Lactation Consultant: Pathway 2

Please see How to Become a Lactation Consultant and How to Choose the Right Pathway

Pathway 2 Candidates: The UC San Diego Extension Lactation program for Pathway 2 meets the IBLCE 95 hours of didactic education requirement for the IBLCE exam. The UC San Diego Extension course is 95 hours in length. The UC San Diego Extension Lactation program requires that all Pathway 2 applicants have met the professional educational prerequisite requirements of the IBLCE before taking the UC San Diego Extension Pathway 2 education program. These requirements can be reviewed below or at IBLCE.org.

Pathway 2 Candidates: Completion of “General Education Requirement” of the IBCLE is required before the start of the UC San Diego Extension Lactation Consultant Pathway 2 program.

1. General Education Requirement: Candidate must be a Licensed, Registered or Recognized Health Professional. For the UC San Diego Extension hybrid lactation program pathway 2 application you will be required to identify your health profession, and required to submit a copy of your license, registration, diploma or unofficial transcript.

Health professionals include: physicians, nurses, midwives, dietitians, occupational, physical and speech therapists, physician assistants, dentists, pharmacists and chiropractors. If your profession is not on this list, please see IBLCE.org for more information about whether or not your professional training will satisfy the General Education requirements.

If you are not a licensed, registered, or recognized health professional you will be required to submit proof of completion of the 8 academic college courses and 6 CEU courses as described by the IBLCE.org. These courses must be from an accredited college or university.

**See next FAQ for the list of 8 academic college courses and 6 CEU courses as described by the IBLCE.org.

2. Completion of a 45-hour lactation education training program (preferably UC San Diego Extension’s program), within the past 5 years. The course is LEC – Lactation Educator Counselor RMED-40029. The LEC – Lactation Education Counselor course is offered online each quarter or in a classroom setting at various locations throughout California.

See IBLCE Health Sciences Education Requirements

If you are not a licensed, registered or recognized health professional, you will be required to submit proof of completion of the 8 academic course and 6 CEU courses as described by the IBLCE.org. These courses must be from an accredited college or university.

Health professionals include: physicians, nurses, midwives, dietitians, occupational, physical and speech therapists, physician assistants, dentists, pharmacists and chiropractors. If your profession is not on this list, please see IBLCE.org for more information about whether or not your professional training will satisfy the General Education requirements.

1. 8 College Subjects must be from an accredited college or university and at least one academic term in length. Candidates must have received a passing grade in each course of "C" or better in each of the courses.

• Biology
• Human Anatomy
• Human Physiology
• Nutrition
• Introduction to Research
• Psychology or Counseling or Communication Skills
• Sociology or Cultural Sensitivity or Cultural Anthropology
• Infant and Child Growth and Development

2. 6 Continuing Education Subjects available at UC San Diego Extension ONLINE:

• Ethics & Professionalism for the Lactation Intern (2 hours) RMED-80012 ($45)
• Fundamentals of Infection Prevention (12 hours) FPM-40577 ($129)
• Lactation Medical Documentation (2 hours) RMED-80000 ($45)
• Medical Clinical Terminology (18 hours) FPM-40632 ($275)
• Occupational Safety & Security (10 hours) FPM-40554 ($195)
• Basic Life Support (BLS) for healthcare professionals taken from American Heart Association
  • Must be valid upon submitting your application and throughout the entirety of the program

In addition, UC San Diego Extension requires completion of the following course:

• Lactation Education Counselor (45 hour) RMED-40029 ($735)

The UC San Diego Extension program works closely with the IBLCE. For the UC San Diego Extension Pathway 2 candidates, all of the homework and clinical will be due by May 1, of each year. This deadline will allow ample time to apply for the IBLCE exam in September of that year. 

In the past, the IBLCE allowed for a Moratorium of Understanding to be completed stating that exam requirements would be met by the time the exam was taken. As noted at IBLCE.org, the IBLCE no longer allows for a MOU and all requirements to sit for the September exam must be completed by the May deadline. 

The UC San Diego Extension Pathway 2 program application is open from March 29 - May 15, 2021. The IBLCE test application deadline is May with a test date in September, annually.

Required course is UC San Diego online 10-hour refresher course. This course will update the educational points of the LEC – Lactation Education Counselor course. Course Number: RMED-40026, Credit: 1 unit ($125).

Clinical: Interns are required to do 12-14 hours per week of clinicals. 300 clinical hours are required.

Weekly Time Commitment:
Video Viewing: Approximately 7-8 hours per week
Homework: Approximately 5-6 hours per week
Intern can work ahead on hours and homework. Intern is subject to removal from program if they get behind in requirements.
 

April IBLCE Exam - Application due previous November
September IBLCE Exam - Application due previous May
 

For financial aid or student loan information, please review UC San Diego Extension’s financial aid information. There are no scholarships for this course from UC San Diego Extension.

There may be scholarships available from your local breastfeeding coalition. In addition, you may have educational funds available as part of your employment package at many hospitals.

To enroll into a class, click on the class link in the matrix and that will take you to that class page. There you can find a course description, prerequisites, and the start date for that course. To enroll in the course click on “Add to Cart” which will lead you to complete the registration/payment process.

Online courses are asynchronous. Students do not need to meet at a specific time online, but will need to log in each week to view the lessons, participate in course discussion, and complete and submit coursework/quizzes/tests.

You will have access to an online class on the official start date of the class. Access will be available at 7:30am Pacific Time. Enrollment to online classes can take up to 24 hours to process and sync with our online classroom platform. For example, if a class started on Tuesday and that is the day a student enrolled, they will likely not have full access to the class until 24 hours later on Wednesday.