REG NURSE OCFP-Lactation Consultant

What You Will Do:

Responsible for the overall coordination, planning, management, and evaluation of the hospital’s breastfeeding program. The Lactation Consultant functions as a member of the multi-disciplinary team as a coach, consultant, educator, and mentor to patients, nurses, other healthcare professionals, and the community.

Principal Duties:

1. Plans, oversees, and coordinates patient, family, and staff breastfeeding education activities for the hospital.

• Responsible to the Associate Vice President of Inpatient Operations for patient care education
• Provides and coordinates didactic education to all patients who require breastfeeding information in accordance with current research literature and national standards of care
• Establishes, reviews, and updates educational content on patient information to include medications and maternal and infant conditions to include cleft palate, cleft lip, micro-premies, etc.
• Implements and maintains a reference library of breastfeeding materials appropriate for both healthcare providers and mothers
• Develops or obtains educational materials to facilitate patient understanding of content
• Provides classes on breastfeeding, breast care, and related topics to inpatients and/or outpatients in a group or 1:1
• Knowledgeable and skilled in the physiology and clinical management of breastfeeding
• Assesses patient and family emotional, cognitive, social, and motivational status relative to learning and determines their educational needs and priorities
• Adjusts the teaching plan to meet family and patient needs
• Evaluates the effectiveness of patient and family education
• Documents patient/family education and progress of the mother and baby in accordance to hospital standards
• Maintains professional growth in the area of educational techniques to maintain the quality of patient education services
• valuates equipment related to breastfeeding and maintains the breastfeeding room
• Supports hospital employees who are breastfeeding
• Actively promotes breastfeeding and assists mothers in reaching their goals for breastfeeding.
• Develops and implements standards of care and guidelines for assisting breastfeeding mothers in all areas of the organization were they may be served.
• Develops, implements and supports breastfeeding programs (New Mothers Support Group, breastfeeding classes, warm-line, etc.)
• Plans, oversees, and coordinates annual and as needed education.
• Reviews/revises policies, procedures and/or other aspects of the mother-baby hospital experience utilizing evidenced-based research.
• Coordinates staff competencies for breastfeeding
• Develops a reference library for staff education.
• Serves as a consultant for the Maternal-Child Health department regarding breastfeeding issues.
• Establishes and maintains a telephone line to provide contact with patients and providers who require assistance
• Establishes and maintains a follow-up system of continuing care and support for mothers and their infants. Patient contact may be made via telephone, patient visits, post cards, or letters.
• Participates in Quality Improvement, Total Quality Management, and research processes which result in the improvement of clinical outcomes.
• Identifies problems, designs projects, collects data, analyses data, and evaluates results
• Generates an annual report which summarizes programmatic accomplishments and areas for improvement.
• Maintains statistics to include breastfeeding initiation rates and continuation rates
• Serves as a liaison/resource and/or case manager.
• Offers case conferences/participate in grand rounds to highlight and/or promote breastfeeding
• Coordinator, Breastfeeding Task Force and facilitator for the Breastfeeding Support Group.
• Coordinates patient care services between providers, specialists, pharmacy, and other ancillary services
• Coordinates patient referrals to support services for breastfeeding provided in the community
• Participates in community outreach activities.
• Member of the local lactation Consultants Association and attends quarterly meetings
• Participates in marketing plan for the MCH departments

What You Need to Be Successful:

Current Maryland license standing as a Registered Nurse with BSN and Certification by IBCLC (International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners), OR, a Master's or above individual with lactation experience and IBCLC is required.Basic Life Support – Health Care Provider (BLS-HCP)

Minimum of 1 year experience as a Lactation Consultant.

We are an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, color, religion, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, age, or any other characteristic protected by law.