Discharge Planner - Must Have LVN License
Company : wellpath
Location : San Luis Obispo, CA, 93405
Job Type : Full Time / Part Time
Date Posted : 6 January 2026
You Matter
• Make a difference every day in the lives of the underserved• Join a mission driven organization with a people first culture• Excellent career growth opportunities
Join us and find a career that supports:• Caring for overlooked, underserved, and vulnerable patients• Diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging• Autonomy in a warm team environment• Growth and training
Perks and Benefits In addition to comprehensive benefits including medical, dental, vision, paid time off, and 401k, we foster a work, life balance for team members and their family to support physical, mental, and financial wellbeing including: • DailyPay, receive your money as you earn it! • Tuition Assistance and dependent Scholarships• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) including free counseling and health coaching• Company paid life insurance• Tax free Health Spending Accounts (HSA)• Wellness program featuring fitness memberships and product discounts• Preferred banking partnership and discounted rates for home and auto loans
*Eligibility for perks and benefits varies based on employee type and length of service.
Why Us
Now is your moment to make a difference in the lives of the underserved.
If there is one unifying characteristic of everyone on our team, it is the deep desire to make a difference by helping society's most vulnerable and often overlooked individuals. Every day we have the distinct honor and responsibility to show up with non-judgmental compassion to provide hope and healing to those who need it most. For those whose calling it is to serve others, now is your moment to join our mission to provide quality care to every patient with compassion, collaboration, and innovation, to live our mantra to “Always Do The Right Thing!”, and to collectively do our part to heal the world, one patient at a time.
Wellpath sees hundreds of thousands of unique individuals in their facilities month over month and a very large percent of those individuals receive direct clinical care, which includes lives saved by Narcan.
We offer ongoing training and development opportunities for licensed and unlicensed healthcare team members, and have best in class clinical resources for training, education, and point of care support.
How you make a difference
The Discharge Planner position involves coordinating and implementing discharge planning for patients at the facility while maintaining effective communication with facility staff and community resources. The job also requires accountability for services provided during the discharge planning process. The main responsibility is to ensure a smooth transition for patients from the facility to their respective communities.
Key Responsibilities
• Responsible for coordinating and conducting discharge planning for patients with Severe and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI), Adult Persons with Disabilities/Intellectual Disabilities , or serious medical illness, in accordance with facility policies and procedures.• Develop and maintain relationships with community agencies providing services to individuals with mental illness or serious medical conditions and facilitate applications for financial assistance.• Identify release-planning needs of patients and provide a Life Skills Program to enhance patient coping skills and support upon release.• Coordinate medication and medical needs, residential placement options, and assist patients in making appointments with mental health agencies for continuation of services.• Maintain accurate documentation of services provided in the patient health record and attend meetings relevant to release planning to enhance coordination of care.
Qualifications & Requirements
Education
- Bachelor’s degree in social work or closely related field from an accredited college or university.
Experience
- Previous experience in developing successful transition plans involving community resources for persons with mental illness.
- Experience in social work case management in a mental health agency for mentally ill population.
Licenses/Certifications
- Must maintain CPR certification, and any other certifications (such as First Aid) required by contract.
We are an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer
We are committed to fostering, cultivating, and preserving a culture of uniqueness.
We celebrate a variety of backgrounds and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.
We encourage you to apply! If you are excited about a role but your experience doesn’t seem to align perfectly with every element of the job description, we encourage you to apply. You may be just the right candidate for this, or one of our many other roles.
Deadline to apply to this position is contingent upon applicant volume. Those positions located in Colorado will have a specific deadline posted in the job description.
We are an Affirmative Action Employer in accordance with applicable state and local laws.
Related Jobs
Licensed Vocational Nurse, LVN - Telemetry (6W)
Centinela Hospital Medical Center
Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) - Gero Psych
Huntington Beach Hospital
Licensed Vocational Nurse, LVN - Physical Rehab
Centinela Hospital Medical Center
Top trending job titles hiring now
Popular Searches for Licensed Vocational Nurse
Frequently asked questions
San Luis Obispo's healthcare sector is growing steadily, with rising demand for LVNs skilled in discharge coordination. Candidates with mental health case management experience and an LVN license often find favorable opportunities, though competition can increase due to limited specialized roles in this region.
California healthcare employers, particularly for discharge planning roles, favor LVNs who maintain CPR and first aid certifications. Additionally, candidates with training in mental health case management and familiarity with state community resource networks gain a distinct advantage.
This role demands expertise beyond standard LVN duties, including coordinating complex transitions for patients with persistent mental illness, liaising with community agencies, and managing medication continuity. Proficiency in discharge planning protocols and case management significantly elevates career prospects.
Daily tasks often involve navigating patients’ social determinants of health, coordinating multi-agency care plans, and ensuring accurate documentation amidst high patient complexity. Emotional resilience and strong communication skills are essential to manage the unpredictability inherent in mental health discharge planning.
In San Luis Obispo, discharge planners with an LVN license typically earn between $58,000 and $68,000 annually, slightly above California's median for LVNs due to the specialized nature of the role and the cost of living adjustments in this coastal city.
Wellpath emphasizes continuous professional development, offering specialized training for discharge planners that integrates mental health care best practices and community resource navigation, alongside wellness programs that support team members’ overall well-being.
Wellpath’s discharge planners operate within a mission-driven culture focused on underserved populations, combining clinical care with social advocacy. This creates a more holistic approach to discharge planning, emphasizing compassion and innovative care transitions uniquely tailored to vulnerable patients.
Wellpath offers clear progression opportunities for LVNs starting as discharge planners, including pathways into leadership, case management specialization, and clinical education roles, supported by ongoing training and tuition assistance to foster professional growth.
Private discharge planner roles for LVNs are rarer due to the complexity of coordinating multi-disciplinary care usually handled by larger organizations or agencies. Contract positions offer flexibility and access to diverse facilities, which many LVNs prefer given the dynamic nature of discharge planning.
Strong ties with local mental health agencies, housing programs, and financial assistance services enable LVN discharge planners at Wellpath to create comprehensive, patient-centered transition plans, reducing readmissions and improving long-term patient outcomes in underserved communities.