I Need Advice

I'm debating on whether to apply to a healthcare clinic now or to wait. My friend went to a job fair and is waiting to start work there (she's just put in her two weeks at the art store we currently work at). The recruiters told her that she can get as many people as she wants to work there because they are in need of more employees, so my friend says that'll take about two weeks to do before she can work there and be my reference when it's finally my turn to apply for the job.

But I don't want to risk letting the opportunity to get hired go. By the time two weeks go by, the healthcare clinic may not be hiring anymore. I couldn't apply online since the websites says they were only looking for a certified person for a certain job (I'm not certified, nor have any knowledge/experience about it) but my friend said she was able to apply for a secretary position with the paper application the recruiters passed out at that job fair.

Should I drive to the healthcare center and ask if they have any paper applications left for me to fill out or should I wait until my friend gets the job and acts as a reference for me? Or should I do both? I don't have much experience in this, so any advice would be great.