Getting a hosptial job with no health care experience

[sopraffina]

I am hoping to begin pre-nursing at a local university Fall 2008 and eventually become a CRNA. In the meantime, I would really like to get a job at a local hospital. Not only would I love the first-hand experience in a hospital setting, but the tuition reimbursement that most hospitals offer would help immensely.

My background is in information technology, customer service and data processing. I do NOT have a degree of any sort. I was downsized in April 2006. In the Michigan economy, it took me a year to find a data processing job that pays $10 an hour. With the competition here, I know it will be a struggle to find a hospital job.

I've found a wonderful position posted for an Operating Room Assistant in the Anesthesia department! The basic requirements are a HS diploma and effective communication skills. They say that six months of related experience is "preferred" but it is not listed under the "required" qualifications.

Does anyone here have experience in the Operating Room Assistant position or worked with one? Is it something that someone can do without health care experience?

Also, does anyone have advice on the wording of my resume, more specifically my career objective? Right now, I list my experience with customer service and various software applications. I don't know whether I should emphasize:

• the good work I've done over the years in my previous field and not bring up my lack of experience or
  
• my commitment to excelling in nursing school and my dream of becoming a CRNA

I applied for a Ward Clerk position at another hospital but I was told that they require working knowledge of medical terminology and abbreviations, so I was not considered.

Thanks!

[swee2000]

Why not try for a job as a CNA in a hospital?

Not only would you get experience working in a hospital, but you'd also get to see how RNs function in the "real world", learn about &/or see a variety of diagnoses/procedures/surgeries/medications/etc, become comfortable caring for patients with complex medical issues who are sick &/or dying, learn time management & prioritization skills, etc, etc, etc, etc. I could go on & on with all the reasons why I think this is the perfect job for a nursing student. The benefits are endless.

As a FYI, when I started working as a CNA at the hospital, I had no prior job experience in any healthcare-related field. The only things that came close were my clinicals for CNA class & the 2 semesters of nursing school that I had completed. But I was not about to let this one factor stand in my way of getting the job I wanted. So my advice to you is that, even though getting a hospital job w/o experience is possible, you may have to prove yourself a little more & fight a little harder than one who already has some experience under their belt. Good luck!