One Voice

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One Voice

• Glenda Dickerson RN, MS, IBCLC
• President
• USLCA Board of Directors
• July 2008

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Definition

• One
• A single unit
• Characterized by unity

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Definition

• Voice
• The ability to produce sound
• Agency of expression

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One Voice

• A unified agency of expression
• ILCA in the International arena
• What about in my area?

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One Voice

• Can the varied needs of different
  countries/cultures be addressed with One Voice?

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One Voice

• As our numbers grow and our profession matures
• The International Voice can no longer keep up
  with the nationally specific needs in all areas
  of the world

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One Voice

• How will we find our voice?
• How will we use our voice?
• How can we strengthen our voice?

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One Voice

• National Affiliate Structure
• USLCA in the U.S.
• CLCA in Canada
• Others to be developed and added

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One Voice

• USLCA Mission
• To build and sustain a national association that
  advocates for lactation professionals

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One Voice

• USLCA Vision
• IBCLCs are valued recognized members of the
  health care team

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Development andDiscovery

• Glenda Dickerson RN, MS, IBCLC
• President
• USLCA Board of Directors
• July 2006

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Our goal

• Do the work of starting up an organization
• By-laws
• Newsletter
• Executive Director

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Outstanding Opportunities

• Glenda Dickerson RN, MS, IBCLC
• President
• USLCA Board of Directors
• July 2007

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Our goal

• Begin to define our opportunities as an
  organization
• Research what our members wanted and needed
• Provide services

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Along the way

• The Opportunity
• Crossroads
• Define our profession
• Chart the course for our future

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Challenges and Considerations

• Glenda Dickerson RN, MS, IBCLC
• President
• USLCA Board of Directors
• July 2008

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Profession

• An occupation whose core element is work based
  upon the mastery of a complex body of knowledge
  and skills.
• Weve got that!!!

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Profession

• It is a vocation in which knowledge of some
  department of science or learning or the practice
  of an art founded upon it is used in the service
  of others
• We definitely have that!!!

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Profession

• Its members are governed by codes of ethics and
  profess a commitment to competence, integrity and
  morality, altruism, and the promotion of the
  public good within their domain..
• We are lookin good

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Profession

• These commitments form the basis of a social
  contract between a profession and society, which
  in return grants the profession a monopoly over
  the use of its knowledge base, the right to
  considerable autonomy in practice and the
  privilege of self-regulation.
• ????????

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Profession

• Professions and their members are accountable to
  those served and to society
• ???????

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Profession

• Monopoly over the use of its knowledge base
• The right to considerable autonomy in practice
• The privilege of self-regulation
• Accountable to society

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Challenge

• Recognized as professionals and therefore enter
  into the contract

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Challenge

• Define who we are
• IBCLCs in the U.S.
• IBCLCs in USLCA

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Who ARE We?

• 18,032 IBCLCs worldwide
• 9,055 in the U.S.

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9055 IBCLCs in the U.S.

• 7429 Licensed Health Care Professionals (82)
• 6888 RNs (76)
• 287 RDs (3)
• 105 MDs (1)
• 149 LPNs, OTs, PTs, PAs,
• SP, CNM (2)

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9055 IBCLCs in the U.S.

• 1581 Non-licensed (18)
• 686 Certified Mother-to-Mother Support (8)
• 190 CCE, Doulas (2)
• 705 No certification (8)

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Where do we work?

• 6131 Hospital or Birthing Center
• 833 WIC or Community Clinic
• 473 Private Practice
• 351 MD office
• 654 other
• 613 no response

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Generational Characteristics

• Traditionalist (Age 63)
• 534
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
• Baby Boomers (Ages 44 62)
• 6654 (74)
• Generation Xers (Ages 28 43)
• 1768
• Millennials (Age 27 -)
• 10

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Our Gender

• 9036 females
• 19 males

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Who are USLCA Members?

• 9055 IBCLCs in the U.S.
• 3641 USLCA members (40)

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Who Are USLCA Members?

• 3046 Licensed HCP (83)
• 2734 RNs (75)
• 151 RDs (4)
• 126 MDs (3)
• 35 other licensed (1)

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Who Are USLCA Members?

• Non licensed
• 595 (17)

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One view of who we are

• Job Description for Lactation ConsultantRespons
  ible for identifying and correcting lactation
  problems. May plan and lead breastfeeding classes
  for expecting mothers. Advises physicians and
  healthcare providers on lactation problems
  experienced by patients. Requires an associate's
  degree and is certified as a registered nurse
  with 2-4 years of clinical experience. Familiar
  with standard concepts, practices, and procedures
  within a particular field. Relies on experience
  and judgment to plan and accomplish goals.
  Performs a variety of tasks. Works under general
  supervision. A certain degree of creativity and
  latitude is required. Typically reports to a
  supervisor and/or manager.
• Salary.com

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Identity Crisis

• We closely identified with the nursing profession
• Is this a positive or a negative?
• Is this permanent?

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Do we have an identify crisis?
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Physical Therapy

• The earliest documented origins of actual
  physical therapy as a professional group date
  back to 1894 when nurses in England formed the
  Chartered Society of Physiotherapy.

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Physical Therapy

• In the United States, Physical Therapy began in
  1914 in Portland, Oregon, with Reed College and
  Walter Reed Hospital graduating the first
  physical therapists, then called "reconstruction
  aides."  These were nurses with a background in
  physical education needed to help manage the
  devastating effects of the First World War 1

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Physical Therapy

• 1921 was a landmark year as educational standards
  for university professional PT programs were
  instituted and programs became accredited by a
  national body.  Scientific research and
  technology started to shape the profession.

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Back to the issue at hand

• Are we up to the task of defining who we want to
  become and beginning the transition?

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Challenge

• Combine all of those varied individual voices
  into one unified expression
• One Voice

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Challenge

• How can we achieve this task?
• International organization
• National affiliates
• Join forces with IBLCE
• Think tank approach

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Challenge

• Education Process
• Development of courses that will eventually lead
  to a formal education process that will prepare
  members of our profession to provide total
  lactation care

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Challenge

• Education
• Entry level
• Advanced level
• Stand-alone
• Add-on credential

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Challenge

• Name/title protection and licensure
• Protection of the public
• Protect the profession

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Challenge

• Reimbursement
• Billable service under another health care
  provider
• Independent

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One Voice

• Our challenge is to execute change only after
  careful consideration

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Consideration

• How change will affect those of us that have
  dedicated our lives to this profession
• How change will attract the next generation to
  our profession
• How change will affect the families to which we
  are dedicated to providing services
• How change will affect our culture/society
  at large

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Who Defines the Change?

• YOU

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One Voice

• Run, dont walk, to the ILCA/USLCA booth in the
  exhibit hall and sign up for an opportunity to
  make your voice heard.
• Visit the IBLCE booth and discuss opportunities
  for voicing opinions

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One Voice

• SIG lead on Perinatal Regulations and the IBCLC
• 1230 Box lunch Friday
• Led by Marsha Walker
• Hosted by the USLCA Licensure Committee

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One Voice

• Reimbursement Toolkit
• Updated by USLCA Reimbursement Committee
• Available in ILCA Bookstore

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One Voice

• Licensure and Legislative Toolkit
• Available in the ILCA Bookstore
• Developed by the Licensure and Legislative
  Committee

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One Voice

• Is our voice strong enough?
• Our numbers are relatively small
• Recruit, Recruit, Recruit
• Chapter development

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One Voice

• Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful,
  committed citizens can change the world. Indeed,
  its the only thing that ever has.
• Margaret Mead
• Optimistic

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My Challenge to All of US

• Move our profession forward
• Change our world
• One Voice