Aspiring lactation consultants often ask me, “Should I take my comprehensive lactation course now? I haven’t had any clinical experience.” I stop, dead in my tracks. I wrestle with whether I should tell them the IBLCE’s requirements, or my personal recommendation for the order of completion. IBLCE’s “rules” and requirements Read more…
Recently, one of the staff here at Breastfeeding Outlook asked why I named our scholarship after a man, and, specifically, why I named it after Felix. Felix was my father. He had a few core values and characteristics that influenced me. I want to recognize those people who have similar Read more…
There’s something you want. Whether it’s a having slimmer body, getting a new puppy, going on an exotic vacation, or landing a better job, there’s something you want. Right now. Right this minute. You know you want it. So why haven’t you taken your first step to getting what you Read more…
In his book “The Big Leap,” Gay Hendricks, PhD, makes an important point about why we delay pursuing our dreams. He says that such delay is often not about finding time or having an unmanageable schedule. Rather, he says, it’s often our internal obstacles that slow us down. His real Read more…
Thinking about sitting for the IBLCE exam? You have exactly 31 days between now and exam application deadline. But, it’s not too late! You must have ALL your requirements completed before the IBLCE exam application deadline of May 15. Hop on it now because if you miss this deadline, you Read more…
This year,I’m not by my phone to receive any calls from people who are stressing out after the IBLCE exam. I’m not here to calm fears with soothing words you might wish to hear. I’ve been there; I know the after-exam stress. I passed, and you probably will too. But Read more…
Years ago, while I was teaching a course in Denver, an attendee blurted out, “Marie, this stuff is all like speaking Greek!” What a great observation! I thought. This stuff really does seem pretty foreign at first. That’s a great starting point for talking about the importance of learning terminology. Read more…
When you’re in school, it’s easy to know your goals. An “A” is top marks. “B,” “C,” and “D” are interim grades. “F” means you failed. Your teacher tells you at the start of the semester what percentages fall into each grade category. You set your goal, and you work Read more…
I’ve been in the test-taking, test-writing, or test-teaching mode for decades. I have shelves full of books on how to study for an exam. And in other blog posts, I’ve hammered hard on research showing that merely reading and re-reading info—what most test-takers do—has been proven to be ineffective. I’ve also Read more…
OK, you may have struggled a bit at first. But by now you’ve developed a solid goal for yourself, with specific learning objectives. You’ve also devised a structured timeline for studying, and then reviewing for the IBLCE exam. You may have even rounded up a bunch of books, notebooks, and Read more…