To determine where to look for a traveling nurse job, you must first determine how far you would like to travel. Are you a homebody who would prefer to stay in your current geographical location, or a wanderer who is excited about the prospect of seeing new places? These questions should be answered before you begin looking for work.
Local Travel
Most areas have what is known as home health care. This is where patients are cared for in their home by traveling certified nursing assistants who care for basic needs like bathing, checking vital signs, and food preparation if needed. Many times, there are agencies that employ nurses and CNAs and send them from home to home to provide this care.
You can also perform this type of traveling nurse job as a private contractor. It will take excellent references and a good reputation to build your clientele, but once you do, you will likely have more than enough work to keep you busy.
Families will often times prefer to hire a care provider on their own, as this allows them greater control over the care their loved ones receive. An agency is likely to send multiple CNAs due to scheduling, i.e. weekend help, night versus morning hours, etc. When the family is in charge, they know exactly who is caring for their loved one at all times.
If you decide to do this type of traveling nurse job, you will want to look over your compensation very well. Travel expenses should cover your entire out-of-pocket expense. Travel nurse jobs can be found through your local hospital or long-term care facility, temporary agencies, and home health care agencies. You can also advertise locally offering your CNA services.
State-Wide Travel
You may live in a state that has areas deficient in CNAs. In this situation, temporary services may offer to fill the positions. Hospitals, nursing homes, and other long-term care facilities will often be in need of temporary help. The agencies will then look around the state for available CNAs willing to travel and will send them to these locations. The pay for this service can be substantial; travel and lodging are usually provided at the expense of the hiring facility.
As the aging population grows and people with disabilities live longer the demand for this service will continue to outpace the supply of CNAs who can offer it. The best way to find positions like this is to apply with a temporary service which services the entire state. You can also subscribe to newspapers that service the largest cities in your state to watch for traveling nurse jobs.
Nation-Wide Traveling
As in the state model above, there are areas of the country that suffer nursing shortages. CNA jobs of this nature are a bit trickier, since there is no federal standardized training. What this means is the requirements for a CNA will vary from state to state. This makes it more difficult for traveling nurse jobs to include CNA positions. However, it is not impossible to travel around the country as a CNA.
There are a few staffing companies around the country that have CNA jobs that include traveling from one state to another. The Internet is a great place to find these kinds of staffing agencies.
You should be aware that traveling nurse jobs of this nature might require you to take the certification test again. Some states will honor another’s certification program and some will not. If you use a staffing agency, they will be aware of this ahead of time and can make the proper arrangements.
Many times these types of CNA jobs will encompass only bordering states. For instance, a home health agency may have clients in both North and South Carolina. This does not necessarily mean you will not have to be certified in both states but it will reduce the likelihood.
Conclusion
Nursing is a fundamental necessity in society and has been around for hundreds of years. Moreover, it is unlikely that the current trends will slow down anytime soon. This is a field with fantastic growth, and job stability is a result of that growth. Regardless of the economy, travel nurse and CNA jobs continue to flourish. In fact the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that all aspects of nursing will have a much-faster-than-average growth over the next few years. Expansion is expected to be around 28 percent from now until 2016.
The median income for CNAs according to salary.com is $24,000. However, this figure does not include travel and lodging benefits. Where you work will also influence this figure. The extreme northeast will pay significantly higher than extreme southern locations.
CNA jobs that include travel are a relatively new idea, especially as it applies to travel nationally. A growing trend has enormous potential for the individual who is interested in life as a traveling nurse.
