discouraged

After you finish your first semester of nursing school, it should be a lot easier to get a job like that.

Yes, it is mostly about who you know. That's a horrible fact, but its true in a lot of cases and it's not fair. Be as persistent as you can be. Keep contacting the HR dept for the hospital for which you would like to work. The squeaky wheel DOES eventually get the grease. If there's a chance that any of your family or friends may have a connection with someone (even if it seems distant at first), then look into it- don't hesitate to ask them. You have nothing to lose by pursuing every lead possible. Also, try to find out who the unit manager(s) is and contact them directly. Tell them who you are, what experience you have, and ask if they want to see your resume.

Good luck. It took me almost a year to find the patient care tech job that I have now- so I know (at least part of) what you're going through.

Yes, as the others have said "it is not what you know, but who you know" and "how you communicate".

You might try looking at Quality assurance positions, Utilization positions or Case Management or even Risk Management. These might not be listed as clearical, but because of your experience they might let you at least apply.

Wish you the best as you further your career.

When I was in nursing school I tried to get jobs in the acute care hospitals where I lived and ran into the same brick walls. Once, I was directed to take my application to an office elsewhere in the hospital (from the HR office), I supposed it was because I was being given a chance to get in the door. The person who was behind the desk there was very quick to let me know that there were no positions available. I tried to make some more statements to which her response was totally ignoring me. I spoke directly to her and I know she was not hard of hearing because she had communicated with me already. She was no longer looking at me when she refused to answer me or engage in further conversation. I could not believe such deliberate rudeness. She literally floored me and if I could have thought of something curt to say, I would not have done so. I never applied for a job at that place again.
In small talk with others in my field, I had been told that personal politics accounts for getting hired there. Also taken into consideration is personal physical attractiveness.

Off topic: this particular hosp within a couple of years of my applying for work there, twice, engaged in a protracted downsizing throughout its various departments through attrition, layoffs, incentives, etc. Comical as it may seem, then one sees ads in the major newspapers for new personnel. A personal friend who was employed there and involved in the downsizing, told me that they were being encouraged to leave for the express purpose of hiring new people at lower wages with decreased benefits. So maybe I gained something by not getting hired there. Instead, I got downsized from another place! There is always an upside!

I am in the same situation in South Jersey, I applied to Cooper Hospital, Virtua, and Lourdes for unit secretary, billing, etc. and didn't even get a call back. I finally gave up and got a secretary job making $14/hour answering phones, so I guess it kind of worked out anyway!

I agree it is pretty hard finding a job unless you know someone. Also, the hospitals are pretty vague with allowing nursing students to view what the hospital offers for them. However, I went to the website of a few different healthcare systems, and finally got a call back! I would suggest looking for jobs such as a nurse's aide. You will get to go in the rooms and see a lot and get a great deal of experience as well as observing with the other nurses do! I'm just finishing up my first semester of the nursing program and they are allowing me to come in for an interview already.. so don't give up!