December 2018
Revisions to IBCLC Scope of Practice and Clinical Competencies 

As is a certification best practice, and based on the data from the most recent IBCLC ® Practice Analysis, IBLCE ® has updated the Scope of Practice for International Board Certified Lactation Consultant® (IBCLC) Certificants as well as the Clinical Competencies for the Practice of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants (IBCLCs ) .

The process to update these key documents included a careful review of the most recent practice analysis by the IBLCE Certification Committee, comprised of IBCLCs from around the globe including three Board members and four additional Committee members, as well as taking into consideration feedback from IBCLCs during an open public comment period conducted in all IBCLC examination languages in 2018.

The data from the practice analysis responses and the comments from IBCLCs during the comment period militated in favour of only modest changes to the Scope of Practice and Clinical Competencies documents. Specifically, changes to these documents are reflective of current practice and include the following:

  • Emphasis is being added to the assessments and skills needed to address child(ren) specific needs.
  • Additional information is included in the Scope of Practice regarding the IBCLC's role in providing breastfeeding and lactation care in relationship to maternal and child health and mental health.
  • Additional information is included in the Clinical Competencies about the safe handling, storage and use of human milk; breastfeeding during an infant separation; the relationship between foods and breastfeeding; and breastfeeding in public.
  • Language is being updated to reflect gender neutrality.

Additionally, given IBLCE's previous transition to the use of British English, revisions were made to reflect this change. The updated versions of these documents can be found on the IBLCE website.

IBLCE sincerely thanks all of the volunteers who played a part in this important process, as well as the over 100 IBCLCs who provided valuable feedback during the public comment period and which IBLCE carefully reviewed.
IBLCE Leadership Transitions

IBLCE is delighted to announce the election of two new members to the IBLCE Board of Directors flowing from IBLCE’s public call earlier this year.
Mona Sakr , MBBS, MSc, IBCLC is the Maternal & Child Health (MCH) Specialist and Coordinator at the Ministry of Health in Ajman, United Arab Emirates. She earned both her MBBS and MSc in Public Health/MCH from Alexandria University in Egypt. She has been an IBCLC since 2007. Since receiving her IBCLC certification, Dr. Sakr helped to establish, and continues to run, the first breastfeeding clinic in Ajman. She is married and has three children.
Marin Skariah , MSN, FNP-BC, RNC-MNN, IBCLC, is from Westchester, New York and is currently the Nursing Professional Development Specialist (NPDS) for Obstetrics and Labor & Delivery at NYU Langone Health at the Tisch Campus. Marin received her BSN from Mercer University in Atlanta, Georgia and her MSN from SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. Marin is committed to making a difference by incorporating best practices through advocacy, research, and parental education to improve quality of care for breastfeeding children and families.

Thank you for welcoming Mona and Marin to the leadership team of IBLCE!

IBLCE is also pleased to announce the new Officers for 2018 - 2019.  Roberto Issler , MD, IBCLC, a paediatrician hailing from Porto Alegre, Brazil, is now the Chair of the IBLCE Board after serving the past year as the Chair-Elect. The new Chair-Elect is Norma Escobar , IBCLC from North Carolina, USA, who is currently with the New Hanover County Women, Infants & Children (WIC) programme.  Micaela Notarangelo , PhD, IBCLC of Lerici, Italy continues to serve as Treasurer of the organisation. Rounding out the Executive Committee as Senior Board Members are Clifton Kenon, Jr, DNP, MSN, RN, IBCLC of Pennsylvania, USA and Christy Porucznik , PhD, MSPH of Utah, USA, who also serves as the Public Member of the IBLCE Board of Directors.  Esmé Hough , IBCLC from Northern Cape, South Africa, having served six years on the Board of Directors including last year as Chair, will serve as a non-voting Board Advisor per the updated IBLCE Bylaws.

IBLCE also extends its sincere thanks to outgoing Board member, Regina Maria Roig-Romero , MPH, MCHES, IBCLC of Florida, USA, who previously served as Chair.

Thanks to all for their volunteer leadership and service!
The Crucial Role of IBLCE Volunteers

IBLCE, your certification board, is largely a peer-driven organisation with active representation by a public member as well as other stakeholders. Unlike a professional association which offers conferences, much of IBLCE’s work is behind the scenes. Nonetheless, the work of the Board, committees, task forces and other volunteers is absolutely critical to IBLCE and the lactation consultant profession as a whole.

The Board of Directors sets organisational strategy and serves in a fiduciary capacity for the organisation. IBLCE Board members typically also serve on 2-3 committees or task forces in addition to their active Board service. Furthermore, there are periodic initiatives, primarily devoted to the production of a quality certification programme.
Either on an ongoing basis, or, periodically depending upon the task, IBLCE volunteers:

  • Develop a practice analysis survey for dissemination to the IBCLC community which results in a periodic evidence-based snapshot of practice as an IBCLC;
  • Develop questions, known as items, based on the periodic practice analysis and authoritative literature for the IBCLC examination;
  • Select items for inclusion on the IBCLC examination in accordance with the Detailed Content Outline;
  • Update key professional documents such as the IBCLC Scope of Practice and Clinical Competencies, as well as eligibility and recertification requirements, based on the periodic practice analysis and public comments;
  • Consider appeals on the basis of the IBCLC eligibility or examination outcomes;
  • Review and consider ethics complaints by members of the public or other professionals;
  • Advance the IBCLC credential at professional meetings around the globe, typically meeting with the leadership of lactation or related organisations;
  • Meet with IBCLCs and other stakeholders;
  • Cultivate future IBLCE leadership on a continuous basis;
  • Craft and issue advisory opinions on matters of significance to practice;
  • Develop policy for the organisation so as to comport with best practices and the standards of the IBCLC programme’s third-party accreditor.

The affiliated international nonprofit organisation, the Monetary Investment for Lactation Consultant Certification (MILCC) provides financial assistance to qualified candidates seeking IBCLC certification and current IBCLCs seeking recertification with a focus on those working with underserved populations.  MILCC has awarded over $100,000 in scholarships over the past five years.

IBLCE thanks its many volunteers for their expertise and commitment to the organisation! 
This briefing is being translated and will be disseminated in all examination languages in the immediate future.
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