Summer Vacation and Unemployment?

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Hello fellow school nurses.

This is my first year as a school nurse, and I am now approaching my first summer vacation - hooray! I am looking forward to the time off, but have some financial concerns as well.

My salary is evenly distributed over 11 months of pay, so I am really only worried about that 1 month (July) that I won't be getting a check. A smarter, more responsible version of myself might have begun saving in a rainy day fund when I first started the job.

Anyway, my question is this:

With school nursing as my only means of income, with an approx. 3 month recess approaching and (currently) no contract or indication of employment for next school year, am I eligible for unemployment benefits in California?

I have little experience with this. I like to joke that this is my first "grown-up" job. I have never held a salaried position, have no experience with the school system or with governement employment, and have never before considered filing for state benefits.

Any information would be appreciated.

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Specializes in School Nursing, Public Health Nurse.

Sorry I don't know about unemployment benefits but I'll give my two cents on what I will do over the summer for another perspective. This too is my first year as an RN. However, I'm paid through an agency so I only get paid during the school year when I work. So I'm getting a job over the summer as a Camp Nurse. A lot of school nurses use that option as a way to make extra cash, get their kids free or reduced summer camp or just make a living if they don't have distributed pay like the teachers. I hope that helped a little. I was really looking forward to having the summer off but I want to keep my apartment so I don't have to be on the hunt before school starts. And those dang student loans.

As a side note, sometimes California unemployment benefits can take some time to kick in. It depends on paperwork. When I was laid off from the state last April I didn't get a check until the end of June. They gave me all my back pay from April with the first deposit but it that was a long time with nothing. Again, the time varies.

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Specializes in ccu.

NO clue about California unemployment. I would think the 1 month off wouldn't be time to get it, if the way things are done here is any indication.

On that note, I'm an hourly employee at my school, and I only get paid for the 183 days I work. I remained PRN at my hospital job, and will be working there a couple days/week this summer. I work 2 days/month during the school year to maintain my PRN status. I've considered quitting the hospital job, but to be honest, I want to take 2 expensive vacations this year! :sarcastic:

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

I don't know how Cali works, but i'd imagine it's pretty much the same state to state. Unless you are laid off, you are not typically eligible for unemployment benefits. During summer break, you are still considered employed. Many districts have the option of doing a "summer savings" to get paid 10 month salary over 12 months. Other districts work with local credit unions to achieve a similar outcome.

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Specializes in BNAT instructor, ICU, Hospice,triage.

I have been working PRN at my other job that I had before school nurse job for this reason (so that I could have some income over the summer). It has not been fun at all working weekends. The weekend job has long hours sometimes sat and Sunday are 14 hour shift because patients have to be seen if there are a lot of patients. I am going to have employment over the summer but I have decided to quit either the school job or the PRN job. I am torn about what to do! I never got to enjoy the weekends and holidays off because of my second job and my fear of no income during the summer.

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Specializes in school nursing, ortho, trauma.

in summers past i have worked prn jobs - sometimes nursing related (did home care for a while to find it really wasn't for me, did summer school, and more recently i work per diem as an ADN in a local hospital) sometimes not nursing related (did clerical work in an office) There were some summers that I did absolutely nothing too, but to be honest, after I spent the first week cleaning the house top to bottom, then i'd blow through all my projects and by mid summer i'd be looking for something to do. I have a little travel planned for thyis summer then i'm supposed to work the last week of summer school. Plus i'm sure the hospital will come sniffing around for me to take some shifts once they realize i'm off.

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Specializes in kids.

I work perdiem in LTC and fill in for vacations in the summer. Will your district do a 20 +1? OR if you are disciplined enough you can do it your self. Take your salary, divide by 26 (or 52) and only use that much each pay period, saving the rest for summer...good luck! I am not that disciplined!

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Specializes in Pedi.

You are not considered unemployed during the summer, you just happen to be employed in a position that only requires work 9 1/2 months out of the year.

The vast majority of teachers, school nurses, guidance counselors, school psychologists etc that I know take their salary divided evenly over 26 pay periods so they don't have this issue. I believe they have the option of either 21 or 26. It sounds like you maybe don't have this issue but it may be worth looking into for next year.

If you are that concerned, have you considered picking up some per diem or contract work? Perhaps camp nursing?

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I don't have the option of getting paid in the the summer at my school but I am still considered employed so no unemployment. I have a little taken out each paycheck automatically and it goes into a spearate checking account to be my summer fund. I got into School Nursing so I could still spend lots of time with my kids (I was a SAHM until I got in to this school). Right now I don't want to work holidays, weekends and summers. I love spending all summer at the beach, on the boat and hanging with my kids and I find it really revives me for the next school year.

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Congratulations on becoming a school nurse! For me, summer means camp nursing. This will be my 10th year as a camp nurse (at the same camp, by the way). I was fortunate when I was first hired, to have part of my terms of employment include free camp registration for my children. When I compared my camp salary (less than my school nursing salary!) to what it would cost out of pocket to send my children to camp, I realized they were actually "paying" me to send my kids to camp. Not too shabby...I was paid year round at my first school so any "camp" money became "play/rainy day" money. My current school district pays up to the last day of the school year, so I've learned to be creative when it comes to summer budgeting. You might want to check your local YMCA for camp jobs or reach out to "sleep away" camps. Good Luck

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I work part-time as a school nurse (24 hours per week) and part-time as a hospice nurse. So, I continue with hospice during the summer.

However, I'm looking to cut back on work so will be limiting hospice hours.

What I really want to do is NOT work all summer. Just be available for my kids, take them on adventures, enjoy being a mom. I also have gone on two medical missions to Vietnam in the summer and I'd like to be able to do that again.

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