Registered Nurse (RN) - Lactation

Lactation Consultant (RN)

We are searching for a Lactation Consultant (RN) -- someone who works well in a fast-paced hospital setting and provide nursing care to patients by assessing, planning, educating, implementing, and evaluating age-appropriate care in a manner that incorporates family-centered principles and cost-effective care. This applicant will provide support and instruction to mother/infant dyads with breastfeeding needs/lactation problems in a manner developmentally appropriate for adolescents and adults as necessary. Think you've got what it takes?

Responsibilities:

• Instructs mothers (adolescents and adults) on all tasks necessary to initiate and maintain lactation during the infant's hospitalization; may include prenatal instruction and post-discharge follow-up.
• Communicates the information obtained from maternal and infant observation and evaluation, collaborates with health care team for development and ongoing modification of plan of care.
• Documents observations, assessments, and recommendations made during consultation in patient record.
• Serves as an expert resource to departments and staff throughout the facility to ensure knowledge of, and adherence to, hospital policies and procedures related to human milk collection, storage, transport and feeding.
• Obtains information on maternal medication use and evaluates its compatibility or prohibitive status related to breastfeeding or expressed breast milk feeding.
• Reports findings to mother and medical team through departmental documentation guidelines.
• Demonstrates commitment to team, excellent professionalism, interpersonal, communication, and customer service skills.
• Represents department and self as a liaison to patients/families, visitors, peers and other health care team members.
• Displays good judgment when interacting with others and demonstrates positive and effective interpersonal skills.
• Demonstrates the ability to problem solve, identify appropriate resources, adapt to ongoing changes and handle conflict management with a professional and supportive attitude
• Ensures and participates in ongoing communication with other health care team members in order to enhance the patient's plan of care, advocate for the patient/family and facilitate unit operations.
• Demonstrates willingness and ability to acquire new knowledge, demonstrate new skills needed to improve individual, team, and organizational performance.
• Acts as a resource to new employees and other members of the team to ensure the delivery of quality patient care.
• Participates in departmental and hospital performance improvement activities (committees, in-services, task forces); offers written or verbal recommendations and participates in development of team goals on a yearly basis.
• Provides active membership in hospital work teams/committees that require Lactation Services participation.
• Participates in the review/update of lactation related policies, procedures and workflows and provides feedback to departmental leadership.
• Works collaboratively to coordinate Lactation Consultant schedule and assignments; adjusts to census and workload as needed.
• Participates in orientation and mentoring of new staff to Lactation and Milk Bank areas.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree in nursing, associate's degree, or technical diploma in nursing with acceptance or current enrollment in a BSN program and signed agreement or an associate's degree in a related field accepted by the Texas Board of Nursing for the purposes of obtaining and maintaining an RN license required or must be currently enrolled in a nursing bridge program working toward an MSN with a verified BSN-equivalency or a signed agreement.
• 9 months experience in nursing (minimum)
• RN License by Texas Board of Nursing or Nurse License Compact
• CPR Basic Life Support from the American Heart Association

Preferred Qualifications:

• BSN
• IBCLC International Board-Certified Lactation Consultant
• Knowledgeable of physiologic and social sciences to breastfeeding and lactation
• Ability to organize and time manage job tasks effectively
• Provides lactation instruction and support

About Us:

Since 1954, Texas Children's has been leading the charge in patient care, education and research to accelerate health care for children and women around the world. When you love what you do, it truly shows in the smiles of our patient families, employees and our numerous accolades such as being consistently ranked as the best children's hospital in Texas, and among the top in the nation by U.S. News & World Report as well as recognition from Houston Business Journal as one of this city's Best Places to Work for ten consecutive years. Texas Children's comprehensive health care network includes our primary hospital in the Texas Medical Center with expertise in over 40 pediatric subspecialties; the Jan and Dan Duncan Neurological Research Institute (NRI); the Feigin Tower for pediatric research; Texas Children's Pavilion for Women, a comprehensive obstetrics/gynecology facility focusing on high-risk births; Texas Children's Hospital West Campus, a community hospital in suburban West Houston; Texas Children ' s Hospital The Woodlands, the first hospital devoted to children ' s care for communities north of Houston; and Texas Children's Hospital North Austin, the new state-of-the-art facility providing world-class pediatric and maternal care to Austin and Central Texas families. We have also created Texas Children ' s Health Plan, the nation's first HMO focused on children; Texas Children ' s Pediatrics, the largest pediatric primary care network in the country; Texas Children ' s Urgent Care clinics that specialize in after-hours care tailored specifically for children; and a global health program that is channeling care to children and women all over the world. Texas Children ' s Hospital is affiliated with Baylor College of Medicine, one of the largest, most diverse and successful pediatric programs in the nation. To join our community of 15,000+ dedicated team members, visit texaschildrenspeople.org for career opportunities. Texas Children's is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All applicants and employees are considered and evaluated for positions at Texas Children's without regard to mental or physical disability, race, color, religion, gender, national origin, age, genetic information, military or veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity, marital status or any other protected Federal, State/Province or Local status unrelated to the performance of the work involved.