Is Corrections a good job for a new RN Grad???

I say it's a good start. Nowadays when jobs are scarce and competition is great at whatever comes your way i say take it to gain experience and learn different fields. It maybe not the field you wanted but maybe learn to like it in the meantime that the economy is terribly down. I have worked in corrections for 2 yrs and so far I liked it. I am going back and looking for a per diem posiiton thru a registry. You will never know what you like until you tried doing the job.

2 weeks usually for security orientation then 2 weeks on the position you are assigned. Here in California we have different positions in the county jail. Booking section , medication pass , clinics. So depending on the assignment for that day the supervisor would usually do the schedule. Everyone is cross trained.

Did you use a nursing registry? What state will you be working in?

Prison health services, supplemental healthcare try those..they dont pay much bout entry level pay i think. Since the cut back the pay rates are changed lesser that they use to pay before.

My honest answer is no. Correctional nursing requires a degree of independence that a nurse with no other experience simply does not have. My agency (Department of Corrections in a western state) will not hire RNs unless they have at least a year of experience, which I agree with. Correctional nursing is a great job - just not a great first job.

I was licensed in my home state for 13 months as a new grad before starting in Corrections. AND I LOVE MY JOB! I worked in home health for the year prior to being hired with Corrections, and although it was great, I was in a supervisory position and craved being a "bedside" nurse.

Orca is right in that correctional nursing requires a lot of independence. If you feel confident in your basic skills, definitely consider this rewarding specialty.

I received 5 weeks of on-the-floor orientation. After 2 months I was sent to a 40-hour training course specializing in basic administration of healthcare to an inmate population. Then at my 6 month mark I attended a 72-hour training course for basic security tactics, etc.

Correctional facilities will vary on this. I received one day of training from security. I've been asking to attend a self-defense course for over a year, but we are always too short-staffed. I never received any formal training on administration of healthcare to inmates. I received about 2-3 weeks of on-the-fly, rushed training, following another nurse and working on my own. I have learned basic concepts about correctional healthcare from time on the job and by reading the NCCHC books on my own.