correctional nursing pay rate

Specialties Correctional

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I applied for a job at a local prison but the pay was much lower than I expected and i was nervous about that type of work as i tend to trust people I'm caring for, so i declined the job. I'm wondering what pay most of you are getting

Thank you for the additional information. Nurse 56

CCA...... stands for Corrections Corporation of America and they do have a web site. Just type in Corrections Corporation of America and go to this site and they will tell you where and what openings they have under the employment site. I hope this helps. The insanity is still there, overworked,under paid:uhoh3: and nursing shortage. Hernando Co Jail has around 400 inmates with one to two nurses a shift. Corporate is very stiff on their regulations with little to no overtime accepted but still wants you to get your work done in the timely manner that they require. Very stressful. I will stay in Home Care with less stress and more money. Like I said, I hope this helps you out on the choices that you have to make. I wish you the best of Luck.
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I am a new grad RN and have decided to work in corrections, specifically in Washington County Jail in Oregon. I have only been there a few weeks but am enjoying it a lot. I first accepted a job in a nursing home, but pay ($20/hr) and benefits was horrible, only lasted a few weeks and then I bagged it (Stay away from Marquis Care at all costs all you RN's!). Then I took a job at the hospital in intensive care, thought I would like it, but did not. Pay was ok (not quite $23/hr, but only worked 36hrs weekly), benefits were good, but I quickly grew tired of dealing with all the physicians and their attitudes. Not to mention feeling like a "cog in the machine". The complete lack of autonomy was bothersome as well. I was a paramedic prior, so this was my biggest gripe. Since I only worked three days a week at the hospital, I applied for the jail job for a prn position, thought it sounded interesting and the pay was better to boot! Well, I love it! I quit the hospital and have not looked back. Our providers are excellent, our automony is incredible, the pay is good (starting - $25 hr days, plus $2 for evening and $3 for night, which is $52-58+k/yr) and there is always something interesting going on. You trully deal with issues the outside community does not see, and you get to be a bigger part of it as well. I work for PHS, and all seems to be going well so far. Benefits are average, which is to say, not as good as they should be. Specifically, not a penny to your 401k do they contribute, pathetic! No vision either. Maybe next year though. If you are a new grad, you should consider. This jail is new, and very nice, not to say I would like to live there....but you get the idea. The medical areas are large and obviously were desgined to be a major focus of the jail. Some of the deputies think you are a nuisance, but most respect you and it is a lot of fun to work with them. Remember, security is first, health second. Do not get drawn in to inmates, treat with respect, but do NOT put up with poor attitudes. Sounds cruel, but treat them like children and you will do best I think. Most of all have fun, this is an area that is overlooked, feel fortunate to have found it, good luck all, Michael, RN.

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HI Shane,

I worked in both corrections and psych nursing. I made at the prison $28.50 hr and at a psych hosp $30.50 hr. That is the East coast Boston area. (20 mins North of Boston.) Feel free to Email me if you have any questions.

Lori RN

hi, just checked in (5 mths or so after you replied to my letter lol) are these wages typical, or are they for nurses with 10-15 yrs exp. im pushing 6 yrs exp now. so i guess my question is , if i took the nclex in boston, passed ect would i be able to walk into a $28 - $30 hr job.

Also, if i rented a 1 bedroom apartment in a SAFE area what do they cost a mth

if you can recommend any psych hospitals id appreciate it

thanks

shane

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Specializes in OR, PACU, Corrections.
hi, just checked in (5 mths or so after you replied to my letter lol) are these wages typical, or are they for nurses with 10-15 yrs exp. im pushing 6 yrs exp now. so i guess my question is , if i took the nclex in boston, passed ect would i be able to walk into a $28 - $30 hr job.

Also, if i rented a 1 bedroom apartment in a SAFE area what do they cost a mth

if you can recommend any psych hospitals id appreciate it

thanks

shane

Hi Shane,

Are you planning to move here to the East Coast? Or do travel nursing? Why do you have to take the NCLEX in Boston? Aren't you an RN now??? I'm confused.

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Hi Shane,

Are you planning to move here to the East Coast? Or do travel nursing? Why do you have to take the NCLEX in Boston? Aren't you an RN now??? I'm confused.

hi

thanks for replying, to be honest id love to do travel psychiatric nursing ! however, i have heard that there is very little TRAVEL psych work available. I currently live in Bermuda, which is an hr or so from boston, so doing the nclex would there would be really convenient. I am Australian and in order for foriegn nurses to work in the usa we have to do the nclex. There you go,so if you have any info re wages/hospitals that pay well etc id love to hear from you

cheers

shane

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Hello, I am tina. I am a LPN student in Dothan, Alabama and will complete the program in December 2004. I am going to continue on with my education to get my RN with hopes of starting the RN program in the Fall of 2005. I am not working at this time. I am just doing school full-time. I am interested in correctional nursing. I would love to hear from anyone about their experience as a correctional nurse (especially in the Alabama and Florida - such as Marianna- areas), oportunities in the field, benefits (health, insurance, dental, vision, etc...) and the pay, and retirement benefits. Any information from you would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help and time. Tina

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My daughter-in-law... who just had the baby. (different thread), started out her carreer in Ga with no experience...she graduated this last May. Straight out of school, to be supervised by me. Started out at $19.50 an hour. My agency supplies the state with the nursing staff that it needs to complete the shift. She is an LPN. I'm an RN and make $29.50 an hour... Talk to me...

I wish I could tell you that the scale was higher, but as with alot of other nursing specialities...it's not. I work in an Illinois male prison as a LPN. I have been there going on 9 years. The starting wage for a LPN is $9.50 an hour. Alot of Illinois prisons healthcare units are contracted, usually from out of state contractors who have very little knowledge (or care) of what we do on a daily basis. We recently became unionized, but wages won't change until 2001. I just made it over the $11.00 mark. You would think that with the type of clientel that we deal with on a daily basis, we would be worth just a "little" bit more than $9.50...especially when a CNA in our area makes more in starting wage than I do right now...with over 20 years of nursing experience. It's really too bad too, because I love the fact that this field is a combination of many, many specialities of nursing.
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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
I applied for a job at a local prison but the pay was much lower than I expected and i was nervous about that type of work as i tend to trust people I'm caring for, so i declined the job. I'm wondering what pay most of you are getting

Working for the government is usually assoc. with less money and more benies, in my experience. But the pay has gone up, from what I have seen so far.

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Hi All,

I am a long-time hospital nurse who has just started (2 months) nursing at a county jail and I am hooked on corrections nursing. My motto, so far is :"A bad day at the jail is better than a good day at the hospital." The stress level is so much less, and the jail I work at is very adamant about there alway being at least one deputy with any nurse coming in direct contact with any inmate. The problem I have encountered is that when I was hired I was not told that a new medical management company would be starting in 3 months. They are keeping me on as PRN/RN, at least for now. My question is (if this is appropriate for posting on this forum) does anybody have any input or suggestions on which private companies are "good", "fair" or "downright BAD". :uhoh21: The new co. here is Naphcare. Also I would appreciate some info on courses available to help me improve my "jail nursing" skills. One last questions, can anyone recommend travel companies that staff primarily jails and prisons? I know this is rather long, but this is my first post and I have lots of questions.

Thanks

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
Hi All,

I am a long-time hospital nurse who has just started (2 months) nursing at a county jail and I am hooked on corrections nursing. My motto, so far is :"A bad day at the jail is better than a good day at the hospital." The stress level is so much less, and the jail I work at is very adamant about there alway being at least one deputy with any nurse coming in direct contact with any inmate. The problem I have encountered is that when I was hired I was not told that a new medical management company would be starting in 3 months. They are keeping me on as PRN/RN, at least for now. My question is (if this is appropriate for posting on this forum) does anybody have any input or suggestions on which private companies are "good", "fair" or "downright BAD". :uhoh21: The new co. here is Naphcare. Also I would appreciate some info on courses available to help me improve my "jail nursing" skills. One last questions, can anyone recommend travel companies that staff primarily jails and prisons? I know this is rather long, but this is my first post and I have lots of questions.

Thanks

No idea about the last part and management companies at all, but I agree with the motto, etc. A bad day in jail IS better than a good day in most hospitals!

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While we are on the subject, does anyone know the rate of pay for California corrections? Also, what type of experience should one have before applying for a job in this area? Thanks!!

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"The highest reward for man's toil is not what he gets for it, but what he becomes by it."-Johan Ruskin

I just started a new job in correctional nursing in CA. I'm a relatively new grad LVN. This job is a total trip! I make over $20 per hour---great benefits. I want to get more involved in conversations on this site. I'm on a pretty high learning curve, but I'm getting some pretty positive feed back from management so far. I struggle with the chronic detoxers...the CO's want to release 'em, but they are obviously in bad shape. My orientation hasn't been great, but I'm pretty good at figuring stuff out on my own. When do ya keep 'em and when do ya let 'em go out and find a drink?? Advise?

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Specializes in Registered Nurse.
When do ya keep 'em and when do ya let 'em go out and find a drink?? Advise?

Err...not sure how they'd get a drink (of alcohol) in my prison. It is a Max. So, do you mean in a local jail where you only have them in short-term? Sorry I am not more helpful! I guess I'd hold onto them as long as I could and try to get them some couseling. ???

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