Are traveling CNAs a thing?
July 2, 2021 11:29 PM Subscribe
Traveling nurses are most certainly a thing, what about CNAs? Is this you? Tell us.
In my experience working as an RN in acute care hospitals, traveling CNAs are not a thing.
Travelers are used to cover critical staffing shortages of essential personnel, meaning that they’re contracted only when no current employee is qualified, licensed, and available to do the needed job. Travelers are paid a premium for their services because supply is low and demand is high.
CNAs are not considered essential personnel in an acute care hospital because every RN is qualified and licensed to perform every function in a CNA’s scope of practice. If there’s a shortage of CNAs, the hospital’s solution will always be to have the RN do it herself. No hospital administrator alive is going to pay someone a premium when they could just demand more productivity from the nurse for the same pay.
(At the beginning of the pandemic, the very first thing the hospital administrators did was redeploy all our CNAs to do employee symptom and temperature screening. We worked without them for a year.)
I have no experience working in places like SNFs, subacute wards, nursing homes, etc., so things might be different in places where CNAs make up the majority of the patient care staff.
posted by jesourie at 10:16 AM on July 3, 2021 [4 favorites]
Travelers are used to cover critical staffing shortages of essential personnel, meaning that they’re contracted only when no current employee is qualified, licensed, and available to do the needed job. Travelers are paid a premium for their services because supply is low and demand is high.
CNAs are not considered essential personnel in an acute care hospital because every RN is qualified and licensed to perform every function in a CNA’s scope of practice. If there’s a shortage of CNAs, the hospital’s solution will always be to have the RN do it herself. No hospital administrator alive is going to pay someone a premium when they could just demand more productivity from the nurse for the same pay.
(At the beginning of the pandemic, the very first thing the hospital administrators did was redeploy all our CNAs to do employee symptom and temperature screening. We worked without them for a year.)
I have no experience working in places like SNFs, subacute wards, nursing homes, etc., so things might be different in places where CNAs make up the majority of the patient care staff.
posted by jesourie at 10:16 AM on July 3, 2021 [4 favorites]
firstdaffodils, are you asking about CNAs in home-care situations?
What Is a Traveling CNA and How to Become One (ZipRecruiter) A certified nursing assistant (CNA) provides direct patient care. A traveling CNA goes to the home of a patient to monitor their health, administer medication, assist with basic health care tasks, and assess their condition. As a traveling CNA, your duties may include documenting your visit to the homes of patients and reporting to a nurse or medical professional. You typically work for an agency that specializes in home health care. Your responsibilities may include helping patients with daily tasks and chores and being on-call to provide aid for clients or patients as needed. [...] You need professional certification to become a CNA, but the requirements for certification vary by state. Employers also require a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record since the position may involve significant local travel.
Traveling-CNA career basics (CNAClassesNearMe.com) I thought this was a decent overview with a pros and cons bit. But if you're considering this career and you use the class-search widget at this site or anywhere else, please double-check accreditation and be familiar w/your state's cert. requirements.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:42 AM on July 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
What Is a Traveling CNA and How to Become One (ZipRecruiter) A certified nursing assistant (CNA) provides direct patient care. A traveling CNA goes to the home of a patient to monitor their health, administer medication, assist with basic health care tasks, and assess their condition. As a traveling CNA, your duties may include documenting your visit to the homes of patients and reporting to a nurse or medical professional. You typically work for an agency that specializes in home health care. Your responsibilities may include helping patients with daily tasks and chores and being on-call to provide aid for clients or patients as needed. [...] You need professional certification to become a CNA, but the requirements for certification vary by state. Employers also require a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record since the position may involve significant local travel.
Traveling-CNA career basics (CNAClassesNearMe.com) I thought this was a decent overview with a pros and cons bit. But if you're considering this career and you use the class-search widget at this site or anywhere else, please double-check accreditation and be familiar w/your state's cert. requirements.)
posted by Iris Gambol at 10:42 AM on July 3, 2021 [1 favorite]
All my information is US based, primarily west coast based.
It is more typical for RNs and LPNs to travel, but traveling CNA's are certainly a thing. Typically traveled CNAs operate at long term care facilities or nursing homes. The money that CNAs make do not make it super lucrative to travel, but it happens and is done. Working as a CNA at a long term care facility or higher-need nursing home is a very, very high burnout rate job, so there's a constant need for those positions in the labor market (moreso right now, post the worst parts of the pandemic).
If you decide to do this, make sure that you have an active, clear license in the state that you’re looking to practice in; CNA licensing is relatively cheap, and not super difficult to obtain...it is just time consuming and takes lots of attention to detail. Make sure you keep your documentation straight and accessible while you are traveling (ie, keep your personal and professional documentation with you while you are traveling) Every state is different and have different timelines for licensure (and some states won’t accept your CNA certificate if you don’t meet certain practice or CEU requirements). Each state nursing or CNA board is staffed with DMV burnouts; they don't like you (and really, they're there to protect the public from some wildly dangerous practitioners, so they don't put up with much shit). The better you are able to not interact with them, the better your licensing process will likely go. Read rules and regulations directly from each board, not on staffing sites (the information is often straight incorrect on these sites).
Don’t, don’t don’t accept a contract if you do not ALREADY have a license in the state that contract is in.
It may be tempting to see a listing with $bananas_pay listed, and you don't have a license. your travel agency will assure you that you can obtain a license before the contract starts. They're fucking liars (intentionally or not). Travel agencies are NOT looking out for you, they are looking to assign contracts to get their asses paid. If they sign you, they get paid, even if you don’t. Do not trust them when they say “oh yeah, you can get licensed in state X in plenty of time to take this contract.” They may be right, but they’re often wrong, and then you’re sitting in a hotel room in a state you’re not familiar with, with zero income until your license posts (if you still have the contract after that), and you're probably on the bill for that hotel room while you're waiting, even if its normally covered under your contract.
If you have any background issues (even expunged stuff, arrests that did not result in charges, MIP's from when you were 16...anything but speeding tickets) don't do it. It's not worth it, your licensing process time in each state is going to be extended to the point where you're going to get worn out applying for licensure in each state. Some states are more lax on these things, but other states will slow roll your application and it will take two to three times as long to obtain licensure if you have anything on your background check (every state that I know of does a full FBI background check; state level 'expunged' things will still show up on your background report).
posted by furnace.heart at 12:16 PM on July 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
It is more typical for RNs and LPNs to travel, but traveling CNA's are certainly a thing. Typically traveled CNAs operate at long term care facilities or nursing homes. The money that CNAs make do not make it super lucrative to travel, but it happens and is done. Working as a CNA at a long term care facility or higher-need nursing home is a very, very high burnout rate job, so there's a constant need for those positions in the labor market (moreso right now, post the worst parts of the pandemic).
If you decide to do this, make sure that you have an active, clear license in the state that you’re looking to practice in; CNA licensing is relatively cheap, and not super difficult to obtain...it is just time consuming and takes lots of attention to detail. Make sure you keep your documentation straight and accessible while you are traveling (ie, keep your personal and professional documentation with you while you are traveling) Every state is different and have different timelines for licensure (and some states won’t accept your CNA certificate if you don’t meet certain practice or CEU requirements). Each state nursing or CNA board is staffed with DMV burnouts; they don't like you (and really, they're there to protect the public from some wildly dangerous practitioners, so they don't put up with much shit). The better you are able to not interact with them, the better your licensing process will likely go. Read rules and regulations directly from each board, not on staffing sites (the information is often straight incorrect on these sites).
Don’t, don’t don’t accept a contract if you do not ALREADY have a license in the state that contract is in.
It may be tempting to see a listing with $bananas_pay listed, and you don't have a license. your travel agency will assure you that you can obtain a license before the contract starts. They're fucking liars (intentionally or not). Travel agencies are NOT looking out for you, they are looking to assign contracts to get their asses paid. If they sign you, they get paid, even if you don’t. Do not trust them when they say “oh yeah, you can get licensed in state X in plenty of time to take this contract.” They may be right, but they’re often wrong, and then you’re sitting in a hotel room in a state you’re not familiar with, with zero income until your license posts (if you still have the contract after that), and you're probably on the bill for that hotel room while you're waiting, even if its normally covered under your contract.
If you have any background issues (even expunged stuff, arrests that did not result in charges, MIP's from when you were 16...anything but speeding tickets) don't do it. It's not worth it, your licensing process time in each state is going to be extended to the point where you're going to get worn out applying for licensure in each state. Some states are more lax on these things, but other states will slow roll your application and it will take two to three times as long to obtain licensure if you have anything on your background check (every state that I know of does a full FBI background check; state level 'expunged' things will still show up on your background report).
posted by furnace.heart at 12:16 PM on July 3, 2021 [2 favorites]
Response by poster: Not to threadsit: These are nicely articulated answers, thank you.
Clarity: A lot of occupations are clearing house due to the Covid shift, and many lesser desirable occupations have huge spaces in availability. A lot of states (Oregon, being one) are offering free CNA training that may otherwise cost a thousand, or several thousand dollars. "Traveling CNA is not a thing.." "Traveling CNA is a thing!" Somewhere in between, rest the traveling CNAs.
Most concerns were getting a feel for the actual climate of the practice, as well as identifying which places of training were legitimate/worthwhile. There are many advertisements online suggesting "Traveling CNAs!!!," but based on context, appear as lesser legitimates or just result in a flat pay rates ($16 as opposed to a more livable $22-$30. I cannot justify paying thousands for training for a $16/hr pay rate, unless a person is very passionate). Also seems a potential slow-beeline to traveling nurse. Not very concerned for expungement, do have one traffic ticket from a particularly ornery highway patrolman. Seeing a lot of potential for reciprocity between sister states (Like Oregon/Washington), but I can see how it may be difficult to really get off the ground. Interestingly, one is able to work in Washington for four months before requiring a state license, so it may be one of the better states to accept travel. (at least in a private care facility)
posted by firstdaffodils at 1:27 PM on July 3, 2021
Clarity: A lot of occupations are clearing house due to the Covid shift, and many lesser desirable occupations have huge spaces in availability. A lot of states (Oregon, being one) are offering free CNA training that may otherwise cost a thousand, or several thousand dollars. "Traveling CNA is not a thing.." "Traveling CNA is a thing!" Somewhere in between, rest the traveling CNAs.
Most concerns were getting a feel for the actual climate of the practice, as well as identifying which places of training were legitimate/worthwhile. There are many advertisements online suggesting "Traveling CNAs!!!," but based on context, appear as lesser legitimates or just result in a flat pay rates ($16 as opposed to a more livable $22-$30. I cannot justify paying thousands for training for a $16/hr pay rate, unless a person is very passionate). Also seems a potential slow-beeline to traveling nurse. Not very concerned for expungement, do have one traffic ticket from a particularly ornery highway patrolman. Seeing a lot of potential for reciprocity between sister states (Like Oregon/Washington), but I can see how it may be difficult to really get off the ground. Interestingly, one is able to work in Washington for four months before requiring a state license, so it may be one of the better states to accept travel. (at least in a private care facility)
posted by firstdaffodils at 1:27 PM on July 3, 2021
Response by poster: (Btw, this wouldn't really be for a home, it'd be for private clients)
posted by firstdaffodils at 1:36 PM on July 3, 2021
posted by firstdaffodils at 1:36 PM on July 3, 2021
a potential slow-beeline to traveling nurse
Any RN with a current, unrestricted license to practice can choose to be employed by a staffing agency and work as a traveler at any time. Working as a private-duty CNA will not expedite this in any way.
posted by jesourie at 2:52 PM on July 3, 2021
Any RN with a current, unrestricted license to practice can choose to be employed by a staffing agency and work as a traveler at any time. Working as a private-duty CNA will not expedite this in any way.
posted by jesourie at 2:52 PM on July 3, 2021
Response by poster: "slow-beeline" (only in that a nurse is trained to do anything a CNA can do, but having some experience as a CNA can lead to nursing- thank you!)
posted by firstdaffodils at 2:54 PM on July 3, 2021
posted by firstdaffodils at 2:54 PM on July 3, 2021
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In my experience working as a travel lab professional, many of the hospitals that need travel staff are poorly run and have a hard time recruiting staff or retaining staff because they can be miserable places to work at.
Some hospitals in need of travel staff may not fall in this category. They just may be located in a rural or sparsely populated area and don’t have a large city nearby to recruit licensed health staff from.
The hospital I worked at was in fairly large city and I personally found the money not worth the stress and misery of working at that hospital. They needed travel staff because they had about half of their lab staff leave in a six month period.
Some people are able to thrive or tolerate these environments. I found I wasn’t one of them.
posted by mundo at 10:06 AM on July 3, 2021 [1 favorite]