Why Do You Love Being A Prison Nurse?

[Everline]

There's not too much posting on this forum and I'd like to see if we can get a new positive thread going on why you love being a correctional nurse. I'm sure there are topics like this in the past, but I'm hoping some people will come in and build this thread. So, what's good?

For me, I like working with underserved populations. I like the public health aspects. I love that I don't have to deal with family members or spend a lot of time getting refreshments, blankets, or otherwise doing "customer service". I like educating people, who often have had very little health education or access to health care, about their medication and medical situations so they can make better decisions. I like that I get to use my nursing skills in an environment that is not (usually) pulling me in a million directions at once, but gives me many opportunities to hone my assessment skills and make decisions.

There are more things I like, but this is a beginning. Yes, I know there are "cons" to being a correctional nurse and perhaps another thread will be in order for that. In this one, I'm hoping to read about the GOOD things. :-) Please share!

[Corlionie]

#8 !!!

[CityofAngelsRN]

What do you do during your shift? I'm considering working for the CDCR

[K9lover, ASN, RN]

You said it! That and the vast majority of patients are very polite. They arrive to medical office saying "good morning ma'am." I never encountered this degree of respectful patients in the hospital. Never more than a couple of feet away from a protective deputy...last assault in a hospital a few years back the angry patient got hold of my hand while we were putting him in restraints and only reason my hand was not crushed is the doctor standing next to me forcibly extricated my hand in spite of a security guard being in the room. There was a recent incident in Illinois where the guard ran off and the nurse taken hostage was raped and beaten for 3 hours. The deputy's in jail would dog-pile on an inmate by the time he got a hand on the nurse.

And I am courteous to my patients, I have colleagues who treat them as sub-human which is uncalled for.

And then there is Press-Ganey and HCAHPS, I cannot tell you how much I miss that along with eight family members dictating my every move, staff members whose entire job consists of counting how many times I use alcohol gel! Ask me how much I miss them and others crawling up my a*ss all day!

Getting to speak openly with the patients in non-robotic manner; I often, with a touch of humor, ask the guys how such a high percentage were just on their way to have a medial issue looked at before being intercepted by arrest. Name the chronic/acute issue and a vast majority will say they were just on the way to the hospital when they were interrupted by the police...need a good B.S. O meter and I have one.

I have taken note of the sheer volume of the younger generation all being convinced they have Gluten allergy, when I discuss this with them the vast majority cannot even tell me what Gluten is. They dearly miss the fast food joints they grew up with; most of the pre-incarceration diets consisted of Gluten held together with Sodium, unlike the fast food places they don't get it their way unless they actually have Celiac Dz. In case I forgot to mention how much I miss running around like crazy in the hospital because a patient got mashed instead of baked potato on their tray I'll add that. There is a very long list of things I don't miss about acute care...

And last but not least how I miss hospital patients throwing a tantrum if they don't think the Dilaudid is arriving soon enough. Very little controlled drugs given in jail so my patients discover that Tylenol is an actual pain med.I plan on spending the rest of my career in corrections!

[JaiasMaregn]

I love that I never know what I'm walking into each day! It's like running my own entire hospital! You have your ER (acute care) you have your cardiac and chronic care patients, you have your ortho cases and you have lots of Mental Health! You just have a mix of everything! It keeps me on my toes. I also like the patient teaching- it's very rewarding- inmates don't always have the highest health literacy and it's empowering to be the one to teach them something!

[bryanleo9]

The early retirement option is what I love.

I won't be running around all day on a med surg. floor at 65 years old. I will have been retired for 10 years at 65.