OJT: On the Job Training
Pat Kufeldt
Burke, Virginia, USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 34, No. 3, June-July 1998 pp. 60-61
We all know about the learning
that a Leader Applicant does as she prepares to become a Leader. In
addition to her own experience, an Applicant reads LLL materials and
discusses selected topics with both her sponsoring Leader and Leader
Accreditation Department representative.
She attends Series and Planning/
Evaluation Meetings, District Workshops and Area Conferences. She becomes
more familiar with THE WOMANLY ART OF BREASTFEEDING and THE BREASTFEEDING
ANSWER BOOK. Once an Applicant becomes an accredited Leader, she has
accumulated information and a personal store of experiential knowledge
to support her. And yet, there is still more learning to come. It's
called "on the job training" (OJT).
What kinds of things does
she learn "on the job?" She learns how to interact with people
one-to-one and in a group, how to balance her family obligations and
her volunteer work, how to speak passionately about breastfeeding without
being labeled a fanatic, how to listen so that she answers a mother's
question first, how to build trust and confidence in the mothers with whom she
has contact. Sometimes the hardest part of OJT is learning
how to provide information and then trust that each mother will use
it in the way that best benefits her.
How does a Leader learn these
things? Are they in a book somewhere? Does she learn through classes?
Do other Leaders tell her about them? They may well be written down,
but probably not all in the same book. Workshops are offered frequently
and other Leaders can answer puzzling questions, but most Leader skills
are learned through OJT. Leaders encounter new situations every day
and in the process of working through them they learn something that
may change their style of interaction and make them better at their
job. Perhaps the most important lesson a Leader learns is the fragile
nature of communication between people. The verbal word is filtered
through a lifetime of experience.
A Leader friend of mine,
Heidi, related how her eyes were opened as a result of dealing with
a series of what started out as routine helping calls that became more
and more disturbing. The mother, whose baby was not gaining well, stated
that she had tried to nurse before but had not been successful. The
mother recounted her experiences with lactation consultants and doctors.
Heidi became alarmed as she heard what seemed to her to be inaccurate
information relayed by these other health care providers. When the situation
became critical, Heidi called the lactation consultant, compared notes
and made several discoveries.
She found that the lactation
consultant knew the mother well. She had counseled her after the birth
of her three previous babies. She had indeed given the mother accurate
information. The mother hadn't processed the information the way it
was presented.
As a result of this tangled
web of information and action, which ultimately involved child protective
services, Heidi came to several conclusions about how she would handle
complicated or disturbing situations in the future.
Follow up all communication
channels. If a mother is working with a lactation consultant
or another Leader, ask for her name and phone number, or ask the mother
to give your name to her. Tell the mother that you would like to get
an additional perspective. All of you are working toward the same end
and comparing notes can only be helpful.
Define terms. Nursing
"often" may mean "every two hours or more frequently"
to you but "whenever this sleepy baby is awake" to the mother.
Telling a mother that she needs to count wet diapers (nappies) may not
be enough. Telling her that a wet diaper is one that holds from 2 to 4
US tablespoons (30-60 ml) of liquid is better; suggesting that she experiment
by actually putting liquid into a dry diaper makes it an even stronger
definition.
Keep in mind the possibility
of a difference between what you hear and reality. It may
be that a mother sees things differently than you do, has forgotten
what's been said, or feels inadequate in some way and is stretching the
facts to fit her needs. Heidi remembers another mother who wondered
whether she had an adequate milk supply. She began the conversation
by saying that she was breastfeeding and the baby would only nurse for
5 minutes on each side. She went into great detail about how often the
baby was fed, how much the baby was gaining, how many diapers he wet
and soiled. Only after Heidi reassured the mother that this all described
a baby that was getting plenty to eat did the mother mention that she
was giving supplemental bottles.
Follow your instincts.
If something doesn't sound right, it probably isn't. Be skeptical. Ask
more questions. However, Leaders can get involved in sticky situations
involving mothers with personal or family problems beyond our area of
expertise. Don't be afraid to bow out if a situation becomes more than
you can handle. There are ways to exit gracefully.
Keep detailed notes including
name, address and phone number. Use the Leader's Log or other
preprinted sheets created for this. They will remind you about pertinent
information. No matter how casual the conversation may seem, taking
notes will keep you focused on what you have already discussed. It will
give you a solid reference to go back to and avoid confusion, This may
be important if you are dealing with a person who processes information
slowly or in a different way.
Give information in small
bits; find ways to include it in the conversation three times.
Use statements like, "We talked about putting the baby to the breast
at least every two hours." "When you put the baby to the breast
more frequently, at least every two hours, you will increase your milk
supply." "Before we hang up, let's review the things we talked
about that can increase your milk supply. You can nurse more frequently,
as often as every two hours from the beginning of one feeding to the
beginning of the next."
Heidi's "on the job
training" has strengthened her commitment to better communication
by keeping her eyes and ears open and using her instincts. She says,
"I am reminded again that you can give a person all sorts of information,
but the individual has to process it and decide what she is going to
do. The outcome may not be what you think is best or even what you anticipate.
So much of what we do is just listening and being there while a woman
is going through a difficult time. She is the one in the end who is
responsible for her own choices and outcomes."
Page last edited Sun Oct 14 09:31:48 UTC 2007.
