Lactation Program Review: 

Lactation Education Resources‘ (LER)

Lactation Consultant Training Program

with ‘ Certified Breastfeeding Specialist’ Certificate (CBS)

Reviewer: Anonymous

Submitted July 12, 2018
Published November 12, 2018

Year enrolled in Program: 2016-2018

How long did it take you to complete the program? 2 years from start of coursework and clinical hours to taking and passing the IBCLC exam

Certification or Certificate Offered – ‘Certified Breastfeeding Specialist’ (CBS) certificate. See here for a detailed course syllabus.

Name of Instructor(s) – Reviewer did not answer. Editor’s Note: See here – pg. 4 for complete list of LER Faculty Members.

Delivery of Program – Combination of In-Person and Online Delivery: Online delivery for 90 hours of lactation education and IBCLC exam prep course and In-Person for the 500 hour Clinical Internship program.

Books & Materials Required – Reviewer did not answer. Editor’s Note: LER recommends these books for its courses.

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $2,000+ (this includes the 90 hours of lactation education + 500 clinical hours through LER’s Internship program + the exam review prep course).

See here for listings and cost of various lactation training programs offered by LER. See here for detailed description and costs of LER’s Clinical Hours Internship program. See here for detailed description and costs of exam review prep classes.

# of L-CERPs, Nursing Contact Hours, CEUs, CPEs, etc. offered – 90 L-CERPs, 90 Nursing Contact Hours and 90 CPE Level II.

Editor’s Note: If you don’t need all 90 hours, LER also has an option that offers 45 L-CERP’s, 45 Nursing Contact Hours and 45 CPE’s. See here for more details and pricing.

Do this program’s hours meet partial or full requirements for the IBCLC exam’s lactation specific training requirement?

Yes, it meets the full 90 hour IBCLC lactation education requirement and I also received 500 clinical hours needed to qualify the clinical hour component required for the IBCLE exam as well.

What did you like about the program?

• Able to complete coursework at your own pace and whenever it works for you.
• You can print out all of the power points and there are tons of resources available.
• The Internship program was so thorough and detailed, absolutely invaluable. It was easy to reach someone for help whenever needed.
• The Facebook group is very helpful.
• The exam review course is also thorough. I passed the exam first time -even now after already passing my exam, I am watching LER’s live webinars and still learning new information.

What did you dislike about the program?  I can’t think of anything! Maybe the cost, but it was worth it and my employer covered some of the costs.

What would you change about the program? Just in the 2 years I’ve been a part of this program, they have introduced several new ways to learn. There is always something new. I wouldn’t change anything.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program? I completed the program from start to finish (start meaning the 90 hour course work and finish to receiving my exam results) in 2 years while working full time, being pregnant and having a newborn. It was hard and time-consuming but I’m glad I pushed through.

Would you recommend this program to others?  Highly. To me, it is the gold standard. In the professional world, everyone knows LER. You will be prepared for the exam and also clinical practice at the end.

Knowing what you know now, would you take this program again? 100%

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals?  100%! I couldn’t have done it without LER.

Any additional comments? I just want to thank LER and all of the instructors. My experience is the foundation for my practice and I wouldn’t be where I am now as an IBCLC without the program.

Does this particular program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? The ‘Certified Breastfeeding Specialist’ credential obtained from LER is valid for 5 years.

For the IBCLC credential, we have to recertify every 5 years (via CERPs or retaking the IBCLC exam) and every 10 years (via retaking the exam).

Would you like to write a review of a Lactation Training Program that you’ve taken? If so, don’t be shy! You can access the review form directly from Galactablog. Or online via Google Forms here.

See here for more information on LER’s lactation training programs, along with a comparison of similar lactation training programs.

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the reviewer and do not reflect those of Galactablog. In order to remain objective and unbiased, Galactablog does not endorse or associate with any particular Lactation Training program. It is the reader’s responsibility to confirm program details (cost, dates, # of hours offered, program requirements, etc.) with the program itself.

It’s also important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program. See here for more program details in addition to a comparison of similar Lactation Training Programs. If you’re interested in Lactation Training Programs that offer a clinical practice component, see here.