Good questions especially in these difficult economic times. Hospitals are
not hiring or not replacing those nurses who do leave. I am a hospital based
LC and have always been since I started 11 years ago. As hospitals look to
trimming budgets, LC services are always the 1st to be trimmed. Currently, the
hospital I work in has trimmed our budget by reducing hours and the manager
for women's services oversees us rather than having our own coordinator.
Recently, our retail business was placed under a retail umbrella which takes all
our control away. This has many reasons for concern that I won't go into as it
will only make by ulcer worse. One concern I have is that the new managers
will start to order products that we as LC's have never condoned. SO I have a
long letter to write.
That said, I need to share a little bit about myself. I was a L&D
nurse by training that "fell" into the LC world. I became certified and worked a
couple days a week as LC. People would always come to me with questions and
problems in L&D. 8 years ago we moved and I am in a different hospital. IN
this hospital we do less deliveries and staff is cross trained to do different
sections of maternal-child care. I do L&D, mother-baby, and work as a LC
several days a week. I am also one of the main charge nurses. Sometimes I feel
pulled in many different directions. I joke about my 2 different brains warring
with each other when we are busy and I am in charge and need to get families
home so new families can take that bed. When I work mother-baby, I felt at
1st like I was always getting the most difficult assignments since I was the
LC. Now the staff is fabulous and have learned a great deal over the years.
When I have my patients I find I spend a lot of time with them as I would as
just the LC. Sometimes, this leads to me not getting other tasks done in a
timely fashion. When I work as LC , I see mother baby couplets on the unit, take
phone calls, and see outpatients who return to us in the hospital for a fee.
( What is the joke? Jack of all trades but master of none?)
Now, to refer to my 1st thought--my fear is now with the cost cutting
going on the LC's will lose our separate budget. We will be incorporated into
the general staff. The hospital can always say they have IBCLC's on staff. I
fear our little department will disappear. I love my many job
responsibilities but i am concern that with budget cuts, I will expected to work more on
mother baby because I am a LC and this way the patients will still have a LC to
consult with them but the hospital won't have to float that department in
the budget. I just see this as the best care for our patients. It is very
frustrating.
Allyson Michaels RN, IBCLC
Charlottesville, VA
Where the cats are romping and climbing the Christmas tree.
P.S. I would like to echo Ms. Bermans sentiments. I want to wish all of you
a wonderful holiday season, wherever you may be. I too have learned a lot from
all of you that has impacted tremendously on my practice. I have grown over
the years thanks to all of you. Peace, my friends.
**************One site keeps you connected to all your email: AOL Mail,
Gmail, and Yahoo Mail. Try it now.
(http://www.aol.com/?optin=new-dp&icid=aolcom40vanity&ncid=emlcntaolcom00000025)
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