Registered Nurse (RN) - Lactation Consultant

Advocate Health•Chicago, IL

6d•$38 - $57•Onsite

About The Position

The RN Lactation Consultant is a registered professional nurse who provides holistic nursing care to individuals, groups, families, and communities through the nursing process. The role supports mothers and babies experiencing lactation and breastfeeding concerns, develops and implements lactation plans of care, and coordinates care with health care providers and the broader health care team. The consultant also serves as a liaison between the hospital and community, providing ongoing expertise, education, and support. The position provides lactation education to mothers, families, patients, and health care team members, and develops an annual lactation education program for the health care team. It contributes to lactation program development, policies, procedures, quality and safety monitoring, and phone consultation services. The consultant evaluates and applies research findings, maintains current knowledge of lactation practice, and participates in research and continuing education. This is a part-time position at 0.6 FTE, averaging 24 hours per week, scheduled for two 12-hour day shifts each week. The schedule includes every other weekend and every other holiday. Flexible hours may be needed according to customer needs. The role involves direct patient care and may require patient lifting and transfers, use of patient-handling equipment, and work in a fast-paced environment. Exposure to hazardous materials and life-threatening diseases may occur.

Requirements

Current Registered Nurse (RN) license in Illinois.
Bachelor's degree in nursing (BSN), required effective April 2, 2017.
At least 3 years of experience in Maternal Child Nursing.
Current certification as an International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), or certification as a Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC), Certified Lactation Specialist (CLS), Certified Lactation Educator (CLE), or Certified Breastfeeding Specialist (CBS), with IBCLC certification required within 2 years of hire or transfer.
Current Basic Life Support (BLS) certification through the American Heart Association.
NRP certification as required by the site.
Ability to prioritize work independently and respond to multiple simultaneous requests.
Basic computer skills and effective interpersonal communication skills.
Ability to use critical thinking for timely decision-making and collaborate as a member of the health care team.
Knowledge of lactation equipment and supplies.
Ability to demonstrate commitment to patient-focused care and work in a fast-paced environment with established time constraints and difficult situations.
Ability to recognize the needs and behaviors of the specific age groups and cultures of patients treated.
Ability to lift up to 35 pounds without assistance. For patient lifts over 35 pounds, or when a patient cannot assist, patient-handling equipment and another associate are expected to be used when available.

Responsibilities

Serve as a consultant when lactation difficulties are beyond the knowledge or training of the health care provider.
Consult on, develop, and implement lactation plans of care.
Serve as a liaison or facilitator between the community and hospital, providing expertise, education, and support to groups and individuals.
Coordinate communication between the hospital and health care provider offices and maintain communication with providers about patients experiencing lactation and breastfeeding problems.
Assess, plan, intervene, and evaluate care according to the stages of life and developmental status.
Educate mothers and families in correct lactation management and educate patients, families, and health care team members.
Develop and implement an annual lactation education program for the health care team.
Participate in lactation program development and implementation and work with the appropriate shared governance structure on lactation issues.
Participate in developing lactation policies, procedures, algorithms, and guidelines at site and system levels.
Identify, monitor, and evaluate quality and safety issues related to practice.
Maintain a phone consultation system for lactation questions and problems.
Represent the lactation department at unit, system, and community meetings.
Collect comprehensive assessment data regarding the health condition of the mother and baby, analyze the data, create nursing diagnoses, and determine interventions.
Coordinate implementation of the plan of care with the health care team, provide consultation to influence care plans, and evaluate progress toward goals and health outcomes.
Evaluate and integrate research findings into lactation practice and maintain current knowledge of lactation research.
Participate in lactation research projects and pursue relevant continuing education.

Benefits

Paid Time Off programs.
Medical, dental, vision, life, and short- and long-term disability benefits.
Flexible Spending Accounts for eligible health care and dependent care expenses.
Adoption assistance and paid parental leave.
Defined contribution retirement plans with employer match and other financial wellness programs.
Educational Assistance Program.
Premium pay, such as shift and on-call pay, based on the teammate's job.
Incentive pay for select positions.
Opportunity for annual increases based on performance.
Career development programs.