Licensed Vocational Nurse in Los Angeles, California at LOS ANGELES CHRISTIAN HEALTH CENTER

SUMMARY

The Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) supports and promotes LACHC’s mission to show God’s love by providing quality, comprehensive healthcare to the homeless and underserved. The LVN plays a vital role in delivering compassionate, patient-centered care in a non-traditional setting that prioritizes harm reduction and trauma-informed care. Under the supervision of the Clinical Program Manager and RN, the LVN provides direct patient care, performing routine clinical procedures, technical tasks, and essential patient support functions at the Maple Street Campus. This role requires a flexible, adaptable approach to healthcare, meeting patients where they are— including non-clinical spaces such as drop-in centers, outdoor parklets, and community areas.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES, RESPONSIBILITIES, AND PRIVILEGES include:

• Perform routine patient care procedures and technical functions within the LVN scope of practice.
• Conduct basic assessments, collect data, and document patient information following LACHC policies and LVN practice standards.
• Contribute to individualized treatment plans and interventions.
• Support harm reduction strategies, including safer use practices, overdose prevention, and risk reduction counseling.
• Provide wound care, medication reconciliation/management, phlebotomy for challenging venous access, and patient education.
• Assist patients with routine hygiene needs (e.g., changing clothes, wound cleaning).
• Navigate patients through addiction medicine services, ensuring follow-up and retention in care.
• Collaborate with an interdisciplinary team, including LCSWs, case managers, harm reduction specialists, primary care providers, and behavioral health clinicians.
• Assist in administering vaccinations, monitoring vitals, and performing other standard nursing duties.
• Maintain a clean and well-stocked work environment in both clinical and non-traditional settings.
• Ensure documentation is accurate, timely, and HIPAA-compliant.
• Participate in staff training, program evaluation, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Performs other duties as assigned.

To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to accomplish each essential duty satisfactorily. The following requirements are representative of the knowledge, skill and/or abilities required. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE

• Current and valid California LVN License.
• Current BLS certification (American Heart Association).
• At least one (1) year of experience in an ambulatory care or community health setting.
• Familiarity with or willingness to learn harm reduction, drug user health, and addiction medicine.
• Commitment to patient-centered care with unconditional positive regard, particularly for individuals experiencing homelessness, drug use, sex work, and incarceration.
• Understanding of the unique healthcare needs of the populations served, including the chronic and acute sequelae of homelessness, drug use, and incarceration.
• Ability to work in a non-traditional clinical setting (e.g., outdoor parklets, drop-in spaces).
• Experience with nurse-only visits for wound care, medication management, and phlebotomy for patients with difficult venous access.
• Proficiency in evidence-based behavioral health interventions, such as motivational interviewing, trauma-informed care, and relapse prevention.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently and collaboratively within an interdisciplinary team.
• Strong communication and documentation skills.
• Bilingual (English/Spanish) preferred.
• Flexibility to work both morning and evening shifts as needed.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to sit and talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel. The employee is occasionally required to stand, walk, reach with hands and arms, climb or balance, and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 10 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, color vision, and ability to adjust focus.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee will be exposed to carriers of contagious diseases such as TB, AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases. The employee may have to deal with irate and irrational clients who may or may not be under the influence of mind-altering substances such as cocaine, marijuana, alcohol, etc.