Lactation Consultant

Overview

Provides a variety of education and support services for breast-feeding patients and families, the Women and Infant Care population, medical staff, and the community. Must demonstrate knowledge and skills necessary to provide care appropriate to the age of the patients served on assigned units.

What You Will Do

• Demonstrates consistent fiscal accountability, recommending and participating in supply utilization changes that support cost containment, and providing feedback on new equipment/product evaluations.
• Actively informs breast-feeding patients of available resources, such as private outpatient lactation consultation appointments, rental of hospital-grade breast pumps, and assistance with work orders for ordering breast pumps from durable medical equipment (DME).
• Absolutely ensures patients/customers can obtain physician orders for breast pumps or outpatient lactation consultations.
• Maintains all documentation independently, including Mother Baby Dyad electronic Health Record charting for inpatients and during outpatient lactation consultation appointments.
• Participates in Women and Infant Care Complex (WICU, L&D, and NICU) department and facility staff meetings and in-services to enhance patient care, unit GPW scores, and service standards.
• Seeks opportunities to provide in-service breast-feeding educational training to improve patient care regarding breast-feeding.
• Orients new nurses/lactation consultants in the Women and Infant Care Complex, including shadowing them as needed to round on patients who choose to breast-feed their babies.
• Rounds on all new inpatient mothers in the Women and Infant Care Unit, offering education and encouragement as needed to support their transition to breastfeeding.
• Delivers quality breast-feeding assistance, support, and resources to help mothers get off to a successful start with breastfeeding their baby.
• Provides a free breast-feeding support group for patients after discharge to continue education and boost confidence in continuing to breast-feed their baby.
• Capable of recognizing and responding to variances in patient care/condition, notifying physicians and teams as necessary.
• Builds trusting collaborative relationships with patients, families, staff peers, physicians, and other disciplines/ancillary services.
• Completes the problem-solving cycle from identification to resolution to maximize opportunities or minimize problems, collaborating with OB physicians, neonatologists, and nurses from L&D, NICU, and Women and Infant Care.
• Behaves in ways that reflect commitment to colleagues.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s Degree in Lactation or equivalent program (preferred)
• Two years of lactation consulting experience (preferred)
• Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) certification from the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners within two years (required)
• Registered Nurse (RN) license from the Virginia Department of Health Professions upon hire (required)
• Certified Lactation Counselor (CLC) certification from the Academy of Lactation Policy and Practice upon hire (required)
• CPR/BLS certification from the American Heart Association/American Red Cross/American Safety and Health Institute (preferred)