The comprehensive Lactation Consultant Examination Preparation (Exam Prep) program is designed for health professionals who wish to become International Board Certified Lactation Consultants® (IBCLC®), or who require Continuing Education Recognition Points (CERPs). Health professionals such as medical officers, midwives, nurses, paediatric nurses, child and family health nurses and allied health professionals will find the education of most benefit.
The comprpehensive Exam Prep Program is approved for 106.25 L CERPs, 12.75 E CERPs and 16 R CERPs.
Throughout this site, the terms ‘program’ and ‘course’ are used. A program is a compilation of courses, such as the Exam Prep (code ‘EP’) program, which is made up of 13 courses. Any of the courses can be selected individually, or as a package of 13 that make up the comprehensive Exam Prep program. Allocation of CERPs is an acknowledgement that the program topics can be used by IBCLC's toward recertification and by exam candidates toward exam eligibility. Additionally, the allocation of CERPs signifies the education provider affirms support of the World Health Organization (WHO) International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes and subsequent World Health Assembly (WHA) resolutions.
The Exam Prep program has 13 courses, which exceeds the requirements listed in the Detailed Course Outline as a comprehensive program. Each course is evidence-based, has modules of content, videos, quizzes, an associated handbook and has been peer reviewed. The total number of hours for the completed 13 courses of the Exam Prep program is 135 hours.
Each course can be undertaken separately for exam preparation, or selected individual courses for recertification (CERPs), or as a complete exam prep package. Each course is activated by you at your convenience and once activated will be open to you for 30 days for completion. When preparing for the IBLCE® exam, upon completion of the courses, they will be open until the first day of the next exam to enable revision. All resources are downloadable or in the handbook, except for the videos, which are not downloadable.
A certificate of completion will be issued upon successful course completion and when the program is completed as a whole. The certificate of completion provides evidence that you have completed the course in the event that you are audited by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners. Similarly, the certificate is evidence of completed professional development in your respective health profession(s) e.g., medicine, midwifery or nursing.
The comprehensive Exam Prep program meets the education eligibility criterion to sit for the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners® (IBLCE®) bi-annual exam.
Pedagogy (the nerdy underpinnings that make the program solid)
The educational pedagogy of heutagogy underpins the Facts of Life programs and courses. Heutagogy is the concept related to self-directed learning, emphasising the learners' autonomy, self-determination, and ability to shape their own experiences. Prior knowledge and motivation are key to self-directed learning, which is why each course is self-activated to suit the learners capacity to successfully complete the course. The flexibility of self-directed and self-activated learning, in conjunction with reflective practice facilitates the learners' freedom to develop critical thinking, problem-solving and decision making skills.
The scaffolding of the program content sees the courses structured so that the first few courses introduce you to the governance of being an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant®. The next few courses lay down the foundation of normalcy in maternal and infant development. Subsequent courses then bring complex issues into a critical framework to deconstruct issues and develop management strategies. All the while having capacity to connect with the Managing Director for support.
Enjoy!