Practicum:
Mother-Baby Care at Touro
More and more women opt for a care plan in which mothers and babies are not separated. Research proves there are many benefits to mother-baby care, creating more opportunities for skin-to-skin contact which promotes early bonding, reduces hypothermia and facilitates breastfeeding. Placing mother and child in the same room is a more family-centered approach that also eases the parents’ and child’s transition from hospital to home.
At Touro’s state-of-the-art Family Birthing Center 3,368 babies were born last year. However, the hospital’s traditional location-centered practice model places post-partum mothers in private rooms and newborns in the well baby nursery or NICU, depending on their needs. Although infants visit mothers frequently, time for skin-to-skin contact is somewhat limited.
By the year 2015, Touro plans to fully implement a Mother-Baby Care plan based on national best practices.
This practicum is an opportunity for a public health student in Maternal and Child Health.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills
- Ability to thoroughly research topic from a variety of sources
- Interest in maternal/child care as a public health issue
- Flexible team player who can work comfortably in a diverse workplace
ACTIVITES include, but are not limited to:
- Researching Mother-Baby Care Units at hospitals throughout the U.S. and indicating what does/does not work and why
- Identifying best practices from the above
- Presenting above findings to the Family Birthing Center staff
- Interviewing senior staff who were present when Touro tried this plan previously and reporting on findings
- Identifying resources and making recommendations for staff training and attending all staff trainings
This is 300-hour volunteer practicum. To apply, please send your cover letter and resume to Denise.Chetta@Touro.com, who will share them with the Family Birthing Center staff for review. Deadline for applications: March 31, 2014.
