Brenda says,

> One of the things that was suggested to me by one of our charge nurses
> - have a CNA follow me around for a couple of days and chart down
> everything I do in a time study. I plan to do this.  Have you thought
> about this?

I'd be interested in knowing how the management team defines "productivity."
Is it numbers of babies/moms you see?  Numbers of problems you solve?
Numbers of pumps you rent or phone calls you take/return?  What about counseling the
mom that is in tears because her baby is a reluctant nurser and she thinks he
doesn't like her?  How does counseling fit into the productivity scale?
(Decreased mom's use of kleenex for tears from 5 in 10 minutes, to 1 in 20
minutes???).

Part of the problem is that NO ONE (grrrrr) understands that the lactation
consultant has to work at the baby's pace.  They seem to think that you can walk
into a room, ram a sleeping baby on the breast and he'll eat because it's
TIME to eat....similar to ramming a bottle down the baby's throat when he's
sleeping.  Hey -- I'm a GOOD nursery nurse -- I can make virtually any newborn take
a bottle at any time.  I'm also a good IBCLC -- and I can't just *make* any
newborn take the breast.

So I'm interested in what they call productivity.  What is high and what is
low?  Nursing productivity can be measured by completed tasks -- meds out on
time, procedures done, IV's hung,  charting completed, (and in the old days,
beds & baths accomplished).  Being an IBCLC isn't like that.  We don't just do
*tasks*.  We work in a collaborative manner with the mother and the baby to
facilitate breastfeeding.  And sometimes that just doesn't fit into a time study.


But Brenda, I want to be first in line to hear the results of yours.  It
would be fascinating -- perhaps a paper could come out of our discussion here?

Jan Barger, RN, MA, IBCLC, RLC -- who has the best job of anyone because
there are no time restraints!!!
Wheaton Pediatrics, Wheaton, Illinois
www.lactationeducationconsultants.com

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