$9.00 per hour as LVN in Orange County?

[sweetface]

I am about to start nursing school and a good friend of mine said her sister went to LVN school and could only make 9 per hour and decided to quit being an LVN. I told her that hourly rate sounded more like MA or CNA in southern CA but she said it was definately 9.00 as LVN. She is Latino and she said it was probably racial descrimination if 9.00 is too low. I told her I had not seen that anywhere and that in OC LVN's usually start at 17-19 per hour or more.

Am I way off base here? Do Hospitals hire LVN's at 9.00 per hour or any rate this low? What's the lowest hourly rate any of you have seen in Orange County for LVN's?

[amartin699]

It's not too high. I know someone who makes that as a cna at mission hospital but was just curious where this lady worked. Maybe this high of pay is the exception and not the rule?

[nursel56]

I stand by what I said. A person earlier in the thread mentioned LVN salaries at Mission Hospital in the $20s. I have no idea anything about your friend's situation, but a new CNA is not going to make $19/hr. Here is a website that is more objective.

Salary.com's Job Search Wizard

[kraftybrat]

No way is an LVN going to be paid $9 an hour, I made more than that as a brand new LVN 30 years ago.

What I will tell you is that there is an huge overage of LVN's right now, way too many. And it seems that the new ones will work for less because of non experience. So it squeezes the rest of us out.

I have also seen nurses with work visas, non citizens, getting 2-3 jobs. And these nurses, mostly RN's will work for LVN wages or less. So therefore, no jobs for LVN's, even if we are citizens.

It would be nice if it could be legislated that these nurses are restricted to 40-48 hours per week, or face penalties. Then maybe there would be enough jobs to go around.