I have a question I'm hoping to get some help from the list.  I work
full-time at a hospital as a maternal/child clinical nurse specialist.  I am
IBCLC, but that is not my role at the hospital.  I opened my home-based
business Nov. 1st, 2000 as a rental station and am offering other
breastfeeding-related products.  The issues of pumps/products/lactation
consulting which have been discussed recently on the net is irrelevant.  I do
offer lactation consulting, though because my hospital offers follow-up
consulting, purposely didn't focus on this arena so that I wouldn't be
accused of conflict of interest.  My hospital is not a rental station itself.
 They are supplied pumps from an area retail site.  So, today I was
approached about concerns regarding conflict of interest.  There was a
misunderstanding that my business flyer had my home number as well as my work
number.  It does not.  I explained that I have two phone lines at home.  I
also asked why my business is any different than the home business of my
massage therapist who works at the wellness center of the hospital.  It seems
to me that her dual jobs would be a conflict of interest.  Does anyone have
advice for me as to how to defend myself in this situation?  I was prepared
for this to happen, so I'm willing to face it, and face it confidently and
nondefensively.  I explained that I think I'm supporting the hospital because
other than me on the hotline number for the pumps, the next location
announced is our major competitor.  So, the choice is theirs.....I refer to
our hospital and our lactation support group, and I don't compete with our
lactation services.  In fact, our outpatient service is not structured as our
competitor's (where I used to work as an LC).  We don't register them as
outpatients, we don't charge, we don't document the follow-up on
hospital-based legal documentation.  I see it as an open-door policy as a
courtesy for our community.  To clarify, when I say we, it's not me.  That's
not my role at the hospital - I'm a clinical specialist.  I'm responsible for
the education of the maternity and pediatric staff.  I look forward to your
advice.
Sincerely, Carol  Chamblin RN, MS, IBCLC    e-mail:  [log in to unmask]

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