Leadership Development

·        We provided a full-day of leadership development for the ILCA Board at our October board meeting. Included in this training were ILCA’s Executive Director, Assistant Executive Director and Conference Supervisor, ILCA’s Delegate to the IBLCE Board, and our Conference Program Committee Chair.

·        We are providing a half-day of leadership development for other ILCA leaders at the conference in August 2007. Included in this session will be ILCA committee chairs and liaisons, ILCA’s Education Coordinator and eGlobe Editor and any IBLCE Board members who attend the ILCA Conference.

·        We will provide at future conferences a similar half-day session that will be open to all conference attendees.

Leadership Opportunities

Sometimes we hear that the only way to get involved is to run for the ILCA Board.  This is simply not true. While we want to recruit good leaders to run for the board, we also want to provide opportunities for you to get involved before tackling a bigger commitment such as running for the board. You all have different interests, skills and strengths, and we have many goals for ILCA. We have everything from short-term task forces to ongoing committees; we have liaisons that represent ILCA at various international meetings; we have research opportunities and we have volunteers who help for 1 hour, 1 day or all year long to ensure a successful ILCA conference. We have avenues to help you network, learn and lead.

Some of the recent opportunities include:

·           The Licensure Task Force (now turned over to USLCA)

·           A newly-revived ILCA Publications Committee

·           An ILCA Ethical Practices Guidelines Task Force

·           An ILCA Recognition Awards Task Force

·           An ILCA Scope of Practice for the IBCLC Task Force

If you are interested and not sure which one is right for you, call or email me!

Intentions + Action = Change: Making A Difference

One thing I suspected and have seen considerable evidence of this past year is that lactation consultants care about their profession. We have faced some growing pains lately as we look past our first 20 years and begin to look at where we want to be in the next 20 years. You have rightly raised many questions and challenged both your professional association, ILCA, and your certifying body, IBLCE, to take a serious look at where the IBCLC credential is headed. Some of you have called for licensure, some for a structured academic curriculum, some for a second credential, some for a new scope of practice and many, many of you have requested a concerted effort to strengthen the awareness and credibility of the credential with the public and health care field. You have called, you have emailed, you have gotten involved. You have been the catalyst for endeavors such as:

ILCA Issues Forum on the Second Credential

·           Well over 200 of you attended, many of you spoke and many of you turned in written comments as well

Increased Communication between ILCA and IBLCE Boards

·           Attendance at the July 2006 ILCA Board meeting by the IBLCE Chair and Executive Director

·           Phone calls between the ILCA President and the IBLCE Chair

·           Board-to-board conference call

·           Attendance at the September 2006 IBLCE Board meeting by the ILCA President and Executive Director

·           Emails and formal letters

·           Joint proposal by the ILCA President and IBLCE Chair for a facilitated meeting with selected members of both boards and respected members of the profession

ILCA Survey on the Second Credential

·           More members participated in this survey than in any of our online ballot elections. Results are posted at www.ilca.org.

ILCA Professional Development Committee

·           Assigned to develop a model academic curriculum for lactation consultant training

ILCA Scope of Practice Task Force

This group with international IBCLC representation was recently formed, at the request of the ILCA Board of Directors, in light of increased concern by IBCLCs about a scope of practice for their profession.  It will lead the effort to review ILCA’s existing scope of practice first published in 2000 (and available for you to view on our website, at www.ilca.org). The task force will review all the information that you have been sending us about this issue.  It will assimilate the independent research done in the past few months by the ILCA Board, and review information from the National Organization for Competency Assurance (NOCA), which ILCA has just joined. Any proposed changes will be reviewed at several stages by ILCA national affiliates, by the ILCA Board and ultimately by YOU. A “near final” draft will be posted for public comment on the ILCA website. Since we serve an international membership, we may find that scopes of practice are implemented and enforced differently throughout the world. Our hope is to identify a Model Scope of Practice that would serve as a best-practices guideline for our global IBCLC members.

ILCA Marketing Strategy Meeting

Last but not least, your association is holding a one-of-a-kind meeting in March to develop a long-range, comprehensive plan to guide ILCA in marketing and promoting the profession of lactation consulting worldwide. The goal will be to come up with strategies that have the best chance of making a difference in elevating awareness of the profession of International Board Certified Lactation Consultants. We have recruited members from all over the world, from various backgrounds and practice settings. And when we asked for applicants for 5 open spots at this meeting, we had 138 of you apply! We anticipate a productive, creative day and will post the plans developed as a result of all your great ideas.

While we continue to face challenges in our profession and in the health care field, challenges make us grow and learn. Your professional association exists to advance the lactation consultant profession through leadership, advocacy, professional development and research. We could not accomplish all these goals without hard working members such as you. It takes all of us to make a difference, to make ILCA a strong team so keep up the good work!

Have a great 2007 and hug a breastfed baby for me!

Sincerely,

Becky Mannel

President

On behalf of the ILCA Board of Directors