Lactation consultant vs student/clinical rotation

The differences between lactation consultants and student/clinical rotations can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a lactation consultant and a student/clinical rotation. Additionally, a student/clinical rotation has an average salary of $88,697, which is higher than the $73,158 average annual salary of a lactation consultant.

The top three skills for a lactation consultant include patients, IBCLC and patient care. The most important skills for a student/clinical rotation are patients, vital signs, and medication administration.

Lactation consultant vs student/clinical rotation overview

	Lactation Consultant	Student/Clinical Rotation
Yearly salary	$73,158	$88,697
Hourly rate	$35.17	$42.64
Growth rate	6%	6%
Number of jobs	5,809	87,950
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	2	2

What does a lactation consultant do?

Lactation consultants are responsible for assisting new mothers in caring for their newborn babies. Their job includes helping mothers in their breastfeeding sessions and giving pre- and post-natal education to help them recover from giving birth. Before the actual process of giving birth, lactation consultants also provide seminars for couples who want to have a baby to prepare for pregnancy. They provide education to prepare clients physically, socially, and emotionally for the lactation period or the process of breastfeeding.

What does a student/clinical rotation do?

Clinical rotation is the stage wherein medical students spend their last two years of study as medical team members. During this period, medical students learn to apply their knowledge from the classroom to real-life medical situations. They follow physicians and residents at teaching hospitals and gain relevant practical experience. During the training, they rotate through different medical specialties. They obtain a patient's history, complete physical examinations, and write progress notes. Also, they assist in medical surgeries and procedures with the guidance of physicians. Diagnosis and treatment of patients are two other medical activities that they actively involved in with attending residents' supervision.

Lactation consultant vs student/clinical rotation salary

Lactation consultants and student/clinical rotations have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Lactation Consultant	Student/Clinical Rotation
Average salary	$73,158	$88,697
Salary range	Between $53,000 And $99,000	Between $35,000 And $220,000
Highest paying City	Palo Alto, CA	-
Highest paying state	California	-
Best paying company	Children's Hospital of Michigan	-
Best paying industry	Health Care	-

Differences between lactation consultant and student/clinical rotation education

There are a few differences between a lactation consultant and a student/clinical rotation in terms of educational background:

	Lactation Consultant	Student/Clinical Rotation
Most common degree	Bachelor's Degree, 59%	Bachelor's Degree, 53%
Most common major	Nursing	Nursing
Most common college	Duke University	Duke University

Lactation consultant vs student/clinical rotation demographics

Here are the differences between lactation consultants' and student/clinical rotations' demographics:

	Lactation Consultant	Student/Clinical Rotation
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 3.7% Female, 96.3%	Male, 21.9% Female, 78.1%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 10.2% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.7% Asian, 9.1% White, 66.3% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%	Black or African American, 10.4% Unknown, 4.3% Hispanic or Latino, 9.1% Asian, 11.8% White, 64.0% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage	9%	9%

Differences between lactation consultant and student/clinical rotation duties and responsibilities

Lactation consultant example responsibilities.

Manage communications with referral source, medical providers, injure worker and other parties involve in the rehabilitation process.
Provide clinical lactation support, community breastfeeding education, and CPR instruction
Work in outpatient breastfeeding center as IBCLC with occasional floating to inpatient lactation consulting.
Provide guidance to birth mothers on proper positions and latch techniques to minimize potential complications.
Implement and oversee a maternity services clinic focusing on prenatal education, lactation services, and breastfeeding.
Perform nutrition assessment for participants by providing participants with information on healthy eating, nursing assistance, and healthy lifestyle choices.

Student/clinical rotation example responsibilities.

Demonstrate clinical competency and compassion in providing care, using technology, administering medications, performing procedures and managing emergencies
Perform physical assessments; 12 lead EKG; analyze cardiac strips; blood glucose monitoring via AccuCheck.
Assist with patient control analgesia pump, collaborate with nurse and rapid response team to have patients transfer to ICU.
Experience include various floors with multiple teams including cardiopulmonary, oncology, trauma, ICU, orthopedics, and pediatrics.
Provide catheter care and a variety of injections for patients with autoimmune metabolic illnesses and urinary dysfunction.
Travele to multiple ICU/ CCU.

Lactation consultant vs student/clinical rotation skills

Common lactation consultant skills

Patients, 27%
IBCLC, 17%
Patient Care, 13%
International Board, 8%
CPR, 5%
Mother-Baby, 4%

Common student/clinical rotation skills

Patients, 28%
Vital Signs, 6%
Medication Administration, 5%
IV, 5%
Direct Patient Care, 5%
Clinical Rotations, 4%

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Lactation Consultant vs Student/Clinical Rotation

Updated January 8, 2025

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