How To Become A County Nurse: What It Is and Career Path

What is a county nurse and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Expert

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a county nurse. For example, did you know that they make an average of $28.29 an hour? That's $58,852 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 195,400 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a County Nurse?

Lisa Rebeschi Ph.D.

Associate Dean of the School of Nursing Professor of Nursing, Quinnipiac University

One of the suggestions for new graduates is the importance of self-care. We have long known of the demanding nature of the nursing practice. However, the COVID-19 pandemic has magnified the nursing role's critical importance and the unique contributions made by nursing professionals. As the healthcare environment is extremely complex and challenging, nurses must remember to advocate for themselves and prioritize self-care.

ScoreCounty NurseUS Average

Salary

4.6

Avg. Salary $58,852

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

10.0

Growth Rate 6%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

6.3

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.44%

Asian 8.93%

Black or African American 11.88%

Hispanic or Latino 8.71%

Unknown 4.24%

White 65.81%

Gender

female 88.08%

male 11.92%

Age - 43

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 43

Stress Level

10.0

Stress level is very high

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

9.1

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

7.8

Work Life balance is good

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a county nurse

Explore county nurse education requirements

Most common county nurse degrees

Associate

39.3 %

Bachelor's

30.0 %

Diploma

8.6 %

Start to develop specific county nurse skills

Skills	Percentages
Home Health	19.01%
CPR	14.30%
BSN	9.88%
Medication Administration	8.05%
EMR	6.53%

Complete relevant county nurse training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 3-6 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New county nurses learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a county nurse based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real county nurse resumes.

Obtain the necessary licensing

Becoming a licensed county nurse usually require a college degree. However, you need to pass an exam to become a licensed county nurse in most of states. 43 states require county nurses to have license for their work. You can see the list of states below.

State	Education	Exam	License Url
Alabama	Degree required	State exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
Alaska	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Nurse, Licensed Practical
Arkansas	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN)
California	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Vocational Nurse
Colorado	Degree required	Third-party exam required	Licensed Practical Nurse

Research county nurse duties and responsibilities

Manage high-acuity cardiac/pulmonary and psychiatric patients
Prepare activities to occupy children while in the immunization clinic.
Document and track any Ppd, or immunization adverse reaction.
Manage high-acuity cardiac/pulmonary and psychiatric patients

Prepare your county nurse resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your county nurse resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a county nurse resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable County Nurse Resume templates

Build a professional County Nurse resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your County Nurse resume.

Apply for county nurse jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a county nurse job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do county nurses rate their job?

-/5

5 Stars

4 Stars

3 Stars

2 Stars

1 Star

County Nurse reviews

A zippia user wrote a review on Aug 2020

Pros

helping people and saving lives

Cons

the pay is not good not enough for the lifestyle I would like to live

A zippia user wrote a review on Nov 2019

Cons

Far to many things to mention but to be on your feet for 12 hours plus a stressful environment the job should be double in salary especially they save lives just like a policeman or fireman ! I could go on and I am a mother of a nurse !!

Pros

Ready to be a server in an high-end restaurant. !😰😰

A zippia user wrote a review on Mar 2019

Pros

Very rewarding job helping others and bringing new life into the world.

Cons

Trauma, bad outcomes, fetal demise, constant stress and frequent emergencies. Long hours and little pay.

What is a county nurse and how to become one

What general advice would you give to a County Nurse?

County Nurse career paths

Key steps to become a county nurse

Explore county nurse education requirements

Most common county nurse degrees

Start to develop specific county nurse skills

Complete relevant county nurse training and internships

Obtain the necessary licensing

Research county nurse duties and responsibilities

Prepare your county nurse resume

Choose From 10+ Customizable County Nurse Resume templates

Apply for county nurse jobs

How Did You Land Your First County Nurse Job

Average county nurse salary

How do county nurses rate their job?

County Nurse reviews