Lactation Consultant, Lactation Center, Full-Time, Days

MarinHealth Medical Center•Bon Air, CA

1d•Onsite

About The Position

The Lactation Consultant is responsible for providing lactation consultation and education for breastfeeding mothers in the inpatient and outpatient settings at Marin General Hospital. The Lactation Consultant has excellent assessment and implementation skills to assist the breastfeeding mother attain her individual goals. The Lactation Consultant functions as a member of a multidisciplinary health care team as a consultant, educator, and mentor. The Consultant also acts as a role model for the nursing and medical staffs, and the patients.

Requirements

Sufficient education to obtain a valid California RN license preferred
International Board Certified Lactation Consultant or obtain certification within 2 years of hire
Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred
Minimum of two years experience in perinatal nursing or perinatal education
Minimum two years experience counseling postpartum, breastfeeding women in a hospital setting
Experience supporting breastfeeding in NICU and the outpatient settings preferred
California RN license (RN) required at hire.
Integrative Agitation Management (IAMTAC) Required within 30 days of hire.
Maintains own continuing education requirements for certification
Maintains knowledge of trends in health care and specialty, and uses creativity to induce change and to stimulate new program development
Utilizes and manages supplies and equipment in most cost-effective manner
Excellent communication skills
Excellent maternal/infant assessment skills
Ability to effectively prioritize work responsibilities
Excellent documentation skills
Effective teaching skills
Flexibility in a changing environment
Employees in this position must be able to demonstrate the knowledge and skills necessary to provide care and/or service based on the physical, psycho/social, educational, safety, and related criteria appropriate to the age of the patients served in his/her assigned service area.
The lactation consultant will primarily be serving newborn infants and women of childbearing age including adolescent through middle adulthood.
Interface with families requires that an understanding of the dynamics between child and parent be present.
Employees in this position have access to protected health information. The protected health information a person in this position can access includes demographics, date of service, insurance/billing, medical record summary information, and all other information that may be contained in patient records.
This position requires patient health information to perform the functions outlined as part of this position description.

Nice To Haves

International Board Certified Lactation Consultant or obtain certification within 2 years of hire
Bilingual (Spanish/English) preferred
Experience supporting breastfeeding in NICU and the outpatient settings preferred

Responsibilities

Demonstrates leadership by supervising, directing, and delegating appropriately to volunteer team members
Demonstrates clinical expertise by serving as a clinical expert, role model, and clinical and educational resource to the team, patients, and families
Formulates a nursing diagnosis through observation of the patient's physical condition and behavior, and through interpretation of information obtained from the client and others, including the health team
Formulates an age-specific care plan, in collaboration with the patient, which ensures that direct and indirect nursing care services provide for the patient's safety, comfort, hygiene, and protection, and for disease prevention and restorative measures
Perform skills essential to the kind of nursing action to be taken, explains the health treatment to the patient and family and teaches the client and family how to care for the health needs
Delegates tasks to subordinates based on the legal scopes of practice of the subordinates and on the preparation and capability needed in the tasks to be delegated, and effectively supervises nursing care being given by subordinates
Evaluates the effectiveness of the care plan through observation of the patient's physical condition and behavior, signs and symptoms of illness, and reactions to treatment and through communication with the patient and health team members and modifies the plan as needed
Acts as the patient's advocate, as circumstances require, by initiating action to improve health care or to change decisions or activities, which are against the interests or wishes of the patient, and by giving the patient the opportunity to make informed decisions about health care before it is provided
Demonstrates professional accountability, as described by national lactation standards
Demonstrates expertise in the area of lactation consultation skills
Supervises and evaluates breastfeeding, teaching practices as demonstrated by staff to ensure consistency of teaching standards
Supervises and directs the development and implementation of an effective prenatal breastfeeding program at Marin General Hospital
In collaboration with the Clinical Nurse Manager, assists in the annual performance appraisal verifying each staff member’s clinical competence in breastfeeding practices. May initiate performance counseling and develop performance improvement plans as directed by the Clinical Nurse Manager
Initiates and receives referrals from the medical and nursing staffs, and coordinates the counseling of the breastfeeding family
Identifies, analyzes, and formulates a plan of care based on approved protocols that results in the attainment of the breastfeeding mother’s individual goals
Communicates with the medical and nursing staffs as well as other key hospital personnel the plan of care formulated with the patient to assure continuity of care
Acts as a role model and resource to the staff to communicate, implement, and support department objectives and standards as they relate to the breastfeeding family
Collaborates with physician advisors in the development and implementation of Lactation Program standards
Assesses educational needs of staff; conducts formal and informal inservices on relevant topics related to lactation management for the nursing and medical staffs; coordinates annual breastfeeding competencies for the nursing staff
Coordinates ongoing evaluation of patient satisfaction for the Lactation Program
Collaborates with the Family Centered Maternity and Intensive Care Nursery staff to ensure continuity of care regarding advice and follow-up plans
Develops, with staff, customer-oriented standards of care
Utilizes current research findings in practice to annually review the policies, procedures, and protocols related to lactation management
Initiates and/or participates in unit-based performance improvement activities
Serves as liaison with outpatient Lactation Programs in the community; coordinates teaching standards with outpatient programs to ensure continuum of care
Develops system for documentation of all patient-related activities
Other duties as assigned.