Getting your foot in the door?

[NeuroElectric]

Hello there, this is my first time to these forums, and I'm in kind of a unique predicament and was looking for advice.

I'm currently a second-year community college student, and will be transferring out of state (from Maryland to Illinois) next fall semester. Because my fiance's family lives up there, and his aunt operates a dialysis clinic not too far from where I'll be going to school, she's already guaranteed me a job there on the condition that I can get ANY kind of medical experience here in the next eight months preceding the move.

The only problem is how. When looking through the classifieds in the paper, everything is requiring that you already have your CNA or that you have previous medical experience, even in the case of doctor's office receptionists. My work experience thusfar has been the typical jobs of a young girl under 21; fast food, retail, non-medical office work, etc. I searched through the websites of the local hospitals (GBMC, Johns Hopkins, BWMC, etc.) and the few positions I found, typically under the name of Clerical Associate or something similar, I applied for with no result.

I KNOW there HAS to be a way to get an entry-level medical job without certification or experience. Like I said, I go to a community college, and there are TONS of girls that are my age walking around campus in scrubs and tags around their necks. Unless hospital attire has become the new Abercrombie and I missed the memo, I know there's got to be something I'm missing to keep me from these jobs.

Does anyone have any suggestion on where to find or how to get into these kind of positions?

[NeuroElectric]

Bumping this thread, because I really need to get the experience. I applied to two other hospitals, again under low-level lab tech, transport, or associate positions, all to no avail. Am I doing something wrong? Or is it just impossible to get a job without having certification or medical-specific experience? How did everyone get into medicine before you had your RN/CNAs?

[ukstudent]

Depending where you live, Anne Arundel Medical Center has an inhouse CNA program. They will train you and you get paid while doing it, the only problem is that you would have to work for them for a period of time (forget how much). The community colleges also have CNA classes that you could take. You said you are in college at the moment, are you taking any nursing classes? If you have taken at least one, maybe 2 semesters of nursing school then you can work in most hospitals.

[jjjoy, LPN]

First off, if you're not too shy, go right on up all those folks you see on campus in scrubs and ask them about their job! After giving no mind to the rude folks who blow you off, you're likely to find a couple of friendly folk in scrubs who will answer your questions... what they do, what kind of experience they needed, if there happen to be any openings currently... Be prepared for a wide variety of answers as just about anyone in a health facility wears scrubs these days and many people will say "I'm a nurse" in regard to any job in a medical office, so take the opportunity if you have it to get specific info about their job.

Find out if there's any health professional club on campus (pre-nursing, etc). If there is, that would be a good place to trade info about job, volunteer and course possibilities.

In regard to looking for work... persistence!!!! Job openings come and go and come and go. So keep checking back every week. Hospital human resource departments are infamous for not following up on applications, so be sure to call in now and then to check on your application status (such as once a week).

Finally, at the very least, see about any local health care courses such as nursing assistant certification and phlebotomy (drawing blood) training and look into volunteering. Any experience beats no experience.

Good luck!

[Medsport, LPN]

Hope its ok to jump in this thread. ukstudent, how do yo get into a hospital with 1 or 2 semesters of nursing classes (besides clinicals)?

I just got my LPN license and I'm one of a few students who have'nt found a job yet. Most of the class got jobs in LTC facilities or rehab starting out.

[ukstudent]

In this area, most of the area hospitals are trying to get "Magnet" and are no longer hiring LPN's. The hospitals will hire RN nursing students after a semester or 2 (must include clinicals) as student nurse assistance or in other words CNA's. It does not pay great, but does allow you to get a foot into the door and see if you like that hospital's work enviroment.

[momthenRN]

I started out as a unit secretary before nursing school. There are other positions such as unit secretary, ancillary techs in PT/OT, surgery transport personel, and phlebotomy. Just apply for anything that gets you in. Almost any position will help you gain experience in the hospital, believe me. Good luck....