Private companies that contract with county jails.. good or bad to work for..

Erikadawn RN · Jun 2, 2015

I guess it depends on the company, I worked for a company and the big companies. They both have issues and lawsuits. Keep your practice in with the scope and follow the rules and you should be ok

f1j1nurse · Jun 3, 2015

At will employment mostly. Pay is good but you take a chance of being employed today and may not be tomorrow...Just my two cents.

OrganizedChaos, LVN · Jun 6, 2015

I've never had any issues. I've only worked for the private companies & never for the jail. Just do everything you're suppose to do, document, document, document. CYA!

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Jun 6, 2015

They run the gamut. I am a DON for the Department of Corrections in a western state, and probably two thirds of my staff are people who have left various private companies who run the medical operations at the local county and city jails. Almost without exception they have told me that the problem isn't the job, it's management. Frequently changing schedules, uneven workloads, inconsistent standards, and people who have no business being supervisors. You also have to consider that when your agency's contract runs out wherever you are working, they may not get the next one. I know of at least four different companies who have had the contract at the local county jail during my time with DOC.

tom7044 · Jun 20, 2015

I have worked for two large Correctional Health Care companies. They all have problems like any business does. It boils down to the "Contract" which spells out what the agency expects from the company and that the company will provide. The overall goal is to make money on these contracts. So the company tries to provide the best medical care possible for the least amount of money. I also worked for a large county jail system, where nurses were employed by the county. Plenty of problems there. Staffing one major problem. Going back to the private guys. In my opinion, the success of a contract in a county jail depends on the on site management /leadership. If the Health Services Administrator and the Director of Nursing are strong and deal fairly with the problems like "bullying" and they are not afraid of the corporate and speak up for what that site's needs are, it is a good place to work. Too often, the on site leadership has a "you against us" management style. The leadership must keep the morale of he general staff positive by being supportive and reasonable.

f1j1nurse · Jun 25, 2015

They run the gamut. I am a DON for the Department of Corrections in a western state, and probably two thirds of my staff are people who have left various private companies who run the medical operations at the local county and city jails. Almost without exception they have told me that the problem isn't the job, it's management. Frequently changing schedules, uneven workloads, inconsistent standards, and people who have no business being supervisors. You also have to consider that when your agency's contract runs out wherever you are working, they may not get the next one. I know of at least four different companies who have had the contract at the local county jail during my time with DOC.

This is so true!!

MusicNurseCarrlee, LPN, LVN · Jul 8, 2015

Contract companies can be a good entry into correctional nursing. You gain experience and an inside perspective of correctional facilities and the healthcare systems within. If you like and work well in the environment, applying with county or state departments of corrections may lead to more stable employment and better benefits

publichealthrn87 · Sep 23, 2015

I worked at a county jail where the nurses were county employees. I can't imagine working for a private company, in part because of the jail's experience with food service, which was contracted out about five years ago. The employees of the food service company weren't part of the jail "team" in the same way that the county employees (nurses, program staff, deputies) were. Turnover was very high and it was difficult to communicate with them despite the fact that we were all in the same building. I can't imagine what would happen if such a system were extended to the medical services provided within the jail. I think it would be a nightmare marked with high turnover, more errors and increased risk of lawsuits. I believe that certain services, including providing medical care for people in custody, should not be privatized.

RN In FL · Mar 18, 2016

I worked for a private company, as a DON, supervising only LPN's. I was hired in to "change the culture....a breath of fresh air", so to speak, by the HSA. It was a totally different story. I lasted 3 months to protect my license. The LPN's ran things, that's why they could not keep a DON. I was always told, "we were a guest of the DOC". We had to satisfy them. DOC all up in medical's business. I questioned too many things coming from the outside. Documentation was poor, no assessment skills, things not documented but were done. I dunno, I thought you treated sick inmates like patients. I did not have "correctional nursing" experience, but a nurse is a nurse is a nurse. A bloody nose from a fight in cell c, I don't care about the fight, I care about stopping the bloody nose. Calling the MD if need be, documenting what you did, instructions to the "patient"....the things you tell a patient. You didn't get that. Patient gave a sick call slip, got charged 15.00, for seeing the nurse, and back to the cell. Mental Health is a joke. 70% of the inmates on psych meds....see a psych md via video....the mental health counselor have no type of group...they request to see her....they have to turn in a sick call slip. I have never seen anything like it. So many diabetics....all take the same insulin, regular or nph. no type of diabetic diet. no dietician.....awful. 1 medication nurse for 800 inmates.. I dunno if this is like it with other people that work for companies that provide medical care....I feel there need to be more RN's with sound assessment skills