International eNewsletter from the Board of Directors
Volume 1, Issue 2 - May 2012
| In This Issue | Survey of the Month | Connect with IBLCE |
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What method would you
prefer to use to be
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IBLCE has a presence
in a variety of social media venues!
Like us on Facebook,
follow us on Twitter,
and visit us on YouTube.
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Call for MILCC Directors
The Monetary Investment for Lactation Consultant Certification (MILCC) organization will soon be putting out a call for applications to become a Director on the MILCC Board. Please consider applying in order to help the organization aid aspiring and recertifying IBCLCs with financial need. Keep an eye out on the MILCC website.
Exclusive! IBLCE Visits with Mayim Bialik on Becoming an IBCLC, Attachment Parenting and More!
By Sara Blair Lake, IBLCE Executive Director
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Mother and Actress
Mayim Bialik, Ph.D.
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IBLCE: Many people are familiar with your work from Beaches, Blossom and The Big Bang Theory but perhaps are not aware that you also hold a Ph.D. from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in Neuroscience. What a diverse background! What led to your decision to pursue a doctoral degree in such an interesting, yet challenging, discipline?
I fell in love with science while being tutored in biology in high school, right on the Blossom set! I had a young dental student from UCLA as my tutor, and she really helped me gain confidence and foster my love for science.
IBLCE: Your new book, Beyond the Sling is a great read and includes a whole chapter devoted to breastfeeding, “Baby Needs Milk.” Would you share with our readers what led to your commitment to breastfeeding?
I did research even before I got pregnant with our first son and came to believe very strongly through my reading things like Mothering magazine, for example, and from attending breastfeeding classes during my pregnancy, that breastmilk is not only best for baby and mom, but it is a lifestyle that has myriad benefits and does not get enough notice for how incredible it is.
IBLCE: Tell us about your experience nursing your two boys Miles and Fred.
IBLCE: There has been a lot of press recently about breastfeeding in public. In your book, you kid that you would be “hard-pressed to find a mall or restaurant in the state of California whose customers or staff have not seen [your] breasts!” What is your take on all the recent press surrounding a very natural and nurturing gift for one’s child?
Anywhere you can give a bottle, I can breastfeed. Every woman has a right to her comfort level in terms of how much skin to show, etc, but that should only be dictated by her internal sense of comfort rather than by any onlooker or storeowner's personal beliefs about breastfeeding. Period!
IBLCE: Why are you interested in becoming an IBCLC? What does the IBCLC mean to you?
I struggled so much with breastfeeding that I want to be able to help other women the way I was helped. I could not leave the house because of my pain and inability to cover my breasts in recovery and I needed in-home help. In addition, for someone with the problems I had, I needed someone to literally show me how to breastfeed IN MY HOME. I want every woman who needs that to get it, because I might not have kept going had I not had that help. The IBCLC is the most respected and incredible commitment to an education about lactation and the breastfeeding environment and relationship in the industry, and I want that ‘gold standard’!
IBLCE: You have such an interesting and diverse background. What else does the future hold for Mayim Bialik?
Being the best mom I can be, working on another book with our paediatrician Dr. Jay Gordon and who knows what else!? Oh, I'd like to see my younger son wean before high school. That'd be swell. :)
Certification vs. Certificate Programs: What's the Difference?
While a number of people did know the difference, a not insignificant 12%, did not know the difference between the two types of programs.
According to the Institute for Credentialing Excellence (also known as ICE and formerly known as NOCA), the leader in setting quality standards for credentialing organisations, there are a number of key differences between certification programs and certificate programs.
“a voluntary process by which a non-governmental body grants time-limited recognition and use of a credential to individuals who have demonstrated that they have met predetermined and standardized criteria for required knowledge, skills or competencies. To retain the credential, certificants must meet requirements for renewal. The credential awarded by the certifier denotes that the participant possesses particular knowledge, skill or competencies.”
ICE 1100: 2010 (E)—Standard for Assessment-Based Certificate Programs, Institute for Credentialing Excellence, Washington, D.C., 2010.
One can glean several important points from this definition. First, a professional certification is time-limited and requires that requirements be met for renewal. Second, a professional certification requires that individuals demonstrate that they have met predetermined criteria. These are typically prerequisites such as education, professional experience or supervised clinical experience to be eligible to proceed to the examination phase. Finally, an individual must demonstrate that s/he possesses certain knowledge, typically by passing a professionally developed examination.
A certificate program is different. The same Institute for Credentialing Excellence standard cited above notes that while the primary focus of a certification program is assessment of knowledge or skills held by an individual, the primary focus of a certificate program is on providing education or training to an individual. Additionally, a professional certification program is independent of a specific class, course or program and also independent of any provider of classes, course or programs.
The IBLCE program is a certification program in lactation consulting. First developed in 1985, it is the only international certification program in lactation consulting to hold the prestigious and coveted National Commission of Certifying Agencies (NCCA) accreditation and has held this accreditation continuously since 1988. NCCA accreditation is a mark of quality for certification programs and means that a certification program has conformed to certain defined and rigorous standards.
IBLCE has heard recently from a number of IBCLCs who are interested in the differences between certification and certificate programs. As this seems to be a topic of great interest in the IBCLC community, IBLCE will continue to spotlight various aspects of this intriguing issue as an ongoing feature in this eNewsletter. Stay tuned for more information on this interesting topic.
IBLCE Regional Director Selected for Who's Who
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Anna Utter, IBLCE Regional Director for the Americas |
Anna Utter, IBCLC, RLC, IBLCE Regional Director for the Americas, has been named Cambridge Who’s Who Professional of the Year in Lactation Consultancy! The Who’s Who selection committee chooses special honourees based on their professional accomplishments, academic achievements and leadership abilities.
In addition to being named a professional of the year, Ms. Utter was selected for inclusion in "Cambridge Publishing's Top 101 Industry Experts" book.
IBLCE and the IBCLC community congratulate Anna on this singular honour!
Board Director Profile
As an ongoing feature, the IBLCE eNewsletter will feature an IBLCE Board member and include information about the focus of the Board member's work on behalf of the IBLCE certificant community and the public.
Rachelle Lessen
Rachelle Lessen, MS, RD, IBCLC, LDN is a registered dietitian and lactation consultant. She started the Lactation Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP), where she still works today. She is the author of a number of articles on breastfeeding and human milk handling for journals, textbooks and other professional publications.
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IBLCE Board Member Rachelle Lessen (top left) with her husband Lou and four grandchildren.
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Rachelle raised her four children, while at the same time earning a degree in Dietetics and then completing graduate studies in Health Education and also establishing a career as a paediatric nutritionist and later as a lactation consultant. Rachelle earned her IBCLC in 1996.
In addition to her busy professional and family life, Rachelle and her husband Lou share many hobbies together, including cooking and gardening, bicycling, backyard birding and hiking, ballroom dancing and travelling.
In her role on the Board, Rachelle is Chair of the Examination Committee and the Governance Committee. While this requires plenty of time and energy, Rachelle is thankful for the opportunity to help the lactation consultant profession grow, and indirectly, help support and encourage breastfeeding mothers around the world. As long as she still has time to enjoy her family, especially her four grandchildren, she will be happy to give all she can to see IBLCE achieve its worthwhile mission.
IBLCE Items of Note
IBLCE Board of Directors Chair Elizabeth “Kaili” Stehel, M.D., IBCLC recently presented a complimentary webinar regarding the IBLCE Code of Professional Conduct (CPC) adopted in late 2011. Designed to provide insight and background into the revisions to what was formerly known as the IBLCE Code of Ethics, the webinar also offered responses to some commonly asked questions about the CPC. Not able to attend the exceedingly popular webinar live? Access the webinar here until June 8, 2012.
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Plan on taking the IBCLC examination via Computer-Based Testing (CBT)? Please note that it is your responsibility to make an appointment with testing vendor Pearson VUE and the IBLCE block of seats will be released June 1, 2012. Make your appointment now.
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The IBLCE Board of Directors has recently reviewed and revised one of its key governing documents, the IBLCE Bylaws. Pursuant to best practices, certification bodies periodically review and update key documents.
The primary revisions involve greater emphasis on leadership representation by the program's diverse international stakeholders, updates to reflect best practices and streamlining of the bylaws. The revised bylaws continue to emphasize the importance of majority Board representation of those having breastfeeding mother-to-mother support leadership experience.
To review the revised Bylaws and submit your brief comments, please click here. All comments must be submitted by Thursday, June 7, 2012.
IBLCE Outreach
IBLCE exhibited at the Healthy Start National Conference, held March 11-14 in Washington, D.C. This was a first for IBLCE and is part of an IBLCE initiative of greater outreach to the maternal and child health communities. Healthy Start is a U.S. membership organization, the mission of which is to provide leadership and advocacy for health equity, services, and interventions that improve birth outcomes and family well-being. Members include Healthy Start project directors, maternal and child health professionals, social workers, health care providers and community and outreach workers.
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IBLCE Chair, Elizabeth “Kaili” Stehel, M.D., IBCLC, recently gave two live presentations regarding the IBLCE Code of Professional Conduct at the GOLD (Global Online Lactation Discussion) 2012 Conference. See more on the GOLD website.
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IBLCE also plans to be at these exciting upcoming conferences! Please visit us or tell your colleagues who are attending that IBLCE will be exhibiting!
The Association of Women's Health, Obstetric and Neonatal Nurses (AWHONN), June 23-27, 2012 in the Greater Washington, D.C. area, Booth 234. AWHONN is a nonprofit membership organization that promotes the health of women and newborns. For more information on the conference, click here.
The National Black Nurses Association (NBNA), July 25-28 in Orlando, Florida, USA, Booth 700. The National Black Nurses Association's mission is to provide a forum for collective action by black nurses to investigate, define and advocate for the health care needs of African Americans. For more information visit the NBNA website.
The International Lactation Consultant Association (ILCA) Annual Conference, Call to Action: New Perspective in Human Lactation,” July 25-29, 2012, Orlando, Florida, USA, Booth 401 & 500. For more information see the ILCA Conference page.
