Lactation Consultant, Lactation Center, Full-Time, Evenings

About Marinhealth

Are you looking for a place where you are empowered to bring innovation to reality? Join MarinHealth, an integrated, independent healthcare system with deep roots throughout the North Bay. With a world-class physician and clinical team, an affiliation with UCSF Health, an ever-expanding network of clinics, and a new state-of-the-art hospital, MarinHealth is growing quickly. MarinHealth comprises MarinHealth Medical Center, a 327-bed hospital in Greenbrae, and 55 primary care and specialty clinics in Marin, Sonoma, and Napa Counties. We attract healthcare’s most talented trailblazers who appreciate having the best of both worlds: the pioneering medicine of an academic medical center combined with an independent hospital's personalized, caring touch.

Job Description Summary

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.

Job Specifications

• Education: 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.
• Experience: 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.
• Licenses and Certifications: California RN license (RN) required at hire. Integrative Agitation Management (IAMTAC) Required within 30 days of hire.

Job Requirements, Prerequisites and Essential Functions

• Maintain Continuing Education Requirements: Maintains own continuing education requirements for certification.
• Knowledge and Creativity: Utilizes and manages supplies and equipment in most cost-effective manner. Uses creativity to induce change and to stimulate new program development.
• Communication Skills: 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.

Primary Customer Served (Age Specific Criteria)

• Infants: Birth up to 1 year
• Toddlers: 1 up to 3 years
• Preschool Children: 3 up to 6 years
• School Age Children: 6 up to 12 years
• Adolescents: 12 up to 18 years
• Early Adults: 18 up to 45 years
• Middle Adults: 45 up to 61 years
• Late Adults: 61 up to 80 years
• Late, Late Adults: 80 years and up

Duties And Responsibilities

• Leadership: Demonstrates leadership by supervising, directing, and delegating appropriately to volunteer team members.
• Clinical Expertise: Demonstrates clinical expertise by serving as a clinical expert, role model, and clinical and educational resource to the team, patients, and families.
• Nursing Process: 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. Performs 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.
• Expertise in Lactation Consultation: 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.