BreastfeedingMaterials.com Training
Lactation Photo Identification Quiz Series; Quizzes 1 and 2
Barbara Wilson-Clay and Kay Hoover, © 2010 BreastfeedingMaterials.com
The Lactation Photo Identification Quiz Series is a new addition to Barbara Wilson-Clay and Kay Hoover’s collection of visual teaching and learning aids. It can be used by would-be lactation consultants or healthcare professionals who desire to improve clinical lactation assessment skills in a more interactive way than by reading words in a textbook, and by lactation consultants preparing to take or re-take the credentialing exam. The series consists of two separate quizzes, each with 50 lactation-related photographs and an accompanying multiple-choice question.

To truly evaluate this series, I took both exams myself. First, of utmost importance, the photographs are clear, and unambiguous. You see what you are supposed to see. I have taken the actual International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners exam in the past, and I have used other methods to study for the photograph identification portion of the exam (http://www.iblce. org/). I have found myself unconsciously and somewhat laughably holding the practice tests and the test booklet up in the air, as if turning it this way and that would help me see what in the fuzzy, ill-lit, poorly colored picture they expect me to see! That was definitely not the case with these photographs. They are very well done, and are things that we see commonly. That is important to learners and those reviewing for the exam alike. These quizzes test knowledge of lactation issues that are common, or at least may be reasonably expected to be seen in a practice, not of esoteric conditions one will never see.

The next most important issue in such a learning guide is: Are the questions clear? The response—a most definitive yes! I did not find myself trying to secondguess the examiners. Were the questions easy? No—one needs to know one’s stuff. There were times I was stuck between two possible answers, just as often happens on the exam. But only one answer was correct, and that is what counts. The questions were well-written, and you learn if you don’t know the answer–or even if you do. There is immediate feedback on whether your choice is correct or not. Either way, once you enter your response, the correct response, an explanation of why it is correct pops up. Every response has at least one current reference if you require further reading on the topic. This is well done. A test and a learning exercise. It doesn’t get much better than that. With many examinees worried the most about the picture portion of the credentialing exam, this quiz series is a great way to beef up on that part of your test taking and lay some of those fears to rest.

Another clever feature—once you purchase the Lactation Photo Identification Quiz Series, you have unlimited access to the quizzes. The directions state that if you take the quizzes more than once, the questions will appear in random order, so you really will test your knowledge and not your ability to recall responses in order. I highly recommend this study guide whether you are just starting out in clinical lactation, you are reviewing for your certifying exams or you just want to challenge yourself and add to your knowledge in a fun and interesting way.

You can find the quizzes at:
https://training.breastfeedingmaterials.com/