At Houston Methodist, the Lactation Support Consultant position functions at the Proficient level according to Benner's model of clinical practice and is responsible for women's services patient educational needs to include breastfeeding support under the general supervision of the Nurse Director. In addition to functioning as a staff nurse as needed, this position provides professional patient nursing care to a diverse patient population and is considered an expert in a specialty. In collaboration with the Nurse Director, Managers, and Charge Nurses, the Lactation Support Consultant position is responsible for the quality of patient care through the provision of lactation support or education and the development of guidance for the caregivers who support the childbearing families' learning needs. This position serves as a clinical resource for both unit and hospital staff and coordinates unit and hospital-wide education in partnership with management.
PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS- Utilizes strong knowledge base in lactation support or women's health to educate the patient in various settings, grief support as needed, and the overall childbearing family's educational needs. Maintains an open line of communication with Nurse Director, Clinical Manager, and Charge Nurses regarding actual or potential issues related to patient education/lactation.
- Provides consultative support to the staff and physicians and serves as a problem solver. Provides clinical resource expertise to clinicians and providers. Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in the work environment such as mitigation of conflict.
- Improves nurse satisfaction by serving as a role model and mentor, as evidenced by the annual RN-RN teamwork score and interprofessional relationship score.
SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS- Assesses patient's educational and/or lactation support needs and provides clinical support and resources to maternal patients across the entity and in the community.
- Assesses for staff educational needs, then plans, develops, and implements programs related to patient educational needs to include lactation. Acts as a model and coaches staff in effective verbal, non-verbal, and written communication, which includes active listening and teaching.
- Facilitates the planning, development, and implementation of prenatal and/or breastfeeding education classes, at the direction of leadership.
QUALITY/SAFETY ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS- Role models highly developed assessment, clinical documentation, leadership, and analytical skills; integrates and contributes to professional practice standards, policies, procedures, protocols, and leads improvements in patient safety-related processes. Contributes to the development of service line and hospital standards and guidelines.
- Leads and supports ongoing initiatives to improve quality and safety scores on the unit and hospital scorecards, through peer-to-peer accountability, reporting near misses, and identifying solutions by collaborating with the interprofessional team. Role models situational awareness, using teachable moments to improve safety.
- Follows the standards related to regulatory requirements and professional practice as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional Nursing Practice document. Participates in the maternal and/or neonatal QAPI meetings, collecting and analyzing data as appropriate.
FINANCE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS- Models independent time management effectively and prioritization of daily tasks. Actively participates in the stewardship and efficient utilization of resources and needs including unit capital and operational budgets.
- Contributes towards meeting department financial targets on unit-based scorecard through decreasing length of stay, optimizing efficiency, and other areas according to department specifications.
GROWTH/INNOVATION ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS- Leads and identifies opportunities for practice changes and performance improvement. Investigates and incorporates evidence-based practices which are presented to shared governance and leadership. Functions willingly as a change agent, adapts to unexpected changes, converting ideas and plans into action.
- Actively participates in designated hospital and shared governance committees, disseminating necessary information to staff. Maintains personal professional development through organization membership, attendance at seminars, workshops, and other educational programs, to ensure awareness of current developments and trends in patient educational needs. Completes and updates the individual development plan (IDP) on an ongoing basis.
This job description is not intended to be all-inclusive; the employee will also perform other reasonably related business/job duties as assigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job duties and responsibilities as the need arises.
EDUCATION- Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited School of Nursing
WORK EXPERIENCE- Three years clinical experience in lactation support, mother/baby, and/or patient educational activities/programs
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