Lactation Consultant - Birth Center

Employment Type: Part time Shift: Day Shift Description: PRN position for certified IBCLC within MercyOne Dubuque Birth Center, NICU, Pediatrics and Maternal Health Clinic. Provides bedside support, facilitates weekly support group for new patients and bi-weekly coffee group for "graduated" families. Provides education in maternal health clinic and meet with patients requesting outpatient visit or weight check. Currnent IBCLC certification mandatory, in addition to completion of BLS and Mandatory Rporter. Position: Lactation Consultant Department: Birth Center Status: PRN POSITION PURPOSE  As an allied health care provider, demonstrates skills, knowledge and philosophy required to facilitate and promote breast feeding. Support patients with their decision to not breastfeed, including providing education and resources. Provides care and support specific for the breastfeeding patient population by utilizing components of the nursing process. Develops, plans, implements, evaluates, and coordinates comprehensive multi-disciplinary care and consultation for breastfeeding clients and their families throughout the perinatal continuum, both in routine and special lactation circumstances. Integrates cultural, psychosocial, nutritional, and pharmacological aspects of breastfeeding in lactation consultant practice and clinical decision making. Makes appropriate referrals to other health care providers. Interprets current lactation research findings to determine appropriateness for application to practice. Utilizes adult learning principles in providing educational experiences for breastfeeding clients, health care providers, regional referral agencies, and the community. Serves as a client advocate by developing and maintaining a collaborative, supportive relationship with clients, emphasizing individualized family care, client autonomy and informed decision making. Maintains effective communication skills to achieve optimal perinatal and breastfeeding outcomes. Serves as a resource to, and role models, lactation support for other members of the health care team. Demonstrates professional leadership while implementing maternal child health and MercyOne Medical Center philosophies, objectives, standards of care, policies, and procedures.   ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS  Knows, understands, incorporates, and demonstrates the Trinity Health Mission, Vision, and Values in behaviors, practices, and decisions.   Utilizes the nursing process to assess, plan, implement, and evaluate simple and complex breastfeeding and early parenting issues.  Obtains appropriate health and breastfeeding history and assessment, including pregnancy and birth history, past and present lactation and breastfeeding history, and breastfeeding goals.   Seeks mother's perception of breast-feeing problem and infant behavior, including feeding, sleeping, crying, socialization and elimination patterns.  Assesses interactions of the mother and the baby, as well as, dynamics of the feeding process and temperament, behavior, and emotional status.   Assesses the appearance and condition of the mother's breasts and the transfer of breast milk from the mother to the infant.  Evaluates infant behavior and growth patterns, maternal and infant medication intake, and interactions of the mother and baby.  Applies nursing and breastfeeding theories in making clinical decisions involving the needs of the breastfeeding family.   Works in conjunction with infant and mother's primary health care provider(s).  Provides a level of care that facilitates continued health and wellness, particularly as it relates to breastfeeding management and early parenting issues.   Helps breastfeeding women and their families achieve their own breastfeeding goals.  Individualizes and prioritizes to meet the physical and emotional needs of the breastfeeding mother and infant.  Assists clients to make informed decisions and enhance compliance through education and counseling. Incorporates principles of safety, hygiene, infection control and universal precautions and includes both benefits and possible risks associated with recommended procedures, techniques, and/or devices.  Consults with other members of the health care team regarding breastfeeding dyads who are experiencing difficulties related or effecting breastfeeding, who are receiving treatment modalities that could interfere with breastfeeding or are high risk for developing breastfeeding problems.   Demonstrates a leadership role and serves as a resource for members of the interdisciplinary team caring for the breastfeeding dyad.   Provides or participates in learning opportunities to meet the educational needs of the breastfeeding family, interdisciplinary team, and community at large by assessing, formulating, and initiating teaching plans to meet those needs.  Assures that breastfeeding interventions and instructions are appropriate and understood by the mother and her support person(s).  Demonstrates all recommended procedures, techniques, and/or devices to the mother and enhances mother's understanding and compliance by requiring mother to perform return demonstrations.   Provides written information and instructions to reinforce verbal instructions and ensures mother knows how to clean and care for all devices recommended for her and/or infant's use.   Facilities referrals to other health care providers as needed, either through Lactation Consultant role or through primary health care provider.   Develops an orientation program in regard to breastfeeding and provides ongoing education programs for perinatal staff, as well as other personnel in the hospital and community who come in contact with breastfeeding dyads.   Develops and provides ongoing formal and informal education and support programs for perinatal clients, breastfeeding families, and the community.   Documents interventions and outcomes for clients, as well as, to communicate with other professional care providers.  Develops documentation records pertinent to the assessment, history, analysis of maternal/infant status, interventions facilitated, expected outcomes, and continued follow-up facilitated.  Develops breastfeeding policies and procedures which are evidence based and meet current obstetrical/neonatal and breastfeeding standards of care and research. Reviews policies according to guidelines.  Documents ongoing plan of care, communication with primary healthcare provider, and evaluation of the plan of care.  Collaborates with Performance Improvement staff to trend breastfeeding activities, and supply/equipment utilization after compiling data which evaluates effectiveness of the lactation program.  Facilitates and documents follow through with clients with whom he/she has established a relationship, including in-patients seen on daily rounds, clients post-discharge, NICU families, outpatients, and client contacts by telephone.  Sees patients in the MercyOne Maternal Prenatal Clinic on a weekly basis to establish relationships, and deliver education, before and after delivery.   Maintains effective communication with clients and members of the health care team to achieve desired patient outcomes.  Obtains mother's written consent to initiate any type of care, including communication with dyad's primary health care providers.  Conducts self in a professional manner with all customers.  Gives constructive feedback to team members.  Demonstrates a caring, empathetic, and compassionate approach to clients and team members regardless of physical or mental conditions.   Establishes therapeutic relationship with clients, advocating for the breastfeeding dyad and for the infant while also supporting non-breastfeeding dyads.  When providing mother with information to help her make informed decisions, communicates directly with the nursing dyad's primary care provider(s) and does not delegate this responsibility to the mother.  Develops written community resource list(s) and provides to clients an team members.  Evaluates individual lactation practice by seeking peer input and progress toward goals established for professional development.  Remains current via ongoing participation in professional programs and relevant research projects, as well as, reading materials from all disciplines which can impact lactation and breastfeeding management. In addition, shares this material with disciplines as appropriate.  Actively participates in staff and interdisciplinary meetings and discusses lactation issues. Meets with appropriate vendors to assure availability of supplies and equipment to support breastfeeding dyads.  Ongoing review of patient educational booklet to reflect most up to date practices.  Participates in process improvement activities to improve outcomes and enhance perinatal/maternal/newborn practice.  Identifies process improvement concerns related to lactation and perinatal services.   Actively represent the breastfeeding dyad through active participation in the maternal child process improvement team.   Assists in developing a mechanism to evaluate the effectiveness of the lactation program and make recommendations for improvement.  Demonstrates ability to impact change within department, with other departments, and within the health care system.   Promotes and establishes effective relationships within the department, with other departments, physicians, hospital guests and clients.  Maintains rapport and cooperative working relationship (teamwork) within the department and other departments. Approaches conflict in a constructive manner, ie identifying the problems, offering solutions, and participating in the resolution.   Exemplifies a customer focused attitude which is responding with respect, care and compassion to the physical and emotional needs of our guests and clients.   Takes an active role in enhancing abilities to carry out job functions through personal and professional/job-related growth and development.  Seeks the majority of continuing education requirements in areas that will be most beneficial to their unit and this employee.  Participates in all hospital and/or departmentally mandates educational programs on a timely, pro-active basis.  Actively participates in departmental activities (staff meetings, committees, mandatory education/simulations)  Demonstrates an interest in developing oneself within their current role (ie educational programs, related reading materials, personal growth workshops, etc)  Strives for individual performance excellence within the job in order to help the department achieve its goals.  Incorporates assisting with patients on unit, including surgical patients, when census dictates.  Assists nursing staff with completing education, including discharge instructions, return baths, etc.  Assists with staffing in times of high census and/or increased needs, as requested by charge nurse or director.  Responsible for daily operations of milk bank depot and milk dispensary.   LEADERSHIP COMPETENCIES      As a MercyOne Trinity Health Leader, the incumbent is expected to demonstrate leadership traits which support our Mission Statement and Core Values as identified below:   Mission Statement:  We, MercyOne Trinity Health, serve together in the spirit of the Gospel as a compassionate and transforming healing presence within our communities.  Core Values:  Reverence:  We honor the sacredness and dignity of every person.  Commitment to Those who are Poor:  We stand with and serve those who are poor, especially those most vulnerable.  Safety: We embrace a culture that prevents harm and nurtures a healing, safe environment for all.   Justice:  We foster right relationships to promote the common good, including sustainability of Earth.  Stewardship:  We honor our heritage and hold ourselves accountable for the human, financial and natural resources entrusted to our care.  Integrity: We are faithful to those we say we are.  MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS  Graduate of an Associate Degree or Baccalaureate degree nursing program.   Active and current license for Registered Nurse  Active and current International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant certification.  Maintains certification in CPR, NRP and Mandatory Reporter.  Minimum two years' experience and demonstrated competency in maternal child health care setting.  Must possess excellent verbal and written communications skills, presentation skills, advanced analytical skills, be well organized and maintain a highly professional manner and appearance.  Strong interpersonal, consultative and relationship building skills in order to initiate and develop productive collaborative partnership with all levels of leadership across the organization.    Must be comfortable operating in a collaborative, shared leadership environment.   Must possess a personal presence that is characterized by a sense of honesty, integrity, and caring with the ability to inspire and motivate others to promote the philosophy, mission, vision, goals, and values of Trinity Health.   PHYSICAL AND MENTAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORKING CONDITIONS  Must be able to set and organize own work priorities and adapt to them as they change frequently.  Must be able to work concurrently on a variety of tasks/projects in an environment that may be stressful with individuals having diverse personalities and work styles.  Must possess the ability to comply with Trinity Health policies and procedures.    Our Commitment to Diversity and Inclusion  Trinity Health is one of the largest not-for-profit, Catholic healthcare systems in the nation. Built on the foundation of our Mission and Core Values, we integrate diversity, equity, and inclusion in all that we do. Our colleagues have different lived experiences, customs, abilities, and talents. Together, we become our best selves. A diverse and inclusive workforce provides the most accessible and equitable care for those we serve. Trinity Health is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other status protected by law.

Created: 2025-04-19