Lactation Support Consultant

At Houston Methodist the Lactation SupportConsultant position functions at the Proficient level according toBenners model of clinical practice and is responsible for womensservices patient educational needs to include breast feedingsupport under the general supervision of the Nurse Director. Inaddition to functioning as a staff nurse as needed this positionprovides professional patient nursing care to a diverse patientpopulation and is considered an expert in a specialty. Incollaboration with the Nurse Director Managers and Charge Nursesthe Lactation Support Consultant position is responsible for thequality of patient care through the provision of lactation supportor education and the development of guidance for the caregivers whosupport the childbearing families learning needs. This positionserves as a clinical resource for both unit and hospital staff andcoordinates unit and hospitalwide education in partnership withmanagement.

PEOPLE ESSENTIALFUNCTIONS

• Utilizes strongknowledge base in lactation support or womens health to educate thepatient in various settings grief support as needed and the overallchildbearing familys educational needs. Maintains an open line ofcommunication with Nurse Director Clinical Manager and ChargeNurses regarding actual or potential issues related to patienteducation/lactation.

• Providesconsultative support to the staff and physicians and serves as aproblem solver. Provides clinical resource expertise to cliniciansand providers. Collaborates to foster healthy relationships in thework environment such as mitigation ofconflict.

• Improves nursesatisfaction by serving as a role model and mentor as evidenced bythe annual RNRN teamwork score and interprofessional relationshipscore.

SERVICE ESSENTIALFUNCTIONS

• Assesses patientseducational and/or lactation support needs and provides clinicalsupport and resources to maternal patients across the entity and inthe community.

• Assessesfor staff educational needs then plans develops and implementsprograms related to patient educational needs to include lactation.Acts as a model and coaches staff in effective verbal nonverbal andwritten communication which includes active listening andteaching.

• Facilitates theplanning development and implementation of prenatal and/orbreastfeeding education classes at the direction ofleadership.

QUALITY/SAFETYESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Rolemodels highly developed assessment clinical documentationleadership and analytical skills; integrates and contributes toprofessional practice standards policies procedures protocols andleads improvements in patient safetyrelated processes. Contributesto development of service line and hospital standards andguidelines.

• Leads andsupports ongoing initiatives to improve quality and safety scoreson the unit and hospital scorecards through peertopeeraccountability reporting near misses and identifying solutions bycollaborating with the interprofessional team. Role modelssituational awareness using teachable moments to improvesafety.

• Follows thestandards related to regulatory requirements and professionalpractice as outlined in the Houston Methodist Professional NursingPractice document. Participates in the maternal and/or neonatalQAPI meetings collecting and analyzing data asappropriate.

FINANCEESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Modelsindependent time management effectively and prioritization of dailytasks. Actively participates in the stewardship and efficientutilization of resources and needs including unit capital andoperationalbudgets.

• Contributestowards meeting department financial targets on unitbased scorecardthrough decreasing length of stay optimizing efficiency and otherareas according to departmentspecifications.

GROWTH/INNOVATIONESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Leads andidentifies opportunities for practice changes and performanceimprovement. Investigates and incorporates evidencebased practiceswhich are presented to shared governance and leadership. Functionswillingly as a change agent adapts to unexpected changes convertingideas and plans intoaction.

• Activelyparticipates in designated hospital and shared governancecommittees disseminating necessary information to staff. Maintainspersonal professional development through organization membershipattendance at seminars workshops and other educational programs toensure awareness of current developments and trends in patienteducational needs. Completes and updates the individual developmentplan (IDP) on an ongoing basis

Thisjob description is not intended to be allinclusive; the employeewill also perform other reasonably related business/job duties asassigned. Houston Methodist reserves the right to revise job dutiesand responsibilities as the need arises.EDUCATION

• Bachelorof Science degree from an accredited School ofNursing

WORKEXPERIENCE

• Three yearsclinical experience in lactation support mother/baby and/or patienteducational activities/programs

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONSREQUIRED

• RN Registered NurseTexas State Licensure and/or Compact State Licensure within 60 daysOR
• RNTemp Registered NurseTemporary State Licensure within 60 daysAND
• BLS Basic Life Support(AHA) AND
• NRP NeonatalResuscitation AND
• MagnetANCC Recognized Certification in a womens services specialty.International BoardCertified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) ispreferred. OR
• CLC CertifiedLactation Counselor (ALPP)

KNOWLEDGE SKILLSAND ABILITIES

• Demonstratesthe skills and competencies necessary to safely perform theassigned job determined through ongoing skills competencyassessments and performanceevaluations

• Sufficientproficiency in speaking reading and writing the English languagenecessary to perform the essential functions of this job especiallywith regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety orsecurity

• Ability toeffectively communicate with patients physicians family members andcoworkers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus andapplication of positive languageprinciples

• Ability tobuild evidencebased practice into the clinicalsetting

• Demonstratesability to plan organize and follow through on assignments and/orprojects

• Exhibitsleadership abilities including collaborative consultative andcoaching skills

SUPPLEMENTALREQUIREMENTS

WORKATTIRE

• UniformNo
• Scrubs Yes
• Businessprofessional Yes
• Other (department approved)No

ONCALL*
*Notethat employees may be required to be oncall during emergencies (ie.DIsaster Severe Weather Events etc) regardless of selectionbelow.

• On Call*No

TRAVEL**
**Travelspecifications may vary bydepartment**

• May requiretravel within the Houston Metropolitan areaNo
• May require travel outside HoustonMetropolitan areaNo

CompanyProfile:

Houston Methodist CypressHospital scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025 will beHouston Methodists ninth hospital and will incorporate the mostadvanced technology available from the day the doors open. With 100beds (at our opening; licensed for 276) and a prime location in theheart of the rapidly growing U.S. 290 corridor the hospital will beequipped with technologically advanced innovations implementedduring COVID many of them designed to make patient communicationwith physicians staff and families the very best and most effectivein any health care facility. Even though the hospital wont be fullyoperational until 2025 we have several services and specialtiesopening in 2024.

Houston Methodist is an equalopportunity employer inclusive of women minorities disabled personsand veterans.

Equal EmploymentOpportunity

Houston Methodist isan Equal Opportunity Employer.

Equal employmentopportunity is a sound and just concept to which Houston Methodistis firmly bound. Houston Methodist will not engage indiscrimination against or harassment of any person employed orseeking employment with Houston Methodist on the basis of racecolor religion sex sexual orientation gender identity nationalorigin age disability status as a protected veteran or othercharacteristics protected by law. VEVRAA Federal Contractorpriority referral Protected Veteransrequested.

Remote Work :

No

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