Lactation Education Counselor Course Description
This comprehensive 45-hour course prepares health professionals and other interested individuals to become lactation counselors. It 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 breastfeeding. At completion of the course students are "Lactation Counselors". The newly revamped Lactation Education Refresher course, offered quarterly, is intended for students to take three years after the Lactation Education Counselor (LEC) course has been completed.
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. Once a month, the instructor will have optional Zoom office hours and will answer questions and/or cover a relevant case study or topic. Students who successfully complete the course receive an award of completion.
Canvas, our online learning platform, is not compatible with smart phones or tablet devices. We recommend students plan to use a laptop or desktop for our courses.
Students have the option to follow the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice’s requirements through the Aggregate Pathway to receive the Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) credential. To do so, you must have proof you are a currently licensed health professional (RN, APRN, physician, etc.) or hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. The Lactation Education Counselor course meets the requirement of 45 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.
You are provided with:
An award of completion
Counseling skills attestation
Resume of counseling skills attestation supervisor
The Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice is a separate organization and is not affiliated with UC San Diego Extended Studies.
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.
Note:
This course can be taken for a letter grade or pass/no pass. It is offered online every quarter. View the academic calendar here.
Contact Hours
45 hours. 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 3 years. The expiration date for this course is December 31, 2026.
CONTACT
Department: Healthcare & Behavioral Sciences
Phone: 858-246-2312
Email: ucsdlactation@ucsd.edu
Continuing Education hours
UC San Diego, Division of Extended Studies is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation.
UC San Diego, Division of Extended Studies is an approved provider of re-licensure credit for registered nurses by the California Board of Registered Nurses, provider number 00058.
The Lactation Education Counselor course (RMED-40029) is recognized by the Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee.
Lactation Information Session
Learn how to expand your current knowledge and provide the best patient care in lactation education and how to become a Lactation Consultant.
Course Number: RMED-40029
Credit: 4.50 unit(s)
My goal is to promote awareness and assist in educating my community about the benefits of breastfeeding while also providing support to those who may be struggling.
Ashley Calderon, Lactation Education Counselor
As a mom, I know firsthand the benefits of having lactation support, so I wanted to pay it forward and ensure my clients and community have these and better opportunities.
Simja Ramirez, Lactation Education Counselor
I am a mother of five, pursing midwifery, and currently working as a midwife assistant. I am so grateful to be chosen as one of the San Diego County Breastfeeding Coalition/UC San Diego Extended Studies Lactation Scholarship recipients! As a lactation education counselor, my goal is to promote awareness and assist in educating my community about the benefits of breastfeeding while also providing support to those who may be struggling. My long term goal is to support my community as a midwife; being a lactation education counselor assists me in the care of future postpartum clients.
Ashley Calderon, Lactation Education Counselor
As a mom, I know firsthand the benefits of having lactation support, so I wanted to pay it forward and ensure my clients and community have these and better opportunities. I continue to support mothers in Recovery by encouraging breastfeeding. As the Developmental Specialist for my site, I work with mothers (prenatally and post-partum) as well as with their children. At our onsite preschool, we have infants who are breastfed, and oftentimes it takes additional effort coordinating for nursing and pumping while a child is in foster care. I help my clients develop a successful action plan for breastfeeding. Furthermore, having the education of Lactation Education Counselor course is beneficial when advocating for my clients.
Simja Ramirez, Lactation Education Counselor
Related Certificate Programs: Lactation Consultant: Pathway 2 + Expand All
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9/25/2023 - 12/16/2023
$745
Online
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CLASS TYPE:
Online Asynchronous.
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
Tenorio, Christina
Christina Tenorio is a practicing International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) and perinatal health educator at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena, California. She has her Bachelor of Science in Maternal / Child Health specializing in lactation.
Christina works in the Breastfeeding and Perinatal Health Center at Huntington hospital with families and patients. She also works with high-risk and neonatal intensive care infants in a level III trauma facility.
She has been practicing for over 20 years by supporting families with prenatal and postnatal care. As an educator, Christina has developed and facilitates programs for medical staff, patients, and communities in southern California.
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TEXTBOOKS:
REQUIREDCore Curriculum for Interdisciplinary Lactation Care 2nd
by Spencer, Campbell, Chamberlain
ISBN / ASIN: 9781284255515
You may purchase textbooks via the UC San Diego Bookstore.
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POLICIES:
No refunds after: 10/6/2023.
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NOTE:
This course is approved for 45 hours by BRN and LEAARC. UC San Diego Extended Studies is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development (CE hours) by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN), provider number 0058 (no partial credit is awarded); and the Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee (LEAARC).
9/25/2023 - 12/16/2023
extensioncanvas.ucsd.edu
You will have access to your course materials on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
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1/3/2024 - 3/23/2024
$745
Online
-
-
-
CLASS TYPE:
Online Asynchronous.
This course is entirely web-based and to be completed asynchronously between the published course start and end dates. Synchronous attendance is NOT required.
You will have access to your online course on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
deVigne-Jackiewicz, Rose
Rose deVigne-Jackiewicz has over 30 years’ experience in lactation and is regarded as one of the top Lactation Consultants in San Diego. Rose has worked side by side with nurses, nurse practitioners, pediatricians and other health professionals in the education and training of breastfeeding mothers and newborns. Her employment includes Kaiser Permanente, Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women, and Loma Linda Medical Center, where she established inpatient and outpatient lactation programs. Specializing in normal and high risk mothers and babies, she has helped mothers become successful in breastfeeding. She is the recipient of multiple Nurse of the Year awards and authored Breastfeeding Basics: A Lactation Consultants Advice for Breastfeeding during Your Hospital Stay . Since...Read More
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TEXTBOOKS:
No information available at this time.
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POLICIES:
No refunds after: 12/15/2023.
-
NOTE:
This course is approved for 45 hours by BRN and LEAARC. UC San Diego Extended Studies is accredited as a provider of nursing continuing professional development (CE hours) by the California Board of Registered Nursing (BRN), provider number 0058 (no partial credit is awarded); and the Lactation Education Accreditation and Approval Review Committee (LEAARC).
1/3/2024 - 3/23/2024
extensioncanvas.ucsd.edu
You will have access to your course materials on the published start date OR 1 business day after your enrollment is confirmed if you enroll on or after the published start date.
There are no sections of this course currently scheduled. Please contact the Healthcare & Behavioral Sciences department at 858-534-9262 or unexhealthcare@ucsd.edu for information about when this course will be offered again.