How to become an IBCLC for OTs, SLPs, or PTs (2023)

Become an IBCLC

Lactation is an emerging area of practice for occupational therapists, speech therapists, and physical therapists. There is a lot of interest now in lactation in the therapy world, because of this I have had quite a few inquiries about how to become a lactation consultant from other therapists. The answer to this question isn’t straightforward. It’s not as clear-cut as the experience of becoming an OT, SLP, or PT where there are a variety of programs that are probably pretty similar in expectations and time frames.

For people pursuing becoming an international board-certified lactation consultant (IBCLC), there are three pathways with different criteria and likely different time frames to completion. I decided to write this blog post to answer some common questions about becoming an IBCLC to help other therapists learn the options to pursuing this new career path.

Pathways

There are three pathways to becoming a lactation consultant. Pathways 1, 2, and 3. The most common route to becoming an LC is pathway 1. 

How to become a lactation consultant

Pathway 1 is for Recognized Health Professionals and Recognized Breastfeeding Support Counsellors

These professionals must have completed 14 subjects listed in the health sciences guide (if you are OT, PT or an SLP you have probably completed these):

• Biology

• Human Anatomy & Physiology

• Infant and Child Growth and Development

• Introduction to Clinical Research

• Nutrition

• Psychology or Counselling Skills or Communication

• Sociology or Cultural Sensitivity or Cultural Anthropology

• Basic Life Support

• Medical Documentation

• Medical Terminology

Additional requirements for Pathway 1

• Minimum of 95 hours of lactation-specific education, including five hours focused on communication skills, within the five years immediately prior to examination application.

• Preferably the five hours of education focused on communication skills will be directly related to lactation and breastfeeding care, but this is not a requirement.

• Minimum of 1000 hours of lactation-specific clinical practice in an appropriate supervised setting within the five years immediately prior to examination application.

• Clinical practice is to be obtained in an appropriate supervised setting, including the following:

  • Hospital

  • Birth Centre

  • Community Clinic (like WIC)

  • Lactation Care Clinic/Practice

  • Primary Care Practitioner’s Practice/Office

“Clinical practice hours can be earned through independent practice as a licensed/registered healthcare professional in non-healthcare settings.”

About Pathway 1

People who complete pathway 1 are healthcare professionals (often nurses) or breastfeeding counselors who are working full-time in a setting working directly with breastfeeding dyads. The benefit of doing this pathway is that you can earn your contact hours while you work and get paid! There is no additional expense of having to pay for mentorship through either a formal program or informally. However, you have to either secure a job where you can work with breastfeeding dyads or be already working in a setting with dyads, which isn’t always easy as a therapist. One way of getting these hours is to get a stepping stone credential and establish your own private practice, but you need to earn all 1000 hours within 5 years of taking your 95 hours. The 95 hours of lactation education can be completed through Healthy Children's or Lactation Education Resources. With this you can earn a stepping stone credential like the CLC or the CBS. There are more programs out there but these are the most common.

Pathway 2: Accredited Lactation Academic Programs

These comprehensive lactation academic programs are university or college-based include both didactic and clinical components, and require health sciences education, whether as a prerequisite or as education that must be earned concurrently, prior to completion of the academic program.

• All Pathway 2 applicants, via their lactation academic program, must have:

  • Minimum of 95 hours of lactation-specific education, including five hours, focused on communication skills, within the five years immediately prior to examination application.

  • Preferably the five hours of education focused on communication skills will be directly related to lactation and breastfeeding care, but this is not a requirement.

• Minimum of 300 hours of directly supervised lactation-specific clinical practice within the five years immediately prior to examination application.

About Pathway 2

Very few people per year graduate from an accredited lactation academic program compared to pathways 1 and 3. There are not many university-level programs in the US but there are a few. These programs are rigorous and more academic than other 95 hour programs.

This is the pathway I took to complete the requirements to become a lactation consultant. I attended the University of California San Diego. UCSD’s program is over 95 hours of academic lactation study. This program takes 9 months to complete and costs 7500. This program is offered virtually, so if you are in south carolina you can still attend. It also requires a pre-requisite of the completion of the Lactation Education Counselor program or a similar stepping stone credential.

I think the benefit of doing Pathway 2 is that it's a relatively fast-track path to complete the requirements of becoming a lactation professional. Mentorship hours are usually the most challenging part of completing the requirements to become a lactation consultant, so this is a big perk. You have to complete 300 hours versus 1000 compared to pathway 1. That’s a lot less time and you get mentorship, which you don’t usually get with pathway 1.

The downside of this route is the expense and the workload. My program was a full-time program, so it’s challenging to work while you complete the requirements. It’s also much more expensive than pathway 1. Another potential downside is that the rules are pretty strict on what counts as mentorship hours. You must be directly working with dyads, and actively participating in each session for it to count. That means any hours you spend just observing a session to learn the ropes, don’t count.

Pathway 3: Mentorship with an IBCLC

“Pathway 3 mentorship is a structured, defined relationship between an applicant and IBCLC(s) which must be pre-approved. The mentorship must be developed according to the specifications found in the Pathway 3 Plan Guide, and the certification status of the IBCLCs serving as mentors must be verified by IBLCE prior to beginning the mentorship. All Pathway 3 Plans MUST be verified by IBLCE through an application process (which includes a fee) PRIOR to earning clinical hours for this Pathway”

In addition to the Health Sciences Education courses, Pathway 3 candidates must complete:

• Minimum of 95 hours of lactation-specific education within five years immediately prior to examination application.

Minimum of 500 hours of directly supervised lactation specific clinical practice as described in the Pathway 3 Plan Guide and obtained within the five years immediately prior to examination”

About Pathway 3

The biggest difference for pathway 3 is that there are only 500 hours to complete with contact hours, but you have to secure mentorship on your own. Securing mentorship is the most challenging part of pathway 3. Often pathway 3 mentors are compensated for their time by the mentee. The cost associated with completing this pathway can vary from nothing to a lot. You do have to find a mentor that is busy enough to fulfill the 500 hours because this also needs to be completed within 5 years.

The upside of going this route is that you get mentorship and you can probably work on the side or barter services with your mentor. It’s also half the number of hours compared to pathway 1. The rules associated with a mentorship with pathway 3 are also looser than pathway 2. I believe observation hours can count. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed and learned from this summary of how to pursue your IBCLC. For more information, check out the IBLCE’s website https://iblce.org/. They produce the IBCLC exam and determine the requirements for becoming a lactation consultant. If you liked this post, please follow me on IG for more info on infant development and feeding

Do you have more questions about becoming an IBCLC? Ask them below

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