The RN Lactation Consultant is a registered professional nurse who provides holistic nursing care through the nursing process to individuals, groups, families, or communities. This role involves collecting comprehensive data through assessment pertinent to the mother and baby's health, analyzing this data to create nursing diagnoses and determine necessary interventions, coordinating the plan of care implementation with the health care team, consulting to influence the identified plan to enhance the abilities of others and effect change, and evaluating progress towards goals and health outcomes. The consultant serves as a communication link between the hospital and healthcare provider's office to assure coordination of patient care and maintains communication with healthcare providers concerning patients experiencing lactation and breastfeeding problems. They also serve as a consultant when difficulties with lactation are beyond the knowledge and/or training of the healthcare provider, consults, develops, and implements lactation plans of care, and serves as a liaison and/or facilitator between the community and hospital providing ongoing expertise, education, and support to groups and individuals. Additionally, the role involves providing education for mothers and families in correct lactation management, educating patients, families, and healthcare team members, and developing and implementing an annual lactation educational program for the healthcare team. The position also participates in lactation program development and implementation, works with the appropriate shared governance structure on issues relating to lactation, participates in the development of policies, procedures, algorithms, and guidelines specific to lactation practice, identifies, monitors, and evaluates quality and safety issues related to practice, maintains a phone consultation system for lactation questions and problems, and represents the lactation department at unit/system/community meetings. The role also evaluates and integrates research findings into lactation practice, maintains current knowledge of lactation research, participates in lactation research projects, and pursues continuing education relevant to lactation consultant practice.
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Job Type
Part-time
Career Level
Mid Level