Human Milk and Formula Technician (Per Diem)

UNC Health; United States; On-site; USD 26,000 - 37,000; Part time

Job summary

UNC Health, located in Chapel Hill, NC, seeks a Human Milk and Formula Technician to prepare infant feedings for the Children’s Hospital’s Newborn Critical Care Center. You will transform orders from the EMR into recipes, prepare feeds, and dispense formulas to units.

You will collaborate with Pediatric Dietitians, Nursing, Lactation Services, and Genetics Services to ensure accurate nutrition delivery. We require an Associate’s degree in Nutrition or related field.

Qualifications

• Basic math skills; weigh ingredients accurately using gram scale.
• Ability to weigh, measure and mix human milk and infant formula.
• Strong critical thinking and ability to learn fast-paced tasks.
• Clear professional communication over phone and in-person.
• Ability to organize, prioritize work and follow hospital policy.

Responsibilities

• Translate feeding orders in EPIC into recipes; clarify orders with nursing and dietitians.
• Use calculations to adjust recipe volumes and fortification grams.
• Fortify formulas with precision per procedures to prevent contamination.
• Document milk types, feeds prepared, and formula in EPIC; track inventory.
• Dispense milk and formula following barcode procedures; handle samples.

Skills

Basic math

Gram-scale weighing

Fortification accuracy

Professional communication

Independent work

Education

Associate's degree in Nutrition or related field

Job description

Description

Your passion belongs at UNC Health. Join more than 56,000 teammates working together to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve across North Carolina.

Description

Your passion belongs at UNC Health. Join more than 56,000 teammates working together to improve the health and well-being of the communities we serve across North Carolina.

Summary

The Human Milk and Formula Technician works in the Human Milk and Specialty Formula Room preparing infant feedings for the Children’s Hospital, primarily for patients in the Newborn Critical Care Center (NCCC) using specialized formulas, fortifiers, donor and maternal human milk. This position serves as liaison between Pediatric Dietitians and Children’s Hospital Nursing. This role transforms human milk and formula orders from the electronic medical record into appropriate recipes, prepares the final feeding product, dispenses feedings to nursing, and delivers formulas to units within the Children’s Hospital.

Responsibilities

• Translates feeding orders in EPIC into established recipes. Troubleshoots and clarifies unclear orders with nursing, dietitians, and providers. Understands clinical concepts including medical terminology and how to accuracy interpret feeding orders.
• Uses mathematical calculations to adjust ordered recipe volumes and grams or mLs of required fortification ingredients.
• Fortifies infant formula and human milk with precision using sanitation and established procedures to prevent bodily fluid or pathogen contamination across maternal/donor human milk bottles.
• Documents human milk type, milk received, feeding preparation, human milk dispensed/discarded, and formula preparation in the clinical flowsheet in EPIC.
• Dispenses human milk, a bodily fluid, and formula following barcode scanning procedures.
• Scans feedings, monitors inventory, facilitates maintaining par levels of Prolacta and donor milk. Maintains accurate inventory of frozen and thawed maternal human milk and donor milk with detailed labeled bottles and milk bins. Reviews inventory daily to ensure correctly filed bottles and feeding syringes.
• Ensures appropriate temperature standards for milk storage in the refrigerators and freezers. Follows appropriate processes for human milk thawing. Monitors expiration dates and uses/discards formula/human milk products accordingly.
• Updates and maintains patient feeding orders and recipe orders daily in patient notebooks.
• Reports human milk handling or formula errors, good catches, workflow or safety problems, and provides recommendations to improve daily operations. Participates in continuing efforts to improve the efficiency, safety, and quality of the Human Milk and Specialty Formula Room.
• Collaborates with Nursing during the admission, transfer, and discharge processes to ensure infant feeding products and human milk are delivered to the appropriate location to optimize patients’ nutrition.
• Collaborates with Lactation Services to inventory and procure donor human milk from the Human Milk Bank.
• Collaborates with Genetics Services in the recipe development and preparation of metabolic formulas for patients admitted to the Children’s Hospital.
• Collaborates with NCCC dietitians in the recipe development and preparation of human milk/formula orders and feeding advancement/progressions.
• Participates in training and onboarding new personnel.
• Follows policies and procedures to ensure compliance with regulatory and infection control standards.
• Demonstrates flexibility and professionalism at all times.
• Works effectively in an environment with multiple, quickly changing priorities.

Education Requirements

• Associate's degree in Nutrition or related field or equivalent.

Licensure/Certification Requirements

• None required.

Professional Experience Requirements

• With an Associate's degree in Nutrition or a related field, no prior experience required.
• With an Associate's degree in an unrelated field, requires two (2)years of nutrition, food service, or quality-safety experience
• With a high school diploma, requires four (4) years of nutrition, food services, or quality-safety experience.

Knowledge/Skills/and Abilities Requirements

• 1.Basic math skills; ability to accurately weigh ingredients using a gram scale; calculate, measure, and mix human milk and infant formula with fortifiers.
• 2.Use of fingers, hands, and arms to measure, mix, and store prepared human milk and formula.
• 3.Strong critical thinking skills and ability to learn new tasks in a fast-paced environment.
• 4. Ability to communicate professionally and effectively over the phone and in-person.
• 5. Ability to work independently, organize and appropriately prioritize work, and make decisions consistent with hospital policy and organizational culture.

Job Details

• Legal Employer: STATE
• Entity: UNC Medical Center
• Organization Unit: Nutrition Room
• Work Type: Per Diem
• Standard Hours Per Week: 8.00
• Salary Range: $19.12 - $27.17 per hour (Hiring Range)
• Pay offers are determined by experience and internal equity
• Work Assignment Type: Onsite
• Work Schedule: Day Job
• Location of Job: US:NC:Chapel Hill
• Exempt From Overtime: Exempt: No

Qualified applicants will be considered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran or political affiliation.

UNC Health makes reasonable accommodations for applicants' and employees' religious practices and beliefs, as well as applicants and employees with disabilities. All interested applicants are invited to apply for career opportunities. Please email [e-mail] if you need a reasonable accommodation to search and/or to apply for a career opportunity.