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Lactation Consultant

Women’s Health
RN Diploma, ASN or BSN

Lactation Consultants help new mothers breastfeed their newborns and find solutions for those having difficulty—like new products or clothing specially designed for new mothers. As a Lactation Consultant, you can work for a hospital or clinic, or for yourself. You can also become an advocate for breastfeeding in public health, design breastfeeding programs for hospital neonatal departments, and lead continuing education classes for healthcare professionals.

Things You'll Do:

  • Advise patients on positioning and using a breast pump
  • Advise patients on positioning and using a breast pump
  • Educate the public on the importance of breastfeeding
  • Support patients with post-partum depression
  • Create and run hospital breastfeeding classes

Your job characteristics:

  • Multifaceted
  • Structured
  • Patient-facing
  • Independent
How You'll Get There
  • Get Your
    Nursing Diploma, Associate of Science in Nursing (ASN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN)
  • Take elective courses in neonatal nursing, in school.
  • Pass Your
    National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN)
  • You can start working as a Registered Nurse, getting experience in labor and delivery and neonatal nursing.
    More about becoming an RN ›
  • Get Your
    Lactation Consultant board certification through the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners, Inc.
  • Become a
    Certified Lactation Consultant
More About this Specialty

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  • Where You
    Can Work

    • Hospitals
    • Physician’s offices
    • As an independent consultant

    find jobs

  • How Much You
    Can Make

      an average salary of

      $36K - $47K

    find salary by state

  • What Else You
    Can Expect

    • This relatively new specialty is becoming increasingly sought-after in the US.
    • You can become an OB/GYN Nurse Practitioner. This Advanced Practice nurse can serve as the primary care giver to women, write prescriptions, order lab tests and make diagnoses.

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