Title:  Lactation Consultant - Perinatal Patient Support - FT Days Job

Summary

The Lactation Consultant provides advanced knowledge and leadership on lactation concerns, training and solutions.  Provides clinical expertise by providing direct and indirect patient care.  Collaborates with the health care team in assessing, designing, implementing, and evaluating population-based programs of patient care to enhance high quality-cost effective patient outcomes.  Models appropriate behavior as exemplified in MLH Mission, Vision and Values.

Education/Experience/Licensure

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities

• Proficiency in applying advanced concepts, principles, and professional techniques in a specialized field of lactation management breastfeeding.  Such proficiency is acquired through certification by the International Board of Lactation Consultant Examiners.
• Ability to communicate effectively in both written and verbal form to patients, public, hospital and medical staff, and physicians
• Ability to function independently on assigned patient care units.
• Ability to counsel and educate others.

Key Job Responsibilities

• Provides advanced level of direct and indirect care to individual patients/families and/or groups of patients/families as related to lactation.
• Provides leadership and collaborates with other health professionals in regard to lactation, and develops educational resources for staff education programs which addresses the specific needs of populations of patients.
• Demonstrates collaborative leadership with researchers, other health professionals, divisions, and departments to generate knowledge and make practice changes based on research findings, as well as, the results of the organizational and departmental quality improvement processes.
• Provides leadership in meeting system, organizational, division, and departmental goals.
• Demonstrates accountability for professional responsibilities and self-development.

Physical Requirements

• Frequent patient contact.
• Exposure to patient body fluids.
• Exposure to excessive heat or cold as required.
• Ability to react quickly to emergency situations.
• Ability to read and write to communicate orally and in writing with other individuals.
• Ability to lift and carry up to 50 lbs. without assistance.
• Ability to sit in one place, stand, walk, squat, kneel, reach, twist, crawl, and bend throughout the shift.
• Ability to perform repetitive hand and wrist motion, as well as using hands for gripping and squeezing.
• Ability to use hands and feet together for repetitive coordinated motions.
• Good hand-eye coordination.
• Competent computer skills.