Lactation Consultant Training Program

Lactation Program Review: Lactation Education Resources (LER) Lactation Consultant Training Program & Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate

/ Galactablog / Leave a comment

Lactation Program Review: 

Lactation Education Resources‘ (LER)

Lactation Consultant Training Program

with ‘ Certified Breastfeeding Specialist’ Certificate (CBS)

Reviewer: Bridget Whiteley-Ross, RN, CBS

Submitted July 9, 2019
Published Sept. 1, 2019

Year enrolled in Program: 2018

How long did it take you to complete the program? 1 year

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

Name of Instructor(s) – Vergie Hughes, MS, RN, IBCLC, FILCA and many others. Editor’s Note: See here – pg. 4 for complete list of LER Faculty Members.

Delivery of Program – Online delivery for 90 hours of lactation education 

Books & Materials Required – Breastfeeding and Human Lactation 5th Edition. Editor’s Note: LER recommends these books for its courses.

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $900+ USD

See here for listings and cost of various lactation training programs offered by LER.

# 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.

What did you like about the program?

It had many highly qualified IBCLC instructors, covering a wide and thorough topic range on lactation and breastfeeding.

What did you dislike about the program?  

Some instructors style preferred more than others but all were very informative.

What would you change about the program? 

Lengthy but probably necessary.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program? 

A few hours a day will help certify you within several months.

Did you feel this particular program used current, evidence-based resources and training materials? Yes.

Do you feel the program was clear in the scope of practice in which you’re allowed to practice? Yes.

Was there clear delineation between this program’s scope of practice and that of an IBCLC? Yes.

Did the program discuss when and how to refer to an IBCLC if necessary? Yes.

Would you recommend this program to others?  Yes, I would.

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

I would definitely take this program again

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals?  It gave me a solid start toward IBCLC pathway.

Are you currently an IBCLC? Not yet, working on pathway 1 or 3, trying to figure best Pathway for my schedule.

Are you currently working in the lactation field? If yes, feel free to expand on your position. If no, feel free to describe what type of work you’re doing, if you’d like to be in the lactation field and what you feel are the barriers stopping you.

I’m a registered nurse who worked NICU for years and stopped working but kept an active license. I took a break to raise a family and exclusively breasted my four children, for over eight years, total. I had some issues breastfeeding that i was able to work through successfully and I’m an avid supporter of breastfeeding! I’m currently looking for a way to achieve the hours required to take the IBCLC and i’m finding this to be a bit tricky.

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.

Any additional comments you’d like to add?

This course was excellent and addressed issues that increased my knowledge base greatly.

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 as details can change once this post is published.

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.

Advertisement

Lactation Program Review: Lactation Education Resources (LER) Lactation Consultant Training Program & Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate

/ Galactablog / 2 Comments

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.

Lactation Program Review: Lactation Education Resources (LER) Lactation Consultant Training Program & Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate Credential

/ Galactablog / Leave a comment

To all of my Galactablog subscribers, followers and all of those who submitted lactation program reviews – I want to sincerely apologize for the exceptionally long delay on publishing program reviews. I have a backlog of reviews that were submitted but never published. So I’m playing catch-up now. Galactablog is now up and running again, so stay tuned for lots of reviews. Ready, set, go!

Lactation Program Review: 

Lactation Education Resources’ (LER)

Lactation Consultant Training Program

with Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate 

Reviewer: ECB

Reviewed on December 21, 2015
Published on November 30, 2017

Year enrolled in Program: 2013

How long did it take you to complete the program? 2 months

Certification or Certificate Offered – Breastfeeding Specialist certificate

Delivery of Program – Completely online

Books & Materials Required – The textbook Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 5th Ed is recommended by LER. Course materials (power point lectures, bibliographies and lectures) are all online.

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $895 (as of 12/21/2015). ***Edited to add: Current cost (as of review publication date) of the “Lactation Consultant Training Program Enriched” course is $975.

# of L-CERPs, Nursing Contact Hours, CEUs, CPEs, etc. offered – 90 L-CERPs, 90 Nursing Contact Hours and 90 CPE Level II. ***Edited to add: Now the same course, “Lactation Consultant Training Program Enriched” offers – 86 L-CERPs, 4 E-CERPs, 90 Nursing Contact Hours and 90 CPEUs.

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.

What did you like about the program?

  • I could set my own schedule while taking the classes. I was able to go back through any of the classes within a year period to refresh before the exam. All of the classes were online, so this worked well between raising children, working and school.
  • Prior to sitting the IBLCE exam, I retook the 90 hours in a 10 day period of time. I did not purchase any additional exam packets, etc. I felt that all the material on the IBLCE exam was covered in the 90 hour course. The company allowed me to extend the 12 months for an additional 2 months so I could review prior to exam.
  • I’m happy to say that I passed with a decent score and currently have the lovely initials IBCLC behind my name.

What did you dislike about the program?

  • A few of the topics were dry, but I don’t think that had anything to do with the educators. Merely the actual topics – they were on the exam, so a necessary evil, in my opinion.

What would you change about the program? N/A

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program?

As stated before, I was able to finish the first time before my internship in about 2 months. The 2nd round for a refresher before the test was done much quicker.

Would you recommend this program to others?

Absolutely and have done so already. I felt it was a good value for the money and had me completely prepared for the exam.

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

Yes. It was very appropriate and a very well-respected program among IBCLCs I now know professionally.

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals?

Yes. I was able to sit the exam and pass on the first try.

Does your program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? I have to recertify every 5 years for the IBCLC credential. I can either retake the IBCLE exam or I can take 75 CERPs to recertify.

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 directly online via Google Forms here.

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

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Galactablog. It’s important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program.

Lactation Program Review: Lactation Education Resources (LER) Lactation Consultant Training Program & Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate

/ Galactablog / Leave a comment

Lactation Program Review: 

Lactation Education Resources’ (LER)

Lactation Consultant Training Program

with Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate 

Reviewer: Anonymous

December 10, 2015

Year enrolled in Program: 2015

How long did it take you to complete the program? 9 months

Certification or Certificate Offered – Breastfeeding Specialist certificate

Delivery of Program – Completely online

Books & Materials Required – The textbook Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 5th Ed is required by LER. Materials are all online power point presentations and lectures.

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $716

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

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.

What did you like about the program?

  • It’s online!
  • You have up to 12 months to complete it.
  • No schedule to follow.
  • Clinical video modules were more helpful and clinical scenarios were useful.

What did you dislike about the program?

  • The lectures were outdated and sometimes had misinformation.
  • The main mode of education was clicking through slides with little to no interaction. Had to click for every single slide, which was annoying.
  • No workbook or actual assignments.
  • Content was moderate. I felt I learned as much from LER’s training as from my La Leche League (LLL) training.

What would you change about the program?

  • Update the lectures.
  • Need to have innovative content delivery and improved interaction with varied delivery mode.
  • Incorporate better accountability for the student. It’s easy to just click through slides and not get much out of it. This sets a low bar for expectations in lactation education.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program?

Not rigorous. Easily completed at night after kids in bed.

Would you recommend this program to others?

Not really. I just don’t think I got that much out of it other than the “check mark” of having completed the 90 hours. I think it needs updating and needs to require students to learn and work a little more.

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

No. Wish I had done the Childbirth International (CBI) program. It takes longer and requires more, but I think it has more accountability with an actual person following your progress. I would have learned more instead of just clicking mindlessly through slides.

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals?

Yes- I got my 90 hours, but I don’t feel I learned terribly much, which is sad.

Does your program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? No, we don’t have to recertify.

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 directly online via Google Forms here.

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

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Galactablog. It’s important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program.

Lactation Program Review: Health-e Learning’s BreastEd Lactation Studies Program

/ Galactablog / Leave a comment

Lactation Program Review: 

Health-e Learning’s

BreastEd Lactation Studies Program

Reviewer: Kay Miller

June 5, 2015

Year enrolled in Program: 2014

How long did it take you to complete the program? ~12 hours per course (120 hours total), plus additional time for reading/additional study.

Delivery of Program – Completely online

Certification or Certificate Offered? Certificates are provided after the completion of each of the 10 courses; but there is no “certification” given

Name of Instructor – Various instructors available for questions/discussion.

Books & Materials Required – From the Health-e-Learning site: “All reading material is included in the courses or links to helpful websites are provided. We encourage you to purchase a good quality lactation text and perhaps consider adding a new book to your collection each year.”

Reading resource list for the courses: https://www.health-e-learning.com/en/support/faqs/22/175
(note that there are more updated versions for some of the textbooks on that listing!)

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $1,250.00 for full 10 courses if purchased at the same time. The cost is $129 per class if you decide to purchase individually (for cost of $1,290)

# of L-CERPs, Nursing Contact Hours, CEUs, CPEs, etc. offered – 120 total CERPS offered (12 per each of the 10 courses). Also offers contact hours via the California Board of Nursing.

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 goes beyond by offering 120 hours if you take all of the 10 courses. If you take courses individually, you gain 12 hours per course.

What did you like about the program?

  • While I do prefer in-person workshops, that just wasn’t an option for me at this time due to financial and scheduling constraints. I appreciated being able to complete this program completely online.
  • I liked that I could enter and exit the course freely, and it would save where I left off. This made it easy for me to have the freedom to work in just 15 minute increments when I didn’t have much time, but longer periods when I was able to do so.
  • There were facilitators and message boards for each course that the learner could take advantage of for questions and discussion throughout the course.
  • I liked the study guides that were provided for each course.
  • I liked being able to fully print the courses so I could have a hard copy to highlight and make notes in, as well as use to study when I didn’t have internet access. I can also use those to study with and re-read after my subscription to the courses has expired.
  • I appreciated the more “global” perspective, vs just learning the US version of various topics.
  • I appreciated the links to various studies and other sources to continue learning on topics discussed in the courses.
  • Your access to the courses is cumulative. If you order all 10 courses at once, you get a full year of access. If you need to purchase them individually, you have as many months to access them as the number of courses you purchase.
  • If you need more time, purchasing longer access is inexpensive, and applies to all the courses at once.
  • There was immediate feedback on the various quizzes and tests in the courses, which helps the learner know areas they need to refresh their knowledge/understanding of.
  • The courses had activities sprinkled throughout–quizzes (not for a formal grade), cross word puzzles, matching activities, etc.
  • Health-e-Learning admins also send emails at various intervals to check in with the learner and to see if there are questions/concerns.

What did you dislike about the program?

  • It was all slides and reading–no video components. I wish they would have some video teaching by various instructors to break it up and keep the learner more interested and engaged.
  • I was able to access the courses via my iPad, but not all of the features were supported on it, so I would have to switch over to my laptop to complete those portions or save them for later.
  • Also, while I understand that the information in the lactation world is constantly changing and updating and therefore difficult to stay on top of, some of the information in the courses was outdated.

What would you change about the program?

  • The things I mentioned above as not liking: add in video components, make it fully accessible via mobile devices, update more frequently so that the information is as current as possible.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program?

I am a single mom of two, homeschool my children, and work 2+ jobs of varying hours, and was able to work this program in to my hectic schedule. Because of the flexibility of being able to do short or long periods of time in the program at at time, and it being fully online, I think that this program is very easily incorporated in to a busy life. As with anything, you do have to actually MAKE the time to work on it, sometimes being creative with how you do so.

Would you recommend this program to others? 

Yes, especially to those unable to travel to in-person workshops. I feel that while some information was outdated, much of it was good. It is a great way to complete the required lactation specific hours for the IBLCE exam requirements, and a great learning opportunity even if that is not your ultimate goal.

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

Yes, I would take this program again. However, I would also like to take other online courses with various components to round out my learning as well.

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals?

Yes – it provided the education and required hours for the IBLCE exam preparation, in an easy to use and easy to access manner.

Does your program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? N/A – this is not a certification program and there was no credential given.

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 directly online via Google Forms here.

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Galactablog. It’s important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program.

Lactation Program Review: Lactation Education Resources (LER) Lactation Consultant Training Program & Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate

/ Galactablog / Leave a comment

LERLactation Program Review: 

Lactation Education Resources‘ (LER)

Lactation Consultant Training Program

with Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate 

Reviewer: Jennifer Black Piszcz

March 23, 2015

Year enrolled in Program: 2014

How long did it take you to complete the program? 2.5 months

Certification or Certificate Offered – Breastfeeding Specialist certificate

Delivery of Program – Completely online

Books & Materials Required – Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 5th Ed 

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $895 + book = $1,000

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

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.

What did you like about the program?

  • The program was very well laid out.
  • It was easy to do at your own pace and to stop and start where you left out.
  • Very user-friendly.
  • Good customer service.
  • Very informative.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program?

I am a single mom with 4 kids. I am also in school full-time finishing my associates degree and I finished the entire 90 hour program in less than 3 months.

Would you recommend this program to others? Yes! For the very reasons I mentioned above.

Knowing what you know now, would you take this program again? Yes, I loved being able to get all my hours in one place.

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals? Yes

Does your program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? No, we don’t have to recertify. The Breastfeeding Certificate offered through LER is valid for 5 years.

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 directly online via Google Forms here.

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

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Galactablog. It’s important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program.

Lactation Program Review: Lactation Education Resources’ (LER) Lactation Consultant Training Program & Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate

/ Galactablog / Leave a comment

Lactation Program Review: 

Lactation Education Resources‘ (LER)

Lactation Consultant Training Program

with Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate 

Reviewer: Dianna Castillo

February 22, 2015

Year enrolled in Program: 2013-2014

How long did it take you to complete the program? I completed the program in 6 months (but LER gives you 1 year to finish)

Certification or Certificate Offered – Breastfeeding Specialist certificate

Delivery of Program – Completely online

Name of Instructor – Vergie Hughes

Books & Materials Required – The textbook Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 5th Ed is required by LER.

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $895 + book, so about $1,000

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

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.

What did you like about the program?

  • The course covered almost everything I needed.
  • I was able to listen to the lectures several times to catch things I may have missed the first time.
  • I also printed the power points with the lecture slides to look over the material and take notes while listening to the lectures.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program?

I have a full time job as an RN and a family.  Looking back, I realized I waited too long to get started.  I should have given myself the full year that LER allows. I was cramming at 6 months considering my busy schedule.

Would you recommend this program to others?  Yes.  It is a wonderful program.  It prepared me very well.

Knowing what you know now, would you take this program again? Yes, definitely!

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals? Yes.  Everything was easily accessed from the Internet right from the program.

Does your program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? No, we don’t have to recertify. The Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate granted by LER is good for 5 years.

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 comparison of similar lactation training programs.

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Galactablog. It’s important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program.

Lactation Program Review: Lactation Education Resources (LER) Lactation Consultant Training Program & Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate

/ Galactablog / 3 Comments

Lactation Program Review: 

Lactation Education Resources‘ (LER)

Lactation Consultant Training Program

with Breastfeeding Specialist Certificate 

Reviewer: Ericka, RN, IBCLC

January 28, 2015

Year enrolled in Program: 2013-2014

How long did it take you to complete the program? Approximately 6-8 months (but I took a very casual approach)

Certification or Certificate Offered – Breastfeeding Specialist certificate

Delivery of Program – Completely online

Name of Instructor – Vergie Hughes

Books & Materials Required – The textbook Breastfeeding and Human Lactation, 5th Ed is required by LER. In my opinion, Core Curriculum For Lactation Consultant Practice and Breastfeeding Atlas were helpful as well.

Cost of Program (Including books, materials, application fees, etc.) – $895

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

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.

What did you like about the program?

  • The program was very well organized
  • The instructors were extremely responsive
  • I felt very prepared for the IBCLE

What would you change about the program?

It would have been great to be able to listen to some of the presentations as podcasts while driving. You have to sit at the computer and click next slide. I am sure this is to make sure you actually completed the course though.

How rigorous/time consuming did you find the program?

I usually worked on the classes during my lunch hour at work. My boss also allowed me to do slides in between clients at work. I was working full-time but managed to finish in 6-8 months (working on the program casually).

Would you recommend this program to others? Most certainly!

Knowing what you know now, would you take this program again? Yes!

Do you feel the course and/or certification helped you obtain your goals? Yes, I felt well prepared.

Does your program/credential require you to recertify? If so, how long does the credential last and what is required to recertify? No, we don’t have to recertify.

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 directly online via Google Forms here.

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

**Disclaimer – The views and opinions expressed in this review are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Galactablog. It’s important to note that these views are not the only source of information about this particular lactation training program.