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This comprehensive course is intended for health professionals and other interested individuals to take the Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) Exam through the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice’s Aggregate Pathway. The LEC course meets the requirement of 95 hours of education within the past year that relates directly to the WHO/UNICEF (World Health Organization/United Nations Children’s Fund) breastfeeding counseling training course.

The course furnishes the basic information necessary to promote breastfeeding and to interact in the breastfeeding situation by assisting and encouraging the breastfeeding triad of mother, baby, and support person. Topics include basic anatomy and physiology of lactation, early attachment of the baby, hospital care, support during the postpartum stage, common concerns and solutions, and appliances and apparatuses used in breast/chestfeeding. At completion of the course students can provide support, education, and counseling to breast/chestfeeding dyads. The Lactation Education Counselor Certificate can be completed in two quarters. This is an asynchronous course with monthly live, online “office hours” with the instructor.

The lectures are recorded, so no need to log in at a specific time, however assignments and quizzes are due weekly. The prerecorded lectures are four to five hours per week in addition to two to three hours of reading and assignments. The course takes approximately six to eight hours per week to complete and you are able to work ahead.

Note: 

This course fulfills the Academic and Counseling requirements to sit for the Certified Lactation Counselor Exam provided by ALPP (Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice). Students are provided with a Counseling Skills Attestation which is proof of mastery of the skills and competencies necessary for breastfeeding counseling through directly supervised lactation care.

The textbook for this class:

Core Curriculum for Interdisciplinary Lactation Care 2nd
by Spencer, Campbell, Chamberlain
ISBN / ASIN: 9781284255515

You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.

This course must be taken for a letter grade.  It is two quarters in length and offered online every quarter. View the academic calendar here.

To enroll in this course, you need to apply and be accepted to the Lactation Education Counselor Certificate

Contact hours are awarded for the completion of all assignments, and a final grade of 70% or higher. The instructors for this course have no conflicts of interest to disclose. This course was last updated in 2023. Content is reviewed and updated as needed but no longer than three years. The expiration date for this course is December 31, 2026.
 

Course Number: RMED-40039
Credit: 9.50 unit(s)
Related Certificate Programs: Lactation Consultant: Pathway 2Lactation Education Counselor

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