Correctional Nursing Pros/Con and Environment

geekynurseRN · Jun 8, 2012

Only take the job if you have no other choice. I was only offered two jobs, prison and nursing home. I took the prison job but wondering all the time if I made the wrong choice.

carolinabeachnurse · Jun 9, 2012

I was a prison nurse for five years and loved it!!!

sunshines66, BSN · Sep 24, 2012

Actually there is a wide variety of clinical conditions see in the prison system. I do not think it is a good location for a new grad though. I started my nursing career in critical care so I am not one of "those" nurses. (the kind that you have to have 1-3 years of med surg before you can specialize). There are often very different skill mixes in correctional nursing. Typically there are times when there are not much back-up so each nurse needs to be able to function independently.

cchezem15 · Sep 28, 2012

I can tell you my opinion from the LVN point of view -

Pros -

- a lot of skills that you do not get to use in a nursing home (at least at the homes in my area) you get to use here (EKG, IV starts, triage situations)

- There is a wide variety of nursing areas crammed into one area - Psych, med-surg, ER, substance abuse, etc.

- Absolutely NEVER a dull moment.

- You really have to use your knowledge on disease process because inmates will lie through their teeth to get what they want.

- You do not have to worry about families

Cons -

- There are a lot of skills that I learned in school that I do not use where I work - Foleys, Trach suctioning

- There are a lot of skills that we didn't touch on much in school that would be VERY helpful to know

- You work with a less than desirable patient population, but as nurses I believe we are taught to keep our judgements at home and do what we were trained to do and that is provide care.

On a different note - I absolutely love where I work, and I believe I am getting the best experience for an LVN who looks to transition to RN to become either a ER nurse or possible Psych nurse. There are times where I have to get "tough" on the inmates, but that is actually very rare, most of them are usually respectful towards me. One piece of advice I would like to give you is if you cannot keep your judgements at the door (you do treat child molesters, murders, etc.) I do not think it would be a place for you. I see some people I work with that carry these with them at work and I believe it causes them to treat the inmates as less than humans. I do understand that these people have done less than desirable things, but they are still humans that need treatment for whatever it may be. I also see that it makes their day a little more stressful than what it needs to be. I try to not think about those things and go on with my day. My nursing professor told me to think about this - the inmates in jail are the ones who have gotten caught for their crimes, there are very many out there that we treat in the hospital who could have done the same thing or even worse and we have no idea about it.

cheleincali · Oct 16, 2012

Thanks for the information, CChezum. Definitely good information there. Was wondering the same thing. Just applied here in California to work as a CNA within the prison systems in NorCal. Had planned on working as CNA within prisons while I went after my LVN and then transition to working as a LVN and then go after my RN/BSN. :-)

jtranptld · Dec 17, 2012

(you do treat child molesters, murders, etc.) I do not think it would be a place for you. I see some people I work with that carry these with them at work and I believe it causes them to treat the inmates as less than humans. I do understand that these people have done less than desirable things, but they are still humans that need treatment for whatever it may be. I also see that it makes their day a little more stressful than what it needs to be. I try to not think about those things and go on with my day. My nursing professor told me to think about this - the inmates in jail are the ones who have gotten caught for their crimes, there are very many out there that we treat in the hospital who could have done the same thing or even worse and we have no idea about it.

Being 45 years old and are going back to school (from the beginning, meaning general course). My dream is to become a RN Nurse someday and it will happen! cchemzem15, I think this is the best advice a nurse can ask for.

Joaquin49, BSN, RN · Dec 19, 2012

Worked corrections for 8 yrs. loved it. Plan to return once I finish my BSN.

NottaSpringChik, BSN, RN · Dec 26, 2012

I recently quit my job in county jail. I did love it and wouldn't mind returning again some day. One of the things that bothered me though was listening to negative, judgemental talk about our patients (inmates). We had a lot of autonomy and many of my colleagues would always make the harshest choices they could make when it came to treatment options. Trying to implement high standards of care can be a struggle as you are swimming against the tide in that environment. Our Health Services Administrator was a young woman who has proven to be a genious in those hazardous waters. She has made very meaningful change and the changes have actually saved lives on more than one occasion.

Always remember, these are the exact same patients you would see in the ER, hospital room or doctor's office. They, like patients in every other healthcare settings, are sons and daughters, sisters, brothers, fathers, mothers, uncles and aunts. People love them, they want to love and be loved. They are humans in trouble, deserving of healthcare to the best of your ability and resources. You still need to advocate for them and will be called to "go to the matt" for them, perhaps more than other healthcare environments.

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Dec 27, 2012

I agree with sunshines66. Prison nursing is a good job, just not a good first job. It requires a degree of independence that a new greduate cannot possibly have, especially on night shift where a lot of openings occur. My agency does not hire new grads. Our entry level RN positions require a year of nursing experience.

Since you asked for pros and cons:

Pros: Independence. Don't have to treat inmates like customers and take abuse off of them, like you sometimes do with hopsital patients. Inmates are generally grateful for what you do for them. No doctors rounding after hours. No visitors in the infirmary. A lot of variety in what you see. Not unlike being in a small town clinic in a lot of respects.

Cons: About 800 of them here (but I digress). When we have our moments, they are usually big ones (stabbings, shootings, riots, etc.). Some nurses have trouble adjusting to the differences between this environment and what they are taught in school. Comforting touches and terms of endearment may work with hospital patients. Here, they may be misinterpreted as romantic interest, and may be the first step down the road to compromise. Not everyone can deal with working in a locked environment.

Someone else mentioned treating certain offenders differently because of their crimes. For that very reason, I make no effort to find out what anyone is doing time for. Some you can't avoid (high profile case with a lot of media coverage, etc.), but I had rather not know.

tristessa · Dec 31, 2012

Definitely pros and cons about working in the correctional system. Ive been working for the past 8 years in the correctional system and absolutely love it. Never a dull moment!! Each day is different!! I guess the main reason I love it so much is the autonomy, the ability for the RN to make clinical decisions and to be respected...The negatives-attempting to work within a correctional system that is focussed on security and not health, the environment isn't for everyone-can be tough to deal with the aftermath of inmate on inmate (Or correctional officer) violence, dealing with inmates convicted of horrid crimes (pedophiles/rapists/murderers)-whilst remaining professional.

Overall, Ive met many people and made lots of friends amongst the correctional officers and other nurses I have worked with. The nursing experience you gain in the correctional environment is unique and will follow you into any other area of nursing. Good luck :)

Queakous · Oct 21, 2013

I have been in corrections for about 1.5 years in both medical and psych. I do like the autonomy and the fact that most patients/inmates do respond to being treated with sincere gratitude. Yes, they do lie, but no more so than folks I have encountered on a regular med-surg floor. The key thing is to realize that letting them get you angry or insulted is a form of "intimacy". That is strictly forbidden and many corrections nurses seem to forget that that aspect exists. They are my patients, they have few choices of their own autonomy they can take. The worst is refusal of meds, it harms them but I have to understand that is one of the only ways they feel they have "control" over their prison experience and work from there. Most times you can reason with them but often, not. I just do the best I can within the scope of my practice and give the best care I can, just as I would in ANY nursing situation. I love my job, it has been the most fulfilling one I have had yet, including, mom-baby, ante-partum, surgical, med-surg, and clinic. I have worked for private, public, state, and federal institutions and have loved them all but this is the best fit for me.