Certified Breastfeeding Specialist Information Guide
About Lactation Education Resources
Lactation Education Resources (LER) is a comprehensive lactation training organization providing high-quality, evidence-informed care.
LER has the most comprehensive, up-to-date online catalog of lactation courses available, bringing together the knowledge of highly experienced and cutting-edge instructors from around the globe. With options for beginning and advanced providers, LER supports learning throughout the entire lactation consulting career.
Our Mission
To develop and deliver learning opportunities in lactation and breastfeeding skills from novice to expert.
Our Vision
To contribute to the health of mothers and infants by training breastfeeding supporters to promote, protect, and support breastfeeding.
Our Core Values
We are committed to providing outstanding customer service, professional courtesy in our communications with others, and a dedication and commitment to helping students achieve their goals.
- We believe that every baby deserves human milk.
- We believe that every nursing parent deserves an empowering lactation experience.
- We believe equipped and motivated practitioners inspire parents to achieve their lactation goals.
- We believe it is our responsibility to apply evidence-based, relevant, and inclusive education techniques to train aspiring lactation consultants.
- We are committed to inclusion, diversity, and equity among nursing parents, our students, our staff, and instructors.
- We adhere to the International Code of Marketing of Breast-milk Substitutes.
About the Certified Breastfeeding Specialist™
The purpose of the Certified Breastfeeding Specialist™ (CBS) certificate is to recognize each individual who meets established criteria, upholding standards of practice and thereby promoting public protection. The CBS certificate is exclusively awarded by LER.
A CBS is a member of the healthcare team who has earned and maintains the voluntary certificate which identifies knowledge and expertise in the normal course of breastfeeding management and care. An individual who holds the certificate, has met defined eligibility requirements and passed an examination. The CBS has the knowledge to:
- Advocate and educate about breastfeeding as a global public health imperative
- Promote environments that support lactation
- Facilitate an optimal breastfeeding experience for families
A CBS works independently and in collaboration to empower mothers/parents, children, and families to meet their breastfeeding goals.
The CBS program offers a voluntary certificate which does not necessarily confer the right or privilege to practice. Individuals who hold the CBS certificate must abide by the legal authority in the jurisdiction in which they practice or wish to practice. Upon completion of the course work and successfully passing the exam, a CBS must adhere to the Scope of Practice and Standards of Practice during their tenure.
To maintain the CBS certificate, certificants must recertify every five years. Recertification requires 20 hours of lactation specific continuing education. A CBS whose certificate has lapsed for more than three months, must take the Lactation Consultant Training Program (LCTP) or the Core Lactation Consultant Course (CLCC), and pass the corresponding examination.
Eligibility Requirements
Those who take the online LCTP or CLCC and pass the corresponding examination are eligible to become a CBS.
Those who take the online LCTP or CLCC and pass the corresponding examination are eligible to become a CBS.
CBS Course Overview
The CLCC consists of 52+ hours of lessons and subjects which cover the basic lactation specific education necessary to support the expected course of breastfeeding. Lessons include topics such as
- Anatomy and physiology
- Composition of human milk
- Infant and child growth and development
- Position and latch
- Basic counseling skills
- Medication use and breastfeeding
- Impact of culture in breastfeeding support
The LCTP consists of 95+ hours and includes the above content in the CLCC course as well as additional information to support the expected course of breastfeeding. Upon successful completion, the 95+ hour course meets the lactation specific education requirement from the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE).
Lesson topics include but are not limited to:
Lesson topics include but are not limited to:
- Legal and ethical concerns for the lactation consultant
- Infant feeding in disasters
- Politics and breastfeeding
- Interpretation of breastfeeding research
- Infant assessment
- Relactation and induced lactation
Please note: the specific course titles and content may be altered to meet the needs of the students and our accreditation organizations.
CBS Examination Overview
The CLCC examination consists of 75+ multiple choice questions in English. The exam may be offered in Spanish. The LCTP examination consists of 100 multiple choice questions in English. Each question has only one correct answer, and there is no penalty for a wrong answer. The questions on the examination may contain images. Please allot 140 minutes (2 hours, 20 minutes) to complete the examination.
Adherence to the Standards of Practice, Scope of Practice and Related Policies
The Standards of Practice for CBSs and accompanying procedures are publicly available on the LactationTraining.com website. The purpose of this is to define professional conduct for CBSs and to protect the public. The CBS must adhere, with attestation, to the Standards of Practice, Scope of Practice, Disciplinary Procedures and other Related Policies, prior to taking the CBS exam. CBS candidates should be familiar with the
These documents can be found on the LER website.
Confidentiality Policy OR Commitment to confidentiality
Lactation Education Resources is committed to protecting confidential and/or proprietary information related to students, certificants, and exam content. LER will not disclose any confidential certificant information unless authorized in writing by the individual or as required by law.
Student Course and Examination Results
Individual CBS completion rates, scores and examination results are considered confidential. Course and examination scores are released only to the individual student unless a signed release is provided in advance. Personal information submitted by students and certificants is considered confidential information.
Certified Breastfeeding Specialist Verification
The names of certified individuals is not considered confidential and may be published by LER. Published information may include name, city, state, province, country, and certification status. An online registry of certificants may be provided to the public. Employers may also receive written verification provided that LER has received a signed release from the certificant.
De-Identified Data
To promote and support research within the human lactation and breastfeeding field, LER may, upon approval by the LER Medical Director, provide aggregated and de-identified data. To achieve these goals and aims, LER reserves the right to use a combination of de-identified data, including but not limited to, examination results, to evaluate performance, testing and administration strategies for research and evaluation purposes. LER may also disseminate approved surveys and questionnaire-type requests to its constituents to complete at their own will.
LER students and CBS certificants
LER students and CBS certificants are prohibited from transmitting information about LER examination questions, course content, or content in any form to any person or entity at any time, either prior to, during, or following completion of the courses or examination. Failure to comply with this prohibition, or failure to report any information about suspected violations of such prohibitions or otherwise about any possible course or examination irregularities by themselves or others, may result in their scores being canceled or their certificate being revoked, in accordance with LER’s policies and procedures.
Nondiscrimination Policy
LER does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, sect, gender, gender expression, age, national origin, ability, marital status, sexual orientation, military, political persuasion, geographic location or socioeconomic status or any other basis prohibited by the laws of the United States of America or of the state of Maryland. LER is committed to providing an inclusive and welcoming environment for all members of the LER community as well as all seeking access to the LER community. In our course work, we strive to provide diversity of thought, lived experiences and perspectives in the carefully curated expert content that our students have come to value and expect from LER.
LER’s CBS Management and Oversight Team To learn more about our complaint process, visit here.
