Licensed Vocational Nurse

We’re calling on mission-minded Licensed Vocational Nurses to help with Placer County’s next, and hopefully, final chapter in its response to COVID-19. In many ways, nurses are leading the front-line response to COVID-19 and we’re calling on them once more to help us vaccinate our community and collect specimens.   Nurses hired for this *extra help/temporary only assignment, through our Health and Human Services Department, may be asked to:  

• administer vaccinations at drive-thru and community sites;
• support specimen collection;
• respond to community inquiries; and
• support case investigation.  

To help us provide culturally and linguistically responsive services, we’re also in need of nurses who are bilingual in Spanish, Russian, and other languages. An additional 5% pay is available to those who can provide service in a language other than English.  

*Temporary/Extra Help assignments are limited to working 28 hours per week with a cap of 999 hours or 960 hours for CalPERS retired annuitants in a fiscal year and are not eligible for benefits. These temporary assignments are not eligible to be transitioned into a permanent full-time or part-time position.

Individuals in this assignment will be required to work weekdays, weekends and/or evening hours.

Interested in joining our team of public servants and being a part of public health history? If so, please start by completing the application below.  

To provide vocational nursing services for patients in County health facilities; to assist physicians in physical examinations; and to perform less complex medical procedures as directed.

Receives general supervision from a Supervising Registered Nurse or other medical or public health supervisory staff.  May receive technical and functional supervision from other medical personnel.

Duties may include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Prepare patients for examination by physician, including taking and charting vital signs and brief history of complaints; assess need for tests and equipment; and conduct tests as ordered.
• Read charts and other records to note condition of patients and treatments, medications, special diets and procedures ordered by physicians; enter findings, as well as, treatments and medication administered, in patient's charts.
• Administer simple prescribed treatments, medications and diagnostic procedures.
• Observe condition of patients and report unusual occurrences or serious conditions to supervisors.
• Provide patient education regarding conditions/topics such as diabetes, hypertension, nutrition and weight loss, and techniques such as breast self-examination.
• Keep examination and laboratory rooms stocked with adequate and appropriate supplies; change bio-hazardous waste containers and dispose of contents according to procedure.
• May be assigned to assist with a particular Department of Health and Medical Services program.
• Build and maintain positive working relationships with co-workers, other County employees and the public using principles of good customer service.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

It is the responsibility of applicants to identify in their application materials how they meet the minimum qualifications listed below.

Experience and Training: Any combination of experience and training that would provide the required knowledge and abilities is qualifying.  A typical way to obtain the required knowledge and abilities would be:

Experience: Two years of responsible licensed vocational nursing experience.

Training: Equivalent to an Associate's degree from an accredited college with major course work in vocational nursing or a related field.

License or Certificate:

• Possession of a valid license to practice as a Vocational Nurse in the State of California.
• May need to possess a valid driver's license as required by the position.  Proof of adequate vehicle insurance and medical clearance may also be required.

Knowledge of:

• Vocational nursing, including first aid, sterilization techniques, infection control, disposal of bio-hazardous material, medications, treatments and procedures, and bedside care of the ill.
• Medical terminology.
• Medical symptoms especially as related to determination of    appropriate examinations and tests.
• Use and care of nursing equipment and supplies.
• Regulations and procedures governing a specific program when so assigned.
• Principles and practices of work safety, especially as related to communicable diseases.

Ability to:

• On a continuous basis, know and understand operations and observe safety rules.  Intermittently analyze procedures; identify and locate supplies and equipment; interpret work orders; and explain operations and procedures to patients.
• Intermittently, sit while studying or preparing records and charts; continuously walk, bend, squat, climb, kneel and twist when assisting patients, operating equipment, administering tests or treatments, or handling supplies/and or waste.
• Perform simple and power grasping, pushing, pulling and fine manipulation; see and hear with sufficient skill to administer and evaluate vision and hearing tests; and lift moderate weight.
• Administer prescribed treatments and procedures.
• Employ proper sterilization procedures.
• Work with various cultural and ethnic groups in a tactful and effective manner.
• Act quickly and calmly in emergency situations.
• Obtain information through interviews; deal fairly and courteously with the public; handle multiple cases; and work effectively with interruption.
• Analyze situations quickly and objectively and determine proper course of action.
• Use a computer, calculator, typewriter, telephone, facsimile machine, postage meter, and photocopy machine.
• Communicate clearly and concisely, both orally and in writing.
• Establish and maintain effective working relationships with those contacted in the course of work.

Training & Experience Rating (100%)

Based upon responses to the supplemental questionnaire, the applicant’s education, training, and experience will be evaluated using a pre-determined formula. Scores from this evaluation will determine applicant ranking and placement on the eligible list.

Prior to the date of hire, applicants must undergo a fingerprint test by the Department of Justice, pass a medical examination (which may include a drug screening and possibly a psychological evaluation), sign a constitutional oath, and submit proof of U.S. citizenship or legal right to remain and work in the U.S.  For some positions, applicants may also be required to submit proof of age, undergo a background investigation (which may include a voice stress analysis and/or a polygraph), and/or be bonded. Additionally, positions in law enforcement classifications and those supporting law enforcement functions will be required to complete a conviction history questionnaire prior to or during the interview process. Applicants for positions with access to Medi-Cal billing software or who are licensed providers must clear the Federal Exclusion List, credentialing, and social security verification. Failure to clear these requirements may result in an employment offer being withdrawn.

The eligible list resulting from this recruitment may be certified as a substitute list for a substantially similar classification.  For this purpose, a substantially similar classification is one at a lower level in the same classification (example: entry level vs. journey level) and/or a similar classification (similar work performed, similar training and experience qualifications required). If you are contacted for an interview by a County department, you will be informed of the classification and other relevant information. If you choose not to interview for a substantially similar classification, you will remain on the eligible list for which you originally applied.

Placer County offers an expedited process for qualifying certain applicants for interviews. Candidates currently employed, or employed within the last year, by a public agency operating under a personnel civil service or merit system may be eligible to be placed on a Public Agency Eligible List and certified as eligible for appointment to a similar job assignment without going through the examination process. For more information on the Public Agency Eligible List, to download forms, or to apply, please click here.

Thank you for your interest in employment with Placer County. Placer County is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to an active nondiscrimination program. It is the stated policy of Placer County that harassment, discrimination, and retaliation are prohibited and that all employees, applicants, agents, contractors, and interns/volunteers shall receive equal consideration and treatment. All terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to recruitment, hiring, transfer, and promotion will be based on the qualifications of the individual for the positions being filled regardless of gender (including gender identity and expression), sexual orientation, race, color, ancestry, religion, national origin, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition (cancer or genetic characteristics/information), age (40 or over), marital status, military and/or veteran status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth and related medical conditions), or any other classification protected by federal, state, or local law. Please contact the Human Resources Department at least 5 working days before a scheduled examination if you require accommodation in the examination process. Medical disability verification may be required prior to accommodation.