Breastfeeding practice lab: a new approach to telenurse education

Breastfeeding inquiries represent a significant number of calls to HealthLink BC (HLBC). As Telenurses have indicated a great deal of uncertainty and a degree of disparity in practice, findings from previous research revealed a need to expand Telenurse breastfeeding education and a need for a new education delivery approach. This paper will describe the new education approach, an approach that included development of a practice lab framework and development of the first activity based on this framework - The Breastfeeding Practice Labs. The labs were set-up with six different 30 minute stations designed for independent or group learning, and created to stimulate critical thinking. Each lab was three hours and could also easily accommodate "drop-ins". The goal of the Breastfeeding Practice Labs was to enhance Telenurse knowledge, skills, and confidence for assessing breastfeeding calls. Post evaluation results of the pilot labs revealed positive shifts in Telenurse confidence for assessing breastfeeding calls.