corrections is fantastic!!!

Mariposa88 · Sep 25, 2008

hi-thanks for sharing! I have NO idea what kind of nursing I want to do, but find this field very interesting.

I feel kind of stupid asking...but are you a female or male nurse? Do you work in a men's or women's prison?

aknurs · Sep 27, 2008

I love it also. You get to practice your Assessment skills, your Trauma Nursing skills,Legalities of Nursing,Your Psyche skills,Teaching skills, and being able to adapt and overcome when you run out of supplies... ie: if you take apart an air cast ankle splint, you can use it to splint a wrist, if you run out of wrist splints..

Never knowing what will darken your medical doorstep, is almost like working in an ER., except you have a contained clientele..

Did I mention Prison is a nice place to be, then you get to go home.:wink2:

Truegem · Sep 28, 2008

Yeah, isn't it fun? I have been doing this for 14 years and I feel this is where I belong. There's always something unexpected around the corner. But for some reason you're ready for it. I think it's because we develop such good assessment skills. I have learned more working here than any other place I've worked. =)

happyjailnurse · Sep 28, 2008

Hi..just responding to the inquiry re: my place of employment..I work in an all-male, maximum security prison. I am a female. It is very heartening to hear other correctional medical professionals singing the praises of the forum they have opted to practice nursing in...ROCK ON!!! It takes a unique person with a strong sense of self to thrive in such a difficult environment, with obstacles inherent only to corrections..Best of luck to all of you!!! :)

Murse901, MSN, RN · Sep 29, 2008

I just started working in the county correctional facility a couple weeks ago. It was a very rough first couple of days -- I'm usually not claustrophobic, but I was definitely getting cabin fever. After getting over the initial culture shock, I'm finding myself liking it more every day.

I took the position because, unfortunately, opportunities for LPN's in my area are dwindling. I refuse to go back to LTC, and was losing my skills working in other areas. In the correctional setting, I'm kind of getting exposed to just about any and all aspects of nursing care (emergency, med/surg, chronic care, psych, etc), with few exceptions.

This is also one of the very few areas of nursing where you can actually sit down and do some patient teaching instead of mindless pill-passing and charting. For some of these folks, the medical care they receive in the institution is the only medical care they've had for years, so it's really an eye-opening experience.

If you can look past the booking number and get over the institutionalized mindset, and see your patient as someone who genuinely needs help, it's a great place to be. Yes, they will manipulate and connive and try to get over on you, but in my experience that's no different than a lot of the patients I've dealt with in other specialties.

Mariposa88 · Sep 30, 2008

what do you all find the most rewarding part of your job?

morris-lpn · Oct 6, 2008

what i do love about corrections is that you have a schedule and you work it. not like in the hospital, if cenus is down, you're called off. there is no cleaning up poop, the orderly's does that, no family members, no doctors, and very few attitude to deal with. most inmates are happy to recieve some kind of medical care. what i love :redbeathemost about my job, getting done with my shift and knowing nobody died. :yeah:

ifyouwereme · Oct 26, 2008

I wonder if folks here would be happy to post where they work when they post. I am looking into this field and would like to know where to steer clear.

Also, what qualities do they look for when hiring. I am a new grad so my experience will be limited. I am in Northern Cal and would like to stay here, but open. Pls advise

PalmoRN · Oct 29, 2008

Yes...thank you!

I'm also get the same comments from others or "silence"...

There are some bad seeds as you said...as with any place...

Also- no matter where I have worked there always has to be some unpleasant bossy staff member to ruin the working environment...or act unprofessionally...

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Nov 2, 2008

This is also one of the very few areas of nursing where you can actually sit down and do some patient teaching instead of mindless pill-passing and charting. For some of these folks, the medical care they receive in the institution is the only medical care they've had for years, so it's really an eye-opening experience.

This is an important point, and one that many people miss. Many of the inmates we get have had little or no medical care prior to incarceration, and little or no education in health, medication or disease processes. Many of them are also poorly educated. If they did get an explanation it probably wasn't on their level of understanding. I get asked very basic questions almost every day, and I patiently answer them in terms the inmate can understand.

One thing I find very rewarding is when an inmate tells me that our discussion was the first time that something was explained in understandable terms. A lot of inmates were outcasts long before they became convicted felons, and I'm sure they didn't have a lot of time spent with them regarding medical matters.

Sugargirl66 · Nov 6, 2008

Thanks for the info everyone. I work in LTC and very bored. Have to stay over 2 hours after the shift is done. Then it's start all over again. I'm getting some applications into the corrections department here. I'm just waiting to get called back. If they do I will definitly go to it. I work with some of the most miserable bad seeds in LTC. Yes, there all over. But I like to work and be challenged as well. You all are great people.