Breastfeeding Peer Counselor

Virginia Information Technologies Agency • Suffolk, VA

2d • $16 - $18 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Western Tidewater Health District WIC Program is seeking an enthusiastic qualified individual to work in our WIC Office as a Breastfeeding Peer Counselor to provide breastfeeding information and assistance to WIC clients. This is a WAGE position. This position is based in Suffolk but the Western Tidewater WIC Program services the City of Franklin, the City of Suffolk, Isle of Wight County, Southampton County as well as Pughsville and may be required to work at the other offices within the district on occasion.

Breastfeeding Peer Counselors promote breastfeeding among WIC participants, health care workers and the community, attend local, regional, or state breastfeeding promotion, support training when possible and operate within the BFPC scope of practice as defined in the WIC Breastfeeding Curriculum. This position participates in multidisciplinary team case conferencing to develop and implement WIC participant service plans and may represent Local Agency and WIC on interdisciplinary workgroups, taskforces, or coalitions. The ideal candidate will provide breastfeeding information and assistance to WIC clients.

Requirements

• Basic human lactation.
• Breastfeeding practices
• Various positioning techniques.
• Basic breastfeeding management.
• Manual expression of breast milk.
• Collection and storage of human milk.
• Good communication skills.
• Instruct in a group and individual setting
• Recognize problems related to breastfeeding and make appropriate referrals/interventions.
• Successfully breastfed an infant for at least 6 months.

Nice To Haves

• Current or former WIC participants preferred

Responsibilities

• Provides breastfeeding encouragement, information, and counsel to prenatal and breastfeeding participants.
• Provides anticipatory education about the normal course of breastfeeding.
• Conducts support group meeting and assists the nutritionist with individual and other group sessions.
• Contacts participants at predetermined intervals per WIC policy to provide counsel, encouragement, and information to maintain lactation. Available to participants outside of usual clinic hours and the WIC clinic environment and identifies problems or potential problems necessitating referral to the nutritionist, or WIC Designated Breastfeeding Expert (DBE).
• Recruits participants to attend nutrition education classes by making clinic, telephone, and/or mail contacts.
• Maintains logs of patient contacts, completes monthly activity reports and other health department forms as required utilizing the Crossroads system.
• May plan and participate in community outreach events for WIC participants, particularly during Breastfeeding Awareness Month. Plans local agency breastfeeding promotion events and creates and maintains a breastfeeding-friendly environment.
• Performs other duties as assigned by supervisor.

Benefits

• Continuing employment is based on available funding and business need.
• Wage employees are eligible to apply for all classified positions for which recruitment has been initiated, including those limited to State Employees Only.
• If a wage employee becomes employed in a classified position, he/she will be eligible to purchase retirement credit for the time worked as a wage employee.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Part-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed