Jobs in the medical field...

[Dizle]

Anyone work in hospitals? I'm wondering what kind of job I can get in a hospital while going through college. My major is nursing and I think now is a good time to get in the hospital environment to reinforce that this is what I want to do for the next 30 years. I know I will probably start off at the bottom of the totem poll with little pay and thats fine, I just need something a little flexible around school and needs to be a reliable source of income. I have looked on hospitals web sites and they have very few openings for people as under qualified as myself, maybe people in the field can point me in the right direction. Thanks!

[kanji]

I've worked in a Hospital, but not in the medical field, more in the Technology field (computers, networks, and telecommunications) Back, in high school, I volunteered to see what I like, and started working in the IT/IS section of the Hospital..Met allot of great people to work with and they are willing to help teach you what they know. That's what i got when i was working there.

[92se-r]

There's not very many men in your profession is there?

LOL, sorry, I just had to. You guys should know what movie that is from.

[tehelmo]

Medical Transporter: transporting patients between rooms around the hospital or taking them to the discharging area after a clean bill of health.

[Albacore]

EMT -- Just take a 4 month emt class from almost any junior college. You'll be doing grunt work (lifting, cleaning, gophering patients) but it pays decent and you'll be in the ER. I had friends who started making $17 hour (this was 6 years ago); not bad while going to school.

[Pain Freak]

I went to school to become a nurse. I was a LVN but found out this work wasn't for me. I really enjoyed working with the mentally challenged and probably could of stuck with it but I couldn't stand being kept indoors almost all damn day. I went back to school and got my degree in polymer chemistry.

[Dizle]

Originally Posted by tehelmo

Medical Transporter: transporting patients between rooms around the hospital or taking them to the discharging area after a clean bill of health.

I have wanted to look into this and now I know what it is called...

[92se-r]

my now wife is starting nursing school next year. she has a friend already in the program. she is already working in the hospitals in her first quarter. if it is an accelerated program, i dont think you will have time to work part time a the hospital because you will already be there.

[agenthaas]

92se-r is right, even if you go full-time at the one of the many local community colleges, you'll be in school M-F doing clinicals and theory classes at the hospital. If you're on a waiting list to get into a program you should get EMT certified and that will enable you to apply and work in an ER to gain valuable experience. I'm in the hiring process at a local hospital right now and I'm finishing up my pre-reqs to get into an RN program. Good luck with everything.

[SheDevil]

Dizle....PM Wtryup2...he's a male nurse at UCI and has been for a long time. He'll give you a ton of feedback

[Wrecker]

Male/Female doesn't matter in the RN world--there is a huge need for just nurses.

When I was in school I was a bit intimidated applying to hospitals, but found that there is such a shortage that most hospitals would love to get their hands on you before you are employed at another one.

The first thing you should do is narrow down the area that you think you would like to go into. ER, OR, PACU, nursing home, Med/Surg, etc. Then, you can see what is available.

On each unit there is a need for a secretary, nursing aides, EMTs in the ER (as stated above), transporters, or you could just take a class and work in the lab as a phlebotomist. The great thing about working in a hospital while you're in school is that you actually get to experience the unit and see what the nurses do prior to beginning your career, and most nurses are more than happy to have you assist with procedures to further your experience (if not, look into other hospitals--some places have the "eat your young" attitude and it's best to narrow those out/leave before getting stuck).

Remember a few things going in:
1) there is a nursing shortage, you can get a job starting out in most units as a new grad--they pay for training (most with a 1-2yr contract for specialty units)
2) there is a nursing shortage-most hospitals are short, get an idea of how they handle their own shortage (some do it by hiring registry, some by overloading the nurses-dangerous for both patient and nurse--you can usually tell how poor the hospital is by how many RNs call in sick/how much of the staff is traveler or registry)
3) don't let them sell you short, if you're in school now, in the RN program, you have some experience with the medical field
4) be sure to mention that you are in the RN program, that will get your foot in the door
5) if you're on the wait list or haven't started yet, apply as a transporter or other non-professional position as a starter, but be sure to mention that you will be in the RN program and ask if there are other opportunities, once you start your training, to move up
6) check out nursing magazines, local ones have job opps listed
7) if you do get your EMT license, you can also volunteer as medical support for local events, such as the MS ride, to further your help/resume/experience (most are only 2-4hr positions, for one day)
poor male nurses are surrounded by the women nurses all day long, and you are outnumbered--sucks, huh?

Good luck and good hunting!