Registered Nurse- Lactation Specialist

Registered Nurse Lactation Specialist- Family Birth Center reports to Director of Women Services.

Summary : The lactation consultant is a knowledgeable and experienced member of the maternal-child health team who has specialized skills in breastfeeding management and care. The consultant critiques, evaluates and incorporates
evidence-informed findings into practice. The consultant supports practices which promote breastfeeding as the child-feeding norm.

Shift: Full Time Day Shift 6:30a-7p

DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

Service:

• Consistently supports and communicates the Mission, Vision, and
  Values of St. Joseph Medical Center.
• Upholds the Standards of Conduct and Corporate Compliance.
• Provides one to one breastfeeding instruction to lactating mothers requiring additional support beyond the mother-baby nurse's scope.
• Assesses patient's breastfeeding knowledge and uses clinical judgment to determine health care needs of patient and appropriate plan of care.

People:

• Incorporates the patient's physiological, psychological, cultural, developmental and spiritual needs into the plan of care.
• Consistently follows patient care, and facility guidelines and procedures in performance.
• Directs support personnel in implementing patient's plan of care, provides supervision and guidance, and evaluates effectiveness of the delegated tasks.
• Collaborates with inter and intraprofessional colleagues to ensure quality outcomes.
• Promotes breastfeeding and assists mothers in reaching their own goals of breastfeeding.

Quality:

• Completes annual education requirements.
• Maintains competency, as evidenced by completion of competency validation requirements.
• Promotes of a culture of patient safety which results in the identification and reduction of unsafe practices.
• Uses nursing process to provide all levels of patient care
• Uses professional judgment and critical thinking to prepare, prioritize, and execute the patient's plan of care consistent with patient assessment data, physicians' treatment plans, and professional standards of care.
• Implements measures to prevent exposure to infectious pathogens and communicable conditions.
• Reviews care routines, policies, procedures and/or other aspects of the mother-baby hospital experience with involved clinical staff in order to highlight successes or needs of the breast feeding dyad.
  Expertise with pharmaceuticals and the effects on lactation.
• Possesses specialized skills and abilities regarding: assessment, intervention based on patient history and assessment, initiation and modification of complex situations and related therapies and interventions.
  Other duties as assigned

Growth:

• Maintains competency and knowledge of current standards of practice, trends, and developments.
• Enhances the patient experience by fostering a positive relationship with customers.
• Contributes to improving the patient satisfaction results.
• Conveys knowledge and skilled in the physiology and clinical management of breastfeeding-to-breastfeeding staff.

MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES

• Licensed as a Registered Nurse accepted by Texas State Board of Nursing to engage in professional nursing.
• International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners (IBLCE) certification is needed.
• Technical, clerical, critical thinking and interpersonal skills relevant to patientcare/area.
• Current American Heart Association Basic Life Support certification required.
• Other certification requirements as defined by the certification policy.
• Able to communicate effectively in English, both verbally and in writing.

PREFERRED:

• Baccalaureate degree or progression to this degree.
• National Certification as recognized by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.
• Bi or Multilingual

Houston's oldest hospital is GROWING!

Welcome to St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC), Houston's first and only downtown hospital delivering world-class care for the last 137 years and looking forward to the next century of exceptional care to Houstonians when they need us most.

Whether it's for a scheduled surgery, the birth of a baby, an unexpected emergency, or an outpatient visit, we have staff available around the clock to provide you access to immediate, quality health care. SJMC has been providing health care services to Greater Houston residents for over 130 years, which should give you great comfort in knowing that we have a great tradition of caring for our community. We strive to meet our patients' expectations and encourage our patients to provide us with feedback on how we can help them have the best experience possible while they're in our care.

Over the last years we have expanded our services to include the Advanced Wound Care Center, Comprehensive Cardiac and Vascular Services, the Women's Center, the St. Joseph Maternal Fetal Medicine Center, and a Weight Loss Surgery Program, just to name a few. As you work with our physicians, nurses, case managers, educators, and other staff, you will be guided through your health care journey, from diagnosis to treatment, with compassion every step of the way.

Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging are at the foundation of the care St Joseph Medical Center provides to our community we are privileged to support in all of our employment practices. We do not discriminate on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression or any other non-job-related characteristic.