Professionals

The resources found here are geared toward lactation professionals and those interested in becoming a lactation professional. They are categorized by Becoming a Lactation Professional, Professional Standards, Continuing Lactation Education, and Professional Lactation Groups & Memberships. Please find the resource(s) that best suits your needs. Questions? Contact us. If you have additional resources you’d like to see in this directory, please contact us.

Due to COVID-19, requirements, opportunities, dates and formats may have changed. Please contact the business directly to find out about any changes.

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)

Choose one of three Pathways to becoming an IBCLC
Complete courses in 14 health science subjects
Complete 95 hours of education in human lactation and breastfeeding, including 5 hours of communication
Complete lactation clinic experience based on Pathway chosen
Ensure that you have completed all requirements (they can be completed concurrently). Review the Candidate Information Guide.
Plan to take the IBLCE exam (175 questions). Determine your exam fee from the Candidate Information Guide and find out key dates of when to apply, withdraw or request a deferral. Exams are administered twice a year.
Apply for the IBLCE exam

Once you pass your exam, your IBCLC certification is good for 5 years. You will need to recertify every 5 years if you wish to maintain your IBCLC certification. This includes completing additional education that is awarded Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs). Please check out our Continuing Lactation Education resources below for lactation specific educational opportunities.

Breastfeeding Support Counselors, Specialists, Educators and more

Check out these resources that connect you to a variety of Lactation Certification and Training Programs and head over to our Lactation Support page for a link to all of the different certificate programs (by name).

Childbirth International’s Lactation Training Comparison Guide
Galactablog’s list of online, hybrid and in-person lactation certifications
Nurse.org’s comparison of CBC vs CLC vs IBCLC

IBCLC Professional Standards

Scope of Practice
Code of Professional Conduct
Competencies
Documentation Guidelines
Advisory Opinions
Guidance on use of Technology for Clinical Practice

Breastfeeding Support Counselors, Specialists, Educators

Please consult with your certifying organization for professional standards. For convenience, we have included links to two organization’s professional standards below.

Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice (ALPP)

Scope of Practice for CLCs, ALCs, & ANLCs
Documentation Guidelines
CLC Code of Ethics

Lactation Education Resources (LER)

Scope of Practice for CBS
Standards of Practice/ Code of Professional Conduct for CBS

As a reminder, if recertifying as an IBCLC, you will need 250 hours of lactation consultant practice, basic life support education (CPR or NRP), and a total of 75 CERPs during the 5 years before your application for recertification is due. This includes a breakdown of a minimum of 50 L-CERPS, 5 E-CERPs, and the remaining 20 CERPs can be any combination of L, E or R CERPs.

If you are looking for a place in Hawaii to obtain your CPR or NRP, first check with your employer if they offer either of these. If not, you can contact one of these organizations for course fees and scheduling:

ACLS National (Online)

AMR Hawaii (Oahu only)

American Red Cross (Online and Statewide)

Glad Life Inc (Maui)

Hawaii CPR Training (Oahu)

Hearts4Kauai (Kauai)

Island CPR (Hawaii Island)

MM CPR Hawaii (Maui)

National CPR Association (Online)

Neo-Hawaii (Oahu)

Looking for continuing educational opportunities specific to lactation? Check out the organizations below for webinars and annual conferences. These organizations have education that has been awarded CERPs; make sure what you’re purchasing includes CERPs if you need them.

Breastfeeding Outlook

California Breastfeeding Coalition

Catherine Watson Genna

GOLD Lactation

Evergreen Perinatal Education

Facts of Life

Hazelbaker Lactation Institute

Health Education Associates, Inc

Health e-Learning (International Institute of Human Lactation, Inc)

IBCLC Master Class (for IBCLCs only)

IBLCE Listing of CERP awarded programs available

iLactation

Institute for the Advancement of Breastfeeding & Lactation Education (IABLE)

International Lactation Consultants Association (ILCA)

Lactation Education Resources (LER)

Michigan Breastfeeding Network

UC Davis Human Lactation Center

United States Lactation Consultant Association (USLCA)

Interested in connecting with other lactation professionals? Check out these online groups and professional pages through social media, and professional membership websites. If you’re interested in getting involved locally, consider volunteering with Breastfeeding Hawaii. If you live outside of HI and are looking for a lactation professional group to join in your area, there are many county, state, province, and country specific lactation professional groups; we encourage you to look for one near you.