Lactation Educator RN

CommonSpirit Health; Santa Maria (CA); On-site; USD 85,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Marian Regional Medical Center is seeking a Lactation Professional to empower new parents and promote optimal infant nutrition. You will provide evidence-based education, assessments, and individualized support prenatally and postpartum.

Collaboration with healthcare providers ensures integrated care aligned with physician and family breastfeeding goals. Key responsibilities include nursing care per Perinatal Services and facility policies, lactation plan development, and ongoing assessment of

Qualifications

• Three years of clinical Mother & Baby care with lactation focus preferred.
• IBCLC certification or eligibility preferred.
• RN license in California (CA RN License) required.

Responsibilities

• Performs nursing care according to Marian Regional Medical Center policies and Perinatal Services standards.
• Observes universal precautions.
• Uses current lactation theories and research to develop evidence-based feeding plans addressing individual needs.
• Performs and documents initial and ongoing patient assessments.
• Assesses mother-infant dyad, including latch, milk transfer, and milk production estimates.
• Develop feeding plans for a range of infants from normal newborn to complex neonates.

Skills

Lactation knowledge

Evidence-based education

Patient communication

Assessment skills

Care planning

Education

Bachelor of Science in Nursing

Job description

Job Summary and Responsibilities

As our Lactation Professional, you will be a compassionate expert, empowering new parents to achieve their lactation goals and promoting optimal infant nutrition.

Every day, you will provide evidence-based education, assessment, and individualized support prenatally and postpartum. You'll address feeding challenges, develop personalized care plans, and collaborate with healthcare providers to ensure integrated support.

To be successful in this role, you will possess deep clinical knowledge, exceptional communication, empathy, and patience, adapting strategies to individual needs for successful infant feeding and improved health outcomes.

• Performs nursing care according to Marian Regional Medical Center procedures, policies and Perinatal Services standards of care.


• Observes universal precautions.


• Uses current lactation theories and research to develop evidence-based feeding plans that address individual feeding issues while respecting the physician's and family's breastfeeding goals.


• Performs and documents initial and ongoing assessments of patients.


• Assesses the breastfeeding mother baby dyad, including the breast and infant oral characteristics, latch-on technique, milk intake and the estimate of milk production.


• Develop feeding plans for a range of infants from the normal newborn to the complex neonate.

Job Requirements

Required

• Recent minimum of three (3) years clinical experience in Mother & Baby Care


• Minimum of one year as a Lactation Consultant in an acute care setting


• Registered Nurse: CA RN License


• Basic Life Support - CPR, within 30 Days


• Neonatal Resuscitation Program (NRP), within 30 Days


• International Board Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC)


• Certified Lactation Counser (CLC)

Preferred

• Bachelors Of Science Nursing


• Experienced- two (2) or more years of Lactation Consultant experience in an acute care setting and outpatient clinical experience

Where You'll Work

Founded in 1940, Dignity Health - Marian Regional Medical Center is a 191-bed, acute care, nonprofit hospital located in Santa Maria, California. Serving over 250,000 patients annually, the hospital offers a full complement of services including Level II Trauma Center, Level III NICU, cancer care, orthopedics, and stroke care. Additionally, Marian Regional Medical Center has been recognized as an LGBTQ+ Healthcare Equality High Performer by the Human Rights Campaign Foundation. It is a Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, and the only healthcare facility on the Central Coast to offer ECMO.

One Community. One Mission. One California