Clinical Pathways
IBLCE requires that students complete lactation-specific clinical practice hours in order to become certified. There are three ways to complete this requirement and they are known as the three Pathways. Our program offers a Pathway 2 Lactation Practicum to meet this requirement.
Students using all three IBCLC Pathways for clinical experience are welcome to take our Lactation Education courses to meet the IBCLC certification requirement for Lactation Education. Students who plan to use Pathway 2 for their clinical experience must complete their Lactation Education through our program or another academic Pathway 2 program.
Review the different pathways below to determine which pathway is right for you as you obtain your clinical lactation experience.
Pathway 1
Designed for for those working or volunteering in breastfeeding care already.
Hours Required:
1,000 hours of clinical experience are required
Pathway Participation:
Health professionals and breastfeeding peer counselors who are already working with breastfeeding families, and can obtain their clinical experience hours through their paid or volunteer work. This pathway allows you to obtain clinical experience hours through a number of different sites.
Required supervision:
You must have a supervisor at each site who can confirm that you obtained the clinical experience, but the supervisor does not have to be an IBCLC.
Pathway 2
Designed for students who want to participate in an academic lactation training program that provides clinical lactation experience. Students must apply and be admitted to the Pathway 2 Lactation Practicum in order to obtain clinical lactation experience.
Pathway Participation:
Students admitted to the PSU Pathway 2 program or any other IBLCE Pathway 2 program will obtain their clinical experience through that academic training program. Pathway 2 programs are required to provide a variety of clinical experiences for students under IBCLC supervision.
The PSU Pathway 2 Program is a limited entry program, and students must apply and be accepted. Students can apply when they have completed the IBLCE Health Science Education requirements and a complete Lactation Education course series. Students in the PSU Pathway 2 program will need to complete Lactation Practicum course series to meet the clinical hours requirement.
Required Supervision:
In Pathway 2 clinical experience programs students are directly supervised by experienced IBCLCs.
Pathway 3
Designed for those who already have an IBCLC mentor who can supervise and provide clinical experience.
Hours Required:
500 hours of clinical experience
Pathway Participation:
Students who can make a mentorship agreement with an IBCLC mentor to provide supervision and clinical experience. The student and IBCLC mentor must complete a mentorship contract and have it approved by IBLCE before any clinical experience begins. Many mentor IBCLCs will require payment of some form for the contracted clinical experience hours. The program does not provide mentor IBCLCs for Pathway 3.
Required Supervision:
The IBCLC mentor provides direct supervision for the student.
Obtaining Your Lactation Clinical Experience
Watch our short video to understand the steps needed to complete your lactation clinical experience, and learn more about the differences between our 3 experience pathways.
“I’m so glad I did Pathway 2 — [I was] able to experience different hospitals, different clinics, different practice perspective.”
Have Questions About Our Program?
Request Information
Contact lactation@pdx.edu or schedule an appointment with our lactation advisors if you have more questions or would like to receive more information about our program.
Begin PSU Application Process
PSU Pathway 2 Clinical Lactation Experience
PSU offers a Pathway 2 Lactation Practicum that provides 300 hours of clinical lactation experience directly supervised by IBCLCs in a variety of clinical settings in the region where a student lives if possible.
Students also attend weekly virtual clinical skills classes taught our Clinical Instructor so they can share their clinical experiences and enhance their learning.
“Working consecutive days showed how impactful a 15–20-minute conversation can have on a family over the course of their stay.”
“[I’m] surprised how far I’ve come in 6 months; in the beginning I couldn’t imagine being on my own but look where I am now!”
Lactation Practicum
The Lactation Practicum is required for students in Pathway 2 who wish to sit for the IBCLE exam. THe Practicum is by application only and limited based on the number of available clinical sites each year.
Students are eligible to apply when:
- They have completed the IBCLE Health Education Requirements, or are a Recognized Health Professional
- They have completed a full Lactation Education course series offered at OHSU-PSU SPH.
Degree-seeking students that wish to use the Lactation Practicum to meet internship requirements should be prepared with backup internship plan. For more information, speak with our Lactation and Undergraduate Advisors – Email Lactation Advisor.
The Pathway 2 Program is CAAHEP accredited.
Key Practicum Information
Practicum Application and Key Dates
Students are eligible to apply if they have completed a full Lactation Education course series through the School of Public Health.
2024-25 Practicum Cohort Key Dates – Please note. These dates are tentative and subject to change.
Pathway 2 Open House webinar will be held on the evening of Monday, April 8th – Information about the info session and the Practicum application will be sent out to the lactation email list prior to the webinar. Those who are interested in attending live will need to register in advance for the webinar. The webinar will be recorded so those who cannot attend live should go ahead and register so they will receive the link to the recorded session.
APPLICATION TIMELINE
April 8th, 2024: Pathway 2 Open House & Practicum Applications open for viewing.
April 12th, 2024: Applications process open.
May 10th, 2024: Completed application and all materials due by 5:00pm (PST).
June 3rd, 2024: Applicants notified of virtual interview invitation by email.
June 2024: Interviews held 9:00am-4:00 pm (PST) dates to be determined.
June 26th, 2024: Interview participants notified of final admission status.
July 31st, 2024: All screening paperwork for practicum due.
Practicum Fees
The practicum has fees beyond that for the course itself. The approximate cost is between $100-$200.
- Scrubs
- Background Check & Drug Screen
- Vaccines
- TB Screen
- Basic Life Support
- ID fees
Practicum Requirements
All students are required to meet to the OHA Health Profession Student Clinical Training Standards which require students to:
- Pass a background check, including 10 panel drug screen
- Provide documentation of updated vaccines/titers.
- Provide documentation of recent TB screen
- Obtain current certification in CPR/Basic Life Support for health care providers.
Students can expect to spend an average of two days per week at their clinical site. Site location and schedule are based on availability and may change from term to term.
There will also be a required weekend of skills development classes (Sat & Sun) once each term. Students in the Portland metro area are required to attend in person. Students from outside the Portland metro area can attend in person or can attend virtually.