Lactation Coordinator

Lactation Coordinator Lead

The Lactation Coordinator Lead demonstrates expert clinical lactation skills, and provides guidance to the Lactation team within the Rush Women's and Children's department. This role will also provide leadership in the orientation and mentoring of all lactation staff. The individual who holds this position exemplifies the Rush mission, vision and values and acts in accordance with Rush policies and procedures as well as regulatory readiness.

Required Job Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree
• Current Illinois nursing license
• Three years of related work experience
• Current Basic Life Support (BLS) Certification
• Certification as an IBCLC, including acquisition of CERPs or re-examination, as appropriate

Preferred Job Qualifications

• Master's degree

Competencies

• Ability to communicate and work effectively with women and families from a variety of ethnic, cultural, and economic backgrounds.
• Ability to work collaboratively with Lactation team, Rush NICU physicians, nurses, dietitians, social workers, and other healthcare providers.
• Ability to work efficiently, complete assignments independently, and demonstrate excellent attention to detail.
• Flexibility to meet the scheduling needs of the lactation team

Responsibilities

• Demonstrates expert clinical lactation skills by consistently identifying, assessing, and solving issues within scope of practice; demonstrates expert clinical judgment in complicated lactation/human milk scenarios
• Oversee the receipt, transport, and handling of donor milk and Prolacta
• Ensures donor milk is being handled safely, accurately, with use of sterile technique, and is conserved to the greatest extent.
• Implement strategies and work in collaboration with the Women's and Children's leadership to achieve optimal breastfeeding outcomes for parents within the department.
• Develop and identifies new approaches to clinical challenges and methods to solve
• Develop new and update lactation written materials, policies, and procedures
• Develop plans with the Unit Director to meet unit educational needs of all members of the team; provides accurate education on current lactation practices and updates on research-based information to staff on a regular basis
• Manages the Women and Children's Nursing breast pump rental program
• Assumes primary responsibility for the safety and management of expressed human milk to be fed
• Assists with evaluating procedures, developing, and implementing the safety handling of milk
• Plan the weekly Mothers' Milk Club® meeting by identifying and planning discussion topics for mothers such as research articles and handouts for distribution at the meeting
• Manage initiatives for that provide insight and research
• Identifies ongoing educational needs for lactation staff.
• Serve as a representative for the Rush Mothers' Milk Club in its relationships with local, regional, and national organizations that prioritize lactation, breastfeeding, and the use of human milk
• Provides lactation care for families in 8A, L&D, PICU, peds, and adult units throughout the hospital as appropriate
• Demonstrate leadership in the development and implementation of an individual breastfeeding management plan for mothers with complications that necessitate hospitalization in clinical areas.
• Serve as a resource for nurses, physicians, and other healthcare providers in these clinical units (e.g., medical/surgical/cardiac ICU) with respect to a mother who is providing milk for their infant
• Serve as a leader in the human donor milk program in the NICU
• Oversight of regulatory readiness.
• Oversees workflow for handling and preparation of feedings done by the NICU Milk Technicians
• Oversight of quality initiatives.
• Develop ongoing education for staff within Women's and Children's department

Rush is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, veteran status, and other legally protected characteristics.