Lactation Support Consultant

At Houston Methodist the Lactation Support Consultant position functions at the Proficient level according to Benners model of clinical practice and is responsible for womens services patient educational needs to include breast feeding 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 hospitalwide education in partnership with management.

PEOPLE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

Utilizes strong knowledge base in lactation support or womens health to educate the patient in various settings grief support as needed and the overall childbearing familys 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 RNRN teamwork score and interprofessional relationship score.

SERVICE ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assesses patients 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 nonverbal 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 safetyrelated processes.

Contributes to 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 peertopeer 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 unitbased 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 evidencebased 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 allinclusive; 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

LICENSES AND CERTIFICATIONS REQUIRED

• RN Registered Nurse Texas State Licensure and / or Compact State Licensure within 60 days OR
• RNTemp Registered Nurse Temporary State Licensure within 60 days AND
• BLS Basic Life Support (AHA) AND
• NRP Neonatal Resuscitation AND
• Magnet ANCC Recognized Certification in a womens services specialty. International BoardCertified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC) is preferred. OR
• CLC Certified Lactation Counselor (ALPP)

KNOWLEDGE SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Demonstrates the skills and competencies necessary to safely perform the assigned job determined through ongoing skills competency assessments and performance evaluations
• Sufficient proficiency in speaking reading and writing the English language necessary to perform the essential functions of this job especially with regard to activities impacting patient or employee safety or security
• Ability to effectively communicate with patients physicians family members and coworkers in a manner consistent with a customer service focus and application of positive language principles
• Ability to build evidencebased practice into the clinical setting
• Demonstrates ability to plan organize and follow through on assignments and / or projects
• Exhibits leadership abilities including collaborative consultative and coaching skills

SUPPLEMENTAL REQUIREMENTS

WORK ATTIRE

• Uniform No
• Scrubs Yes
• Business professional Yes
• Other (department approved) No

ONCALL*

• Note that employees may be required to be oncall during emergencies (ie. DIsaster Severe Weather Events etc) regardless of selection below.
• On Call* No

TRAVEL

Travel specifications may vary by department

• May require travel within the Houston Metropolitan area No
• May require travel outside Houston Metropolitan area No

Company Profile :

Houston Methodist Cypress Hospital scheduled to open in the first quarter of 2025 will be Houston Methodists ninth hospital and will incorporate the most advanced technology available from the day the doors open.

With 100 beds (at our opening; licensed for 276) and a prime location in the heart of the rapidly growing U.S. 290 corridor the hospital will be equipped with technologically advanced innovations implemented during COVID many of them designed to make patient communication with physicians staff and families the very best and most effective in any health care facility.

Even though the hospital wont be fully operational until 2025 we have several services and specialties opening in 2024.

Houston Methodist is an equal opportunity employer inclusive of women minorities disabled persons and veterans.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Houston Methodist is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Equal employment opportunity is a sound and just concept to which Houston Methodist is firmly bound. Houston Methodist will not engage in discrimination against or harassment of any person employed or seeking employment with Houston Methodist on the basis of race color religion sex sexual orientation gender identity national origin age disability status as a protected veteran or other characteristics protected by law.

VEVRAA Federal Contractor priority referral Protected Veterans requested.

Remote Work :