Lactation Team Lead

Job Detail

Job Title : Lactation Team Lead

Lactation Team Lead

Department : Unit

Unit

Location : Farmington

Farmington

FTE% : Shift

Shift

Search # : 2024-1286

2024-1286

Closing Date : Recruiter :

Recruiter : McNamara, Elizabeth

McNamara, Elizabeth

Additional Links :

UConn Health is looking for an experienced Lactation Team Lead for our Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

This position assists in supervising and coordinating the day-to-day activities and operations of the Lactation Program;

ensures adherence to organizational and unit policies and procedures. Collaborates with patients, families, peers, physicians and other members of the heath care team in coordination of lactation services.

Performs direct lactation consultation in addition to leadership responsibilities.

SUPERVISION RECEIVED : Works under general supervision of the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Nurse Manager

SUPERVISION EXERCISED : Lead / supervises Lactation nurses and other staff as assigned.

SCHEDULE : 72 hours every two weeks, eight hour days with rotating weekends and holidays as needed to meet needs of patients and staff.

30-minute unpaid meal break.

EXAMPLES OF DUTIES : Unit Leadership

Unit Leadership

Assists the NICU Manager in supervising and coordinating the day-to-day activities and operations of the Lactation Service.

Ensures adequate staffing levels by functioning as a Team Leader; understands and takes into consideration all lactation needs within the institution, and appropriately allocates / assigns staffing resources based on those needs.

Facilitates teamwork and cooperation among staff, effectively follows up and resolves routine employee relations issues, seeking support from NICU manager with more complex issues.

Participates in the selection, hiring and orientation process for unit staff; participates in all phases of the performance management process (planning, ongoing feedback / coaching, appraisal) for assigned staff.

Facilitates staff meetings.

Participates in a variety of administrative managerial activities such as the development, implementation, and enforcement of Lactation policies and procedures.

Clinical

Demonstrates theory-based practice in evaluating infant readiness for breastfeeding.

Interpreting the changing physiological and developmental attributes of the mother-infant dyad, and recommending a plan of action to support the breastfeeding dyad.

Plans and prioritizes individualized patient care in accordance with standards of care for lactation support and approved policies and procedures.

Supervises planning and implementation of plans of care for very difficult / complex clinical cases.

Multi-disciplinary Collaboration

Demonstrates effective communication and collaboration skills with all members of the health care team.

Develops, or assists others in developing comprehensive plans of care that recognize the multidisciplinary contributions to patient care.

Represents Lactation Services at Health Care Team meetings and other multidisciplinary planning groups as scheduling permits.

Documentation

Completes all required documentation in a timely manner, according to approved policies and standards.

Necessary information is effectively communicated to all members of the health care team.

Serves as a role model and provides feedback to lactation staff regarding compliance with hospital documentation standards.

Supervises efforts and works directly on new documentation tools and procedures.

Patient / Family Partnership and Education

Follows through to resolution issues identified in patient satisfaction survey.

Partners with family in evaluating outcomes.

Monitors, trends, and evaluates patient / family responses to treatment.

Provides appropriate education to families regarding all aspects of lactation support according to the approved policies and standards;

supports the organization's efforts to patient / family education.

Quality Improvement

Demonstrates commitment to continuous quality improvement; leads change processes by independently coordinating lactation based quality improvement activities for the department and or organization.

Collaborates in the review and development of policies and procedures.

Implements improvements, ensuring appropriate education of affected staff; and ensures system for ongoing monitoring and evaluation.

Identifies department issues and leads quality improvement and / or research activities directed toward improving patient care.

Population Specific

Demonstrates knowledge of the differences and needs of patients in appropriate, specific populations from neonate through adolescence and applies them to practice.

Demonstrates cultural sensitivity in all interactions with patients / families; collaborates with manager and others to develop a systematic approach to addressing the population-specific differences of patients / families.

Coordinates and performs lactation education activities while partnering with the Education Department and other members of the health care team.

Performs other related duties as required.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS REQUIRED :

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES :

Considerable knowledge of theory, principles, techniques and practice of professional nursing and lactation consulting.

State regulations regarding nursing practice; clinical standards of care; documentation and patient record policies and standards;

teaching techniques; identification of learning needs and provision of patient / family and staff education; developmental and population-specific patient & family assessment techniques and how to apply to practice.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills and the ability to work effectively with a wide range of constituencies in a diverse community;
• proficiency in utilization of personal computers in networked Sunrise-based health care environment to access related software applications;

SMS, NICU database, Lactation Database : locate, open, edit and print files; and use of Internet as research tool.

Demonstrate leadership and management skills or potential to learn including communication, conflict resolution, team building, problem solving and decision-making.

Ability to work individually or with within teams and / or other organizations within the medical and research community;

make clinical and procedural decisions using the nursing process.

Maintain confidentiality of information; delegate appropriately to ancillary staff; communicate effectively with individuals and groups both orally and in writing;

supervise and train employees, foster employee development and performance management.

GENERAL EXPERIENCE AND TRAINING :

Graduate of accredited nursing program, Bachelor's Degree in Nursing preferred.

Current State of Connecticut Registered Nurse licensure, required to maintain thereafter.

Current International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Certification, required to maintain.

Current Basic Life Support (BLS) CPR in adult, child & infant is required and maintained current.

SPECIAL REQUIREMENT : Current International Board Certified Lactation Consultant Certification.

WORKING CONDITIONS :

May have exposure to communicable / infectious diseases.

May have some weekend and evening requirements within the realm of the job responsibility

WHY UCONN HEALTH

UConn Health is a vibrant, integrated academic medical center that is entering an era of unprecedented growth in all three areas of its mission : academics, research, and clinical care.

A commitment to human health and well-being has been of utmost importance to UConn Health since the founding of the University of Connecticut schools of Medicine and Dental Medicine in 1961.

Based on a strong foundation of groundbreaking research, first-rate education, and quality clinical care, we have expanded our medical missions over the decades.

In just over 50 years, UConn Health has evolved to encompass more research endeavors, to provide more ways to access our superior care, and to innovate both practical medicine and our methods of educating the practitioners of tomorrow.