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How to Get IBCLC Clinical Hours
The IBCLC clinical hours requirement can be the single biggest obstacle to sitting for the IBCLC exam for many candidates. But here's the good news: With the right strategy, getting your lactation consultant hours is absolutely doable. We’ll explain exactly what your options are so you can choose the best one for you.
The Clinical Hours Breakdown
Think of clinical practice requirements as IBLCE’s way of ensuring every board certified lactation consultant has real-world experience. The number you need depends on the IBLCE Pathway you choose:
- Pathway 1 (Experience-Based): Requires 1,000 hours of lactation-specific clinical practice. These hours may come from paid employment or IBLCE-approved volunteer roles.
- Pathway 2 (Academic Program): Requires 300 hours of directly supervised clinical practice under a currently certified IBCLC, while being enrolled in an accredited college or university lactation program.
- Pathway 3 (Mentorship): Requires 500 hours of directly supervised clinical practice completed under an IBCLC mentor or group of mentors who are pre-approved by IBCLE.
Regardless of which pathway you choose, all your hours must be earned within five years of the date you apply for the exam.
How to Get Lactation Consultant Hours: Your Five Options
Here’s how aspiring IBCLCs actually get their hours:
If you already work with lactating families: Healthcare professionals in hospitals, birth centers, pediatric offices, or other private practices can count lactation-specific work toward their requirement. Document every interaction where you’re providing direct lactation support.
Volunteer with an IBLCE-approved breastfeeding support organization: ou can earn clinical hours while volunteering with programs like La Leche League, WIC, and other peer counseling groups. LER HOURS, LER’s breastfeeding support organization, provides this pathway—you support families in your community, and LER endorses your hours so they count toward exam eligibility.
Enroll in a clinical internship: nternship programs place you in supervised clinical settings where you gain hands-on experience. LER's Clinical Internship Program is here to help facilitate placement in hospital settings in the United States and provide structure to both mentors and interns alike to help you meet your Pathway 3 clinical requirements. (Pathway 3 candidates in LER's internship program must be LER students and must have completed either the CORE or LCTP course).
Work with an IBCLC mentor: When you pursue Pathway 3, a certified IBCLC must supervise your clinical work. (If you choose this pathway, you must apply through IBLCE before beginning, and your mentor must also be pre-approved by IBLCE. Learn more here.)
Academic program clinicals: If you’re enrolled in a lactation-specific academic program, your clinical hours are built into the curriculum with faculty supervision.
Which option works for you depends on your location, your network, and your schedule. Take stock of what's accessible: Are there IBLCE-recognized volunteer groups near you? Do you know any IBCLCs who might serve as a mentor? Does your current role involve lactation work you could document?
If nothing feels obvious right away, keep digging—there's almost always a path forward.
Protect Your Hours With Solid Documentation
Here’s the unglamorous truth: Regardless of how you earn your clinical hours, they only count if you can prove they happened. Document every single interaction. Date, duration, presenting issue, your care plan. Use a calendar, a spreadsheet, a notebook—whatever system you’ll actually maintain. Back up digital records diligently.
Trying to reconstruct months of clinical work from memory is a nightmare. Worse, it puts your exam eligibility at risk. Make documentation non-negotiable from session one.
Your Next Move
You have a passion for helping lactating families. Don’t let the IBCLC clinical hours requirement discourage you from your goal.
Getting your IBCLC clinical hours requirements met is achievable, and LER is here to support you.
LER HOURS removes barriers for candidates pursuing the volunteer route, while our Clinical Internship Program provides structured, supervised experience. Both programs are designed around one goal: getting you exam-eligible without unnecessary roadblocks.
Ready to start earning hours that count?
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