Travel nursing as a CNA

Hi All,

I've done a bit of a search through allnurses but I haven't really found an answer to my question. I was hoping if I posted it here someone just might have some info for me.

I'm currently a second year BN student in Australia. I'll be finished second year by the end of 2010 and so far I've got good results and some wonderful clinical feedback behind me. I work as a nursing assistant in a hospital for profoundly disabled children with very extensive physical and intellectual developmental disabilities. In the past I have been a nurse assistant in a nursing home (high level dementia care) and in paediatric hospice.

I am interested in the concept of "travel nursing" - a short assignment during our long break (over Christmas) as a CNA/insert various appropriate acronyms here in the US. I would love to go to somewhere like New York or Denver - a big city with lot's of heavy snow to work as a CNA, largely for the combination of nursing experience and the travel/opportunity to experience a different place/way of living.

I know that there are plenty of agencies out there that set up RNs/other health care professionals on travel nurse assignments however (in my research, which isn't incredibly extensive) the same opportunities for CNAs is not available and travel jobs for CNAs rarely advertised/offered. I understand that this is likely due to the fact that agencies probably can't make a huge return on the small salary of the CNA, amongst other factors.

What I'm asking is for any ideas on how to go about figuring out whether this is possible and how to set it up. I'd love to work in a paediatric setting (acute or otherwise) or in a residental psychiatric facility (for e.g. Change for Change, Utah or Rogers Memorial, WC.)

Has anyone got any ideas, suggestions or advice as to how to go about this?
First, there are very, very few travel positions for CNAs in a good economy- even less so in the current severe recession. Travel positions are ALL ver expensive to the contracting facility and all have been cut back drastically. Even experienced travel RNs are having difficulty finding positions, much less an inexperienced CNA. And no, school is not considered experience.Second, the positions available tend to be in places that have difficulty staffing.. seriously rural areas in the middle of nowhere, not the pleasant tourist areas or in dangerous facilities/areas. New York is a popular place and everone wants to travel there.Third, few places want to hire temp workers in general. The amount of time it takes to get someone up to speed is such that it would not be very efficient. Add in the fact that you are coming from a different country where things work very differently, and it becomes quite prohibitive.Most of those type positions go to local students, who may come on board as nurses at graduate. As you are not a US citizen, it would be difficult if not impossible to hire you at graduation, they would be even less likel to hire you.Fourth, and most problematic. You need to be a citizen or have a visa that permits you to work in the US or you cannot work in a facility. And those are not terribly forthcoming currently. Please review the threads where even Bachelor's Nurses that have passed the NCLEX are waiting years to get permitted to work stateside.

I have never heard of such a thing, and I don't think it would be possible. I don't think that CNAs are enough in demand that you could get a work visa for that kind of short term employment. There is a very high rate of unemployment in the States right now; plenty of local CNAs are having trouble finding jobs.I think that you are better off just taking a regular vacation or even a volunteer vacation, in which you could work for a non-profit organization but just not get paid.

never heard of a travel cna

As long as there are any number of locally available workers, there will be little to no need for employers to go through the trouble and expense of bringing in travelers.