I wanted to tell Lactnetters about what I have been doing with learning modules
for nursing staff.  It is very difficult to get the nurses together for
inservices, so my supervisor and I decided that we would begin learning modules
monthly for the nurses to complete.  Each one takes less than thirty minutes to
complete, and when complete, the nurse gets 30 minutes of education credit from
the hospital, and a chance to win a free meal in the cafeteria.  I began with a
breastfeeding trivia module, just for fun.  Then since January I have provided a
module a month, put into the nurses lounge on the first of the month, and
collected the last day of the month.
It is not mandatory for the nurses to complete the module, but many of the
nurses have shown great interest.
Only 7 have completed all of them this year, and during World Breastfeeding
Week, these 7 nurses each got a little gift from me for completing them all plus
a button saying "Ask me about Breastfeeding" and a breastfeeding friendly ink
pen.

Here are the modules I have done so far:
Breastfeeding the first 24 hours
Breastfeeding the second 24 hours
Evaluating a Good Latch On and Positioning
Jaundice
The Baby Friendly Hospital
Helping a Mother Use the Breast Pump, Milk Collection and Storage
Medications and Mothers Milk
Kangaroo Care

Each module is two or three typed pages, and one page with a post test to be
completed by the nurse and turned back in to me.

I thought I would share this with all of you, and I would also like to say that
I have seen a marked change in some of the practices of the nurses.  I find we
are much more consistent with the information we give to the patients, and their
knowledge base has grown.  I would like for them to all complete the modules,
especially the night shift, but my supervisor does not want to make this
mandatory at this time.  If you have ideas for other modules, I would like to
hear about them.  Also, I would be interested in trading some modules with other
LCs who have written some for their hospitals.  I have a goal of writing 24
modules, and then starting over in two years.  With staff turnover I think that
would probably be enough, plus it would be a refresher for those who have taken
it before.

Please share your ideas and thoughts with me on this endeavor.

Ann Calandro, RNC, IBCLC
Piedmont Medical Center
Rock Hill, South Carolina

suffering today from ILCA-Lag, and also brain drain from 5 days of total
breastfeeding immersion!