lvn los angeles school nurse

Flare, ASN, BSN · Oct 8, 2010

i don't know about CA standards. Have you contacted the dept of Ed to verify through them?

S-Rank · Oct 9, 2010

nope but now I will

geocachingRN · Oct 11, 2010

CA is one of the only states (if not THE only) that requires you to be credentialed the similar to a teacher. You can work in a school as an LVN, however to work for a school district, you need at least a preliminary credential. This requires a 4 year degree in any subject, and an RN. This credential is good for 5 years and you must complete a school nurse certificate or MSN program within that time frame. School districts are having a hard time paying and depending upon where you are, you can start at as little as 38K. Hard to justify the additional education for that annual pay, unless you care about the schedule.

S-Rank · Oct 11, 2010

nope I just want to get my foot in the door. even if it is just assisting the school RN I would gladly take the job

Neveranurseagain, RN · Oct 17, 2010

Yes, in California you have to be an RN with a bachelor's (does NOT have to be in nursing) plus extra classes/certification to be a "School Nurse." You can however, be a nurse (RN/LVN) that works for the school district without this certification. It may not pay has well as a "School Nurse" but considering you have ALOT of time off and everyday your children have off, it's a wonderful job. For extra money in the summer you can work as a camp nurse, making up to $1000 a week, plus your kids can usually come with you! Or you could work prn too during the school breaks.

There are school district jobs open for LVN's in California. Some of them are listed as Health Tech II, and some are open as LVN's, other school districts call them instructional aides. LVN's are responsible for tube feedings, trach care, cauterization, colostomy care and diabetes management. Here is an article about replacing Health Clerks in the TUSD with LVN's. School district delays vote on health clerk cuts | Tehachapi News

As a cost cutting strategy, school district are following the same model as Tehachapi of 1 RN for the entire school district and LVN's doing all the care and treatments for the students. With the controversy of on an RN/LVN being the only people able to give insulin, more schools are hiring LVN's. But some school districts have cut costs even more by hiring lay personnel off the street and task training them to everything an RN/LVN does :no: , which has prompted the CA BON intervening with the injunction prohibiting insulin to be given by lay people.

Google the Los Angeles School District and do a search for LVN. Here is just one LVN job description but the position is called Instructional Aide (LVN) Instructional Aide (LVN) cc4552 There are others out there. You may also do some tutoring/teaching in your down time between students.

Also check with private agencies. I was once recruited to be a one on one aid by a staffing agency for a 3 year child so he could attend preschool.

Good luck, it's a fun job!

4Karrie2 · Jan 30, 2013

I see this is an old thread but wanted to comment anyway. I had an opportunity to work for a school district doing mostly diabetes management at several school sites within each week. As another poster correctly stated, the school districts in CA do not hire lay people to give insulin, though many SECAs (special education classroom assistants) and teachers are taught to do everything else, such as tube feedings, seizure meds, catheterizations, etc. If you would like to utilize your Vocation Nursing License within a school district, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Though I need to be a licensed nurse for my position, my official title is NOT LVN. The school districts and the certificated nurses do not like to refer to me as a nurse, preferring to always use the term LVN. I get it, they worked very had to get the BSN, Masters and CA School Nurse Certification and frankly, all of my RNs are amazing nurses. Though I have been trained in many of the things they do such as vision and hearing screenings for students, I am not allowed to do them. I do beleive this is for their own job security. It can be quite humbling and at times discouraging because I worked very hard for my LV NURSE license and am very proud of it. My job is diabetes care mangement, which I love, and is indeed the only reason I have the job, as unlicensed personnel are trained to do every other aspect of what I do which is primarily acutely ill students and parent phone calls and secretarial work. On the bright side, I enjoy what I do, have paid vacations, an average salary for LVN, and am getting my one year experience out of the way so I can eventually go work as a real nurse someplace else, if I so desire! Meanwhile, I suggest if this is something you also want to do, keep studying your NCLEX-PN books so you don't start forgetting about thyroids, livers, and heart disease, and things that don't usually affect small children. DO stay current on emergency and seizure care, diabetes management, and polished communication skills. You will need these. Good luck to you!! :)

msalana · Jul 20, 2015

Hello! I am hoping to get a job as a school LVN, but worried about the pay. If you don't mind me asking, how much was your salary? I'm from CA as well. Thank you!

4Karrie2 · Jun 27, 2016

I apologize for the very long time since I have been on allnurses and just now saw your question. I have now been with the school district for just under 4 years. My most current pay stub reflects a pay rate of 2 pennies under $24/hr. I've done some comparison shopping and every district is different. Some districts nearby pay less than my district and the LVNs work less hours daily. Most districts do provide yearly raises on the anniversary date of hire and we have also seen two cost of living raises in the past year. There is ample opportunity to work during our seasonal vacations and most do. On the down side, we are not full-time, only the RNs are. I look forward to going to work in the morning. Good luck, the jobs are out there!