their time as they are providing you with a professional service that is part of your investment in learning and preparing for your IBCLC career.

• Join (or create, if necessary) a small group of IBCLCs and aspiring IBCLCs - perhaps 8-10 people - with whom you can discuss lactation in general, career questions, etc. A large online group of people you don't really know (like an existing Facebook group) is not the same as a small group environment where there is personal sharing, accountability to one another, and the free exchange of ideas and insights.

• Schedule your support group observation sessions. There is no substitute for the learning you can do in a breastfeeding support group. Communicate with the facilitator in advance so that they are not surprised by your presence, and respect their leadership of the group. Expect to listen and learn only; you are not there to help or teach, and especially not to market your own services. Plan to spend some time with the facilitator immediately afterward or in the days following the group so that you can discuss what you learned, any questions that came up for you, and any insights the facilitator can offer. Keep in mind that many support group facilitators are volunteering in this role, so respect their time and offer to pay them for the time they spend mentoring you. Even if they refuse, they still might appreciate a donation for their group.

• Use the clinical competencies document as a guide to check off lactation care skills and competencies you are acquiring over time. Alternately, you could use it as a planner in advance by determining which types of encounters and lactation problems you need the most help with and including those in your parameters for referral to an IBCLC. The idea is to gradually gain confidence in each area by collaborating with an IBCLC and learning from their experience.

• Take the time to invest in your own mindset by processing your own lactation experiences as well as your professional experience with lactating people and babies. It is critical that you approach your work as a lactation care provider without bias or trauma leaking out of you in your encounters with new parents. It is common for an individual’s personal experiences or personal knowledge about lactation to lead them to pursue a career in lactation support, and this can also awaken an intense passion or enthusiasm for lactation. You want that enthusiasm to work for you instead of against you. This doesn't mean you should dim your light or keep your own story to yourself - it means you need to process it and package it in a way that serves your clients and audience with education, information, encouragement, and hope.

The value of you becoming an IBCLC is for you to combine and integrate the information, personal experiences, and professional expertise you already had with a strong foundation of knowledge about human lactation and how to provide skilled lactation care.

The flexibility of the process of becoming an IBCLC as set forth by the IBCLC Commission is that you design the specifics of your preparation journey, and in this way you build in the training you know you need to gain competence.

Taking the time to intentionally create a robust plan will ensure that when you earn the IBCLC credential, you are ready and qualified to provide high-quality, skilled lactation care.

*I am in no way affiliated with the IBCLC Commission or IBLCE (other than holding the IBCLC credential) and do not purport to speak for them. I have provided links in this article to publications on their website as a convenience to you.