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How to find IBCLC Counseling Hours

IBCLC clinical hours requirements can be the biggest obstacle to the IBCLC exam for many applicants. But here’s the good news: With the right approach, finding the right time for lactation counseling is possible. We will explain the options so that you can choose the best one for you.

Loss of Hospital Hours

Consider clinical requirements as the IBLCE’s way of ensuring that every certified breastfeeding instructor has real-world experience. The number you need depends on the IBLCE Pathway you choose:

  • Option 1 (Based on Experience): It is needed 1,000 hours of the clinical practice of lactation. These hours can come from paid work or volunteer positions approved by IBLCE.


  • Option 2 (Study Program): It is needed 300 hours of clinical practice under direct supervision under a currently accredited IBCLC, while enrolled in an accredited college or university nursing program.

  • Method 3 (Teaching): It is needed 500 hours of directly supervised clinical practice completed under the supervision of an IBCLC or a panel of IBCLE-accredited instructors.

Whichever option you choose, all of your hours must be earned within five years of the date you apply for the exam.

How to Find Breastfeeding Help Hours: Your Five Choices

Here’s how aspiring IBCLCs get their hours:

If you already work with breastfeeding families: Medical personnel in hospitals, birth centers, children’s offices, or other special situations can calculate the breastfeeding activity according to their needs. Write down everything you experience while providing direct breastfeeding support.

Volunteers with an IBLCE accredited breastfeeding support organization: you can earn clinical hours while volunteering with programs like La Leche League, WIC, and other peer counseling groups. LER HOURS, LER’s breastfeeding support organization, offers this option—you help families in your community, and LER accepts your hours to count toward qualifying exams.
Apply for an internship clinic: internship programs place you in supervised clinical settings where you learn a lot. LER’s Clinical Internship Program is here to support you in clinical placements in the United States and to provide guidance to mentors and students who are helping you meet the clinical requirements of Pathway 3. (Pathway 3 candidates in LER’s internship program must be LER students and must have completed CORE or LCTP courses).
Work with an IBCLC consultant: If you follow Pathway 3, a licensed IBCLC must supervise your clinical practice. (If you choose this option, you must apply through IBLCE before they startand your instructor must also be accredited by IBLCE. Find out more here.)

Medical education programs: If you are enrolled in a breastfeeding education program, your clinical hours will be based on teacher-supervised courses.

Which method works for you depends on your location, your network, and your schedule. Check out the possibilities: Are there volunteer groups recognized by IBLCE near you? Do you know any IBCLCs who could be a mentor? Is your current job related to a breastfeeding job that you can apply for?

If nothing seems right right away, keep digging – there’s always a way forward.

Protect Your Hours With Strong Records

Here’s the unfortunate truth: No matter how you earn your medical hours, they only count if you can prove they were done. Record each interaction. Date, time, presentation matter, your plan of care. Use a calendar, spreadsheet, notebook – anything you can keep track of. Store digital documents quickly.

Trying to recreate months of clinical work from the heart is difficult. Worse, it puts your exam eligibility at risk. Make the text non-negotiable from the first step.

Your Next Move

You have a passion for helping breastfeeding families. Don’t let an IBCLC stop you from reaching your goal.

Finding your ideal IBCLC clinical hours is possible, and LER is here to help.

LER HOURS removes the barriers for candidates to pursue a volunteer path, while our Clinical Internship Program provides a structured, supervised experience. All these programs are designed with one goal in mind: to make you pass the exam without unnecessary obstacles.

Are you ready to start earning some hours?

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