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Lactation Consultant Schools
By an allied health world contributing writer
Published: January 14th, 2010
Where can schools offering lactation consultation programs be found?
When considering attending a lactation consultant school, aspiring students will find that lactation consultation training programs are actually surprisingly abundant and available through many private colleges and universities across the United States. Institutions offering nursing programs and midwifery training will also very often offer coursework specific to lactation consultation.Although there seems to be a resurgence of public interest in more natural and historically traditional methods of child rearing, parents still do not want to compromise the health and safety of their child by forgoing contemporary obstetrics and pediatrics. This
is why highly educated and personally vested lactation consultants are in higher demand today than ever before. Although these professionals help facilitate mother and child bonding through one of the most fundamentally mammalian acts of motherhood, their job is ultimately focused on the nutritional quality of the infant’s diet, and the safest, most comfortable methods of nursing.
What courses can I expect from lactation consultant training programs?
Training programs for aspiring lactation consultants will consist of three general components with the intent of creating a fully rounded academic experience that prepares graduates for a career that is as much about making new mother’s comfortable with the nursing process as it is about infant nutrition and safety.The first component usually consists of general medical education courses that would include medical terminology, human physiology, human anatomy, and a strong focus on psychology and sociology. Coursework in these programs often includes social and cultural anthropology as a means by which to broach subjects related to cultural sensitivity. Additionally there will be classes in infant and child development, and developmental psychology as well.
The educational component specific to breastfeeding will deal with all the career-specific knowledge bases and applied methods. This will include classes specific to human lactation and the physiological issues that may create challenges in the production of breast milk, nutritional content of breast milk and how diet and environmental factors can affect the levels of specific vital nutrients; and lastly, the mechanics of breastfeeding, which trains in the best methods and practices of nursing.
The third and final component is where all the knowledge and technical skills are refined through practice. The clinical component provides the opportunity for aspiring lactation consultants to work hands on with new mothers and their newborn infants. This component is always completed within a clinical setting under the supervision of an experienced certified veteran lactation consultant.
What psychological training will lactation consultant training programs include?
Because there are so many issues related to human psychology and emotion in play when it comes to breastfeeding a newborn, lactation consultant training programs place a very strong focus on psychology. Not only are there the common issues of post partum depression and the emotionally charged nature of the maternal bonding process itself that lactation consultants need to be acutely aware of, there is also the issue of cultural sensitivity when working with people through a very personal and sometimes challenging process. The psychological and sensitivity training component of these programs will include classes in cultural sensitivity, developmental psychology, general psychology, and even communication skills.©2012 Alliedhealthworld.com All rights reserved.