Published May 4, 2005
brandy119
37 Posts
Hello anyone. Just wondering if any advice is out there on how to get into a hospital, without hospital exp. I am going to school for Nursing, havent started NSG school yet, and I have worked at my job for almost 5years, which it is ok, but I am doing clerical,general office work. I feel I really want to change my career and want to get a job in the hospital to at least get a feel of what i will be doing. It seems to be a Nursin assistant now you have to be certified, so I have accepted that, but I have almost everyday online been applying to every hospital around me online for almost any job for the past 6 months and still no luck. Has anyone had this same problem, :stone
cn2007rn
232 Posts
Do any of the hospitals near you have unit clerks/business associates, with your clerical experience you would be a good candidate to work on a unit dealing with clerical stuff-filing, dealing with admissions, organizing medical records, supplies, etc. You might be able to start as a unit clerk in a hospital and then later move into a nursing assistant. The hospital might even provide the nursing assistant certification classes.
Also, did you let them know in your cover letter/resume that you are planning to attend nursing school. Hospitals are usually pretty receptive to nursing students because they look at students as future nurses for their hospital.
You might also want to apply in person, go into Human Resources, introduce yourself and fill out an app.
Good luck, hope this helps! :)
jl_nurse
27 Posts
Are there any nursing homes near you where you could attend the cna certification class? That is how I got started thirteen years ago. My nursing home paid me while I took the class, I worked there for a year and then moved on. The best place to start in the hospital would be an Inpatient Rehab unit as a cna. After a year in rehab, I moved to med-surg and worked as a unit secretary while in nursing school. I graduated as an RN in May of 2005.
Many places/hospitals are willing to work with you and your schedule while you attend school. Best of luck to you.
chattypattyCRNA2B
444 Posts
I have had the same problem and I refuse to cough of 900 bucks to become certified as a CNA when I will be able to practice as one after a semester in nursing school. It can be frustrating...I don't care what they give me...escort, orderly, etc. just give me something but they never do. Ah well such is life....soon I'll have my pick of any hospital I want. Can't wait!