Look at what the hospital hires without a degree

A hospital runs all night. Floors get cleaned, meals get made and carried to the wards, patients get wheeled to scans, and someone checks people in at the desk. Some of those jobs do not ask for a degree.

Some people say hospitals hire for non-clinical jobs such as housekeeping, patient transport, registration and kitchen work. They say these ask for no prior experience, can pay above the minimum wage, come with benefits, and can lead on, through tuition help or a move to a better job inside the hospital.

If you need steady work without a degree, look at what a hospital near you hires for in cleaning, kitchen and patient transport, and read each posting to see whether it asks for a license or certificate first.

This page is about the United States, with the UK at the end. It is for someone who can do physical work and pass the hiring checks. If lifting, long hours on your feet or a drug test would be a problem for you, read the last part first.

What the US government says about these jobs

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics says orderlies, who transport patients and clean treatment areas, typically have at least a high school diploma or equivalent and get a short period of on-the-job training. It says they do not need a license, though a job may ask for CPR or basic life support. It says janitors and building cleaners have no formal educational requirement, learn on the job, and that some employers may require or prefer a high school diploma. Nursing assistants are different: it says they typically must complete a state-approved education program and pass their state’s competency exam.

“No experience” is not true of every job

Some people pointed out that a patient care technician job usually asks for a nursing assistant license or state certification, even though others had said hospital jobs need no experience. One person says it depends entirely on the state and the hospital, and that some hospitals train new hires themselves. So a posting that sounds like an entry job can still need a certificate first, and the requirements in the posting decide.

What some people say the jobs lead to

One person says starting in housekeeping can lead, over time, to higher-paid management roles. One person says hospitals can pay for nursing assistant or nursing training and let you transfer inside to better-paid roles, and another says some pay for the training and the test before they hire you. One person says healthcare employers care more about turning up on time, being dependable and taking extra work than about a degree or past experience, so a new hire can rise quickly. For people with no healthcare experience, one person says short temp-agency stints in a hospital can lead to permanent clerical jobs with good benefits.

Is the hospital hiring now?

People split on this, and the page cannot referee it. Some people who describe working in hospitals say there is steady hiring for roles that need no college degree, such as housekeeping, kitchen, maintenance and patient care technician jobs. Others say some hospitals have frozen hiring or are letting staff go over funding, and one person says hiring can freeze at the end of the year when budgets reset. Some people say outside applicants often do not hear back, because jobs are filled from inside or by referral.

What a hospital near you is doing is for its own jobs page to say. A hospital in your area may be hiring for these jobs while one across the state is not.

What the hiring involves

One person says hospitals run thorough background checks, drug tests and health checks, and that these can rule out people who are otherwise qualified. One person lists proof of vaccines, a TB test or chest X-ray, a drug screen and a background check; another says some hospitals in some states also test for nicotine.

Some people say some of these jobs are filled through outside staffing companies rather than the hospital, with lower pay and less job security than a direct hire. One person says temporary workers often do not qualify for health coverage. The employer named on a posting says which kind it is.

In the UK

The NHS Health Careers site says there are no set entry requirements to become a healthcare assistant. It says employers expect good literacy and numeracy and may ask for GCSEs, or the equivalent, in English and maths, or a healthcare qualification such as a BTEC or NVQ, and that they expect some experience of healthcare or care work, which can be paid or voluntary. For porters, who move patients and equipment around the hospital, it says there are no set entry requirements, that employers expect a good standard of numeracy and literacy and may ask for GCSEs in English and maths, and that they usually expect some relevant healthcare experience, which could be paid or voluntary care work. It says porters must be physically fit for lifting, walking and pushing. NHS Jobs lists current vacancies across the NHS.

Who this page is not for

If an injury or health condition limits lifting or standing, these jobs may be the wrong tool; the safety note above is the place to start. One person says physical limits can rule out patient care jobs, because the work includes tasks such as helping someone to the toilet. If you expect a background check or a drug screen to rule you out, these jobs may not be open to you; one person says the checks do rule people out. If you need money this week, hiring can be slow, and this page cannot say how slow. If you are about to move to another city and want work lined up, hospital jobs are local, and this page does not cover transfers between branches of a chain. And if you want a clinical job such as nursing assistant, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says the usual route is a state-approved program and an exam; this page does not cover how to get one.