CA/ State Prison RN job question

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glynda916

14 Posts

Specializes in Mental Health.

My pay will only go up 5% after 1 year. No where near some of the State Workers pay at the Mental facilities. They say all new Rn's that started at the Mental State facilities after October 18, 2008 will start at the beginning T range of 6623.00 a month.

glynda916

14 Posts

Specializes in Mental Health.

Do you still work at Yountville Veteran Home? If yes how is it for a nurse to work the SNF unit on night shift?

ramselr

8 Posts

To those wanting to work in the CA state prison system:

Go to the CA State website and from there follow the links. You need to take a 'test' online which is really just an inquiry into your experience. I applied last December, got called for an interview in April and started in May at San Quentin State Prison.

Good luck!

bleugirlrn,

I'm a new grad RN moving back to the bay area. I finished school in Arizona. I have a year of experience as a paramedic and have been working as a registry LVN the past year in corrections in AZ. I have a full-time job lined up in the Bay but was thinking of pulling registry shifts on the side.

Does San Quentin use a lot of registry? If so, which agencies send out there the most? Also, are there any other prisons within an hour of Oakland? Or do you know anything about the jails in the Bay Area?

Last, how is it working at San Quentin. I worked three different prisons in AZ and there was a HUGE difference in working conditions between the three.

Thanks!

LH19rn

13 Posts

Do you know how long the orientation for new RNs is at the Yountville Veterans Home? I was looking at an opening and the only requirement listed is an RN license. Desired are good customer service, communication skills. I have been looking to get into a new grad program because I never did med surg. I went into maternity nursery for a few months, did dialysis for a few months about five years ago and my most recent job was at a blood bank.

Do you think they would train reentry nurses at Yountville and would this be a good place to get experience? Do they have a great need for bilingual spanish speaking nurses? Do you know what the nurse patient ratios are? I will try to call their HR tomorrow but would like to get more insight into their working conditions from someone here. The pay is great but I need to get good experience.

badgerjh

2 Posts

Specializes in labor & delivery & prison.

Those of you who are looking into working for the calif. prison system be aware of what the state is doing to keep from paying employees any more than they can get away with.....Like right now 2 furlough days and probably 3 starting in July. Next they will be trying for changing the pay scale. As of right now I figure I am losing approx. $1,000.00 per month! Compared to take home last year.....:cry:

GenXRN

7 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surg, Telemetry, Corrections.

Will these furloughs include ALL nurses working for the CA prison system? Are there any nurses or other staff who are exempt or is it the same for all facilities and disciplines, including those working in the Bay Area prisons?

GenXRN

7 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surg, Telemetry, Corrections.

Btw, why would they continue to hire new nurses only to tell them they will have to work 3 days out of each month for free?!

bleugirlrn

11 Posts

Hi all-

I haven't been following this thread--I just quit San Quentin after working there for one year. Yes, all CA state employees (which includes all prison employees)have been furloughed 2 days a month since February and they've now just added a 3rd furlough day. And hopefully for the staff the state will continue to pay them in real money and not IOU's.....

As a nurse at San Quentin (and probably all state facilities--I'm not sure) you are paid on salary. So that means that initially with the 2 day furlough, everyone's pay was cut 10% and you had to 'try' and take off the 2 days in the month. If you didn't they still cut your pay so it behooved the workers to try and get those 2 days off...Now with the 3 day furlough it will be a 15% cut automatically....and when some of your coworkers are off on their furlough the work is harder for the nurses left....less nurses to take up the slack....it's an ugly time right now to be a State emplyee IMHO....but then again, we're all lucky just to have jobs... But I can say working in the private sector is a much better situation for my personality and tempermant. Good luck to all who try the prison system, just don't go in with your eyes blinded!

badgerjh

2 Posts

Specializes in labor & delivery & prison.

It is now official,,,,,3 furlough days per month....this is a state of calif. prison system employee matter, if you are a calif. employee they are cutting back. They cannot cut back on medical staff however....but even the guards are taking fulough days the same as the nurses. Dont know what cal-trans is doing but I am sure they are doing something.....

bleugirlrn

11 Posts

Hi Ramslr--

I haven't been active on this site or this Prison thread for awhile now. To answer your question from my experience--San Quentin does not use registries for RNs. They had a few running around but are phasing them out.They do use registries for LVNS but I think they are phasing them out, too. You could apply as a regular State employee RN if you want to, though. I'm not sure if they're hiring because of the awful mess CA is in right now. All the State workers are now being furluged 3 days per month and they'll be lucky if they don't get IOU's instead of paycheck soon. I haven't worked in any other correctional setting so I can't compare anyting to San Quentin. From Oakland it's a quick commute. I have a friend who has a friend who is now retiring from the San Francisco jail system and really like it there. Again, I don't know if they're hiring with this budget mess. I have also been told that the Jail sysem in San Mateo is a really good place to work but I don't have any personal experience there.

Good luck!

GenXRN

7 Posts

Specializes in Med/Surg, Telemetry, Corrections.

bleugirlrn,

I don't mean to sound intrusive, but would you mind sharing why you decided to resign from SQ? I've been offered a position there, and I'm really struggling with everything that's going on with the furloughs, possible IOUs in lieu of pay and everything else. I'm just not sure I'm interested in working for free for three days a month and taking a 15% pay cut right from the start. I'm not exempt from having bills to pay. I have wanted to call someone from the personnel office at SQ to discuss my concerns, but I've hesitated in doing that b/c I'm not sure if I'd get an accurate answer right now. I would be moving from another state, which would be extremely costly just to get there and find out that it wasn't what I was told or expected. Any insights that you can share would be most appreciated.

peaceful

291 Posts

Think carefully about turning down position. Yes there are 3 days furlough. The pay is still awfully high, benefits wonderful and pension not bad. Several holidays throughout the year paid. Are you familar with correction environment? Did you fly out for interview? Just curious. The downside is they own you. Your schedule until you earn time is whatever they say. Don't call HR and ask lots of questions, like your a trouble maker. Call and be super cooperative and professional asking clarification on pay or days off (furlough days). Good luck on your decision making!

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