feeling the negative enviroment in prison nursing

Specialties Correctional

Published

Specializes in Psych, Med-Surg, County Jai ,Pre-Post Op.

Ever since i started... it feels as if custody does not want me around.... maybe something in my past .... bout 8 years ago my boys father was incarcerated and i used to visit him where i am now employed as a nurse.... i never mentioned it during my interview.... but when i come around... they are always making loud remarks to where i can hear it! What should i do...? I love my job. even some of the nurses give me the cold shoulder.need advice to survive in this area of nursing!

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Having been a police officer for a number of years now I'll throw out an insulting and stereotypical comment: most jailers are creton, knuckledraggers.

There. I said it. Now, I qualify this from A) having worked around a lot of them and B) when I started out in uniform I had to spend a little time working in the jail. It was standard practice.

That's one of the jobs the vast majority of people won't do unless they can't do anything else.

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Corrections, Hi-Risk OB,.

What have YOU done wrong? Nothing! I would treat it like any other interpersonal issue on the job. Make your supervisor aware of it and follow through on action taken. You are there to work, not to be harassed.

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Specializes in Case Manager/Administrator.

i am sure you reported to your supervisor:

1) you have association with a known felon

2) the comments made by correctional staff

we all have baggage that we come with and i have been in the correctional environment for quite some time for the offenders to "teach" me a thing or two about manipulation. it is easy to get cynical within the correctional field you just need to perform your job well and after awhile people will see you are a good nurse.

if you get no response from your supervisor go to their supervisor and follow the chain of command. if this does not work call hr and ask for assistance. they are creating a hostile work environment and it needs to stop.

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Specializes in I have watched actors portray nurses.

Without addressing it directly with them, or hearing directly from them, you will never really know what is behind the attitude.

It could be one or more of several possibilities:

1) Have you established yourself as someone with high integrity, and a clear unwillingness to operate outside the boundaries of decent, humane and fair service delivery? If so, you may be feeling the backlash of making it clear you will not "play ball," so to speak, with the custody folks when it comes time to deliver their own version of attitude adjustment on behalf of the incarcerated population. You may be a threat to their "comfort zone." Just a possibility.

2) Yes, you are a person who has been associated with a felon. That felon is your son's father. For whatever reason(s), your son's father broke the law and was convicted of his crime. That had nothing to do with you. You visited him -- ok.... um... isn't that what is supposed to happen? That should be viewed as admirable, not anything negative. If they are truly viewing your visitation as negative...these dudes have some real problems, and quite frankly, you should probably count yourself lucky they wish to avoid you. They are doing you a favor. Does that make sense?

3) It could have absolutely nothing to do with you -- it probably doesn't. It is their problem, their issue, their lunacy. You, however, have a right to a decent work environment, and if they can't do their part by avoiding criminal behavior in your presence ('creating a hostile work environment'), get them charged and, hopefully, fired.

Don't give in. Don't quit. You are not the problem, they are.

Best wishes.

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Specializes in Psych, Med-Surg, County Jai ,Pre-Post Op.

Thanks for the advice guys..... there are only two things that i can think of why custody and staff are like that towrds me... How can i bring the issue up through the chain of command and not sound crazy!!! For instance custody and staff seem to cough or clear their throat really loud when passing me through the yard or behind me....this is harrassment... regardless my past is my past... i am a good nurse!!! but certain staff and custody make me feel like i don't belong there! maybe they are trying to drive me ouit of there!!! HELP !!! ANY ADVICE...

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Without addressing it directly with them, or hearing directly from them, you will never really know what is behind the attitude.

It could be one or more of several possibilities:

1) Have you established yourself as someone with high integrity, and a clear unwillingness to operate outside the boundaries of decent, humane and fair service delivery? If so, you may be feeling the backlash of making it clear you will not "play ball," so to speak, with the custody folks when it comes time to deliver their own version of attitude adjustment on behalf of the incarcerated population. You may be a threat to their "comfort zone." Just a possibility.

Yes indeed, high integrity is not a "value" in the correctional environment.

It is best to be very professional with the guards, follow the policies and keep your personal life to yourself.

Personally, I spend only as much time as I have to with the guards to get the job done.

Nurses who "hang" with the guards are usually the lower functioning types and often take on the "guard mentality" which interferes with appropriate patient care in the most negative of ways.

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Having been a police officer for a number of years now I'll throw out an insulting and stereotypical comment: most jailers are creton, knuckledraggers.

QUOTE]

This is hilarious and unfortunately true. I think of these creton, knuckledraggers as "Shawshank guards".

However, there are always exceptions to the rule. There are some genuinely decent people working as "jailers". The decent ones tend to be few and far between.

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You really do not know why they treat you as they do. Perhaps you will never know. Are the same guards even still there 8 years later?

If you feel safe enough to keep working there, if you believe someone would help you if you were in danger, keep your mouth shut, do not ask anyone anything or tell anyone about your son's dad, as they might not already know. Just do your job. In time, things could improve for you. Some people will resign, get fired, retire, and no longer be part of your work life.

Have you been rude to anyone or made enemies somehow? Have you complained about anything or anyone?

If you do not think you are safe, you might have to resign.

You probably should have brought up your son's dad at some point prior to actually starting work.

I guess you could talk to your boss about the situation. I don't think I'd say anything about feeling harrassed, though. Just ask him or her how you're doing, are you doing ok in their view - something like that. For God's sake, don't rat anyone out or complain about anything or anyone unless you are prepared to have to find other work, get jumped and beaten, etc.

Wish i knew how to help you. I hate situations like this.

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Maybe they clear their throats to give you a heads up that they are there...I mean in a prison a person can be a little jumply anyway and they don't want to startle you by sneaking up on you. No offense but your coming off to me as a little jumpy anyhow...they could also be playing games with the newby, you know, feeling you out and seeing what your made of, how you will react to working inside a prison.

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Are the same guards even still there 8 years later? .

At first I thought this too. But the truth is, it isn't probably the guards that pointed you out. It is the full time "residents".

Remember everyone, it is their home, they just let us work there.

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