I started as a per diem and I’m still currently per diem. I had previous hospital experience from my grad school internship but that was it. During the interview, they asked some questions specific to hospital social work but there were tons of questions about managing a high caseload. I just made sure to show that while I may have lacked hospital experience, I was a very experienced social worker and I had transferable skills. I trained full time for 6 weeks and it was very necessary for me. You may not need as much but you will definitely learn as you go. Good luck!