Does anyone ever wonder what their inmate pts are in prison for?

Has anyone ever asked a patient or the bedside guard?

Once there was a patient that was arrested for murdering a 5 year old girl who was housed on the med-surg unit my best friend works for. I am sure it was very hard to be impartial about an issue like that.

To be honest, I would want to know just in case they have violent tendencies. I work for a city hospital where this is prevalent. Our sister hospitals have had violent episodes where shootings have occurred in the ERs and floors.

My unit had a patient that was in prison for cutting out their significant other's tongue and attempting to slit their throat. It was be hard to put all of that aside in your head when talking to the patient but it could not affect the care given. Creepy though!!

IMHO: This is a bad thread, I can't very much good coming out of this discussion.

I've taken care of one prisoner for a few hours before he transfered out of the facility to a bigger hospital. He was hand-cuffed to the bed rails and had 2 guards. I never specifically asked what he was in jail for. Didn't want to know in fear it would affect my care to him. He was very polite. More polite than half the patients I take care of. I also took care of another patient that had been in jail for several years but was no longer in jail. He was weird but a nice patient to take care of. He told me why he went to jail. He acted like he had nothing to hide. He said he killed the man his wife was sleeping with. The only thing that bothered me was that he said didnt' regret doing it and that if he had to do it all over again he wouldn't have changed his actions. Scary thought. I have to say it was a little uncomfortable for me to continue caring for him the remainder of the shift. I was off a few days after that and he was discharged home before I came back.

Even the prison systems, this information is not necessary in order to care for the inmate. At least, in the systems where I was employed as NP.

I work per diem at a federal prison and never ask inmates what they are there for (nor I am interested). You do have some that feel the need to share and that is okay but I do not engage in a conversation and quickly move to pertinent reason I am seeing them for (meds, sick-call, etc). Plus, it is a rule at my facility that you do not ask that question for various reasons. Just like we aren't allowed to accept crafts/gifts they make. I happen to think that is a fant-a-bulous rule.

At my hospital job, we see many inmates from either county, state or federal prisons as well being that it is the only hospital for a 250+ mile radius and I also never ask why they are in custody for. Many times, the CO's at the bedside will pull us aside and 'warn' us or you listen to their conversations while in the room but to me it makes no difference. They are my patients just like anyone else.

The hospital I work in is close to a prison, so we get prisoners from time to time. I've never asked any of them why they are in prison. I feel pretty safe with the 2 bodyguards that are always present, and the fact that the inmate is in shackles (spelling?). On a side note, on average, the prisoners seem much more appreciative of my care and are very, very respectful and nice.

On a side note, on average, the prisoners seem much more appreciative of my care and are very, very respectful and nice.

Oh, I agree!! Some of my nicest pts have been those who are in prison!!

Now, the obsessive wife who will make us re-do a dressing 2 or 3 times, even though the pt is in chronic pain and cries out every time you even think about touching him... totally different story!

yes, but only after he had been in the hospital for several days, i had been his nurse for most of them, i felt comfortable asking and i was running out of things to talk about with him. he was pretty sick, too, so i was fairly sure he wasn't going to come after me. his regular guard was pretty friendly i worked in a large city hospital where we had a few prisoners as patients. we even had a special elevator that was used exclusively to transport patients and keep them away from the regular patient population.

i used to worry more about some of the goofy patients we suspected of stuff and hadn't been arrested yet. (we had a lady in a coma who's husband supposed punched her lights out and put her in that condition. he was visiting all the time and looked like a scary dude.) we also had two shootings in the er and er parking lot and someone who got pushed out a 5th story window of the hospital to their death. at least a prisoner is guarded and you are forewarned to be on the lookout.

I once cared for a pt from a Maximum security prison. He had 4 guards with him. Of course, I was terrified at the sight of 4 guards--most just come with 2. But, the paperwork that was sent from the prison stated that he was a huge flight risk. Apparently he had 4 guards because he was a Houdini--not because he was necessarily dangerous.

I once took care of a patient from the NYS forensic hospital Danamoora(?). He was guarded by a prison guard, twelve hour shifts. We were told what he had been convicted of, second degree murder but he was a pleasant, co-operative person. Until shortly before discharge. Despite having been told, one of the nurses allowed him into the bathroom by himself. He managed to shove up a few piece of metal, up his member, develop an infection and a raging temperature. He spent a few more weeks with us. I read his old record and he had had more surgeries then most patients because of his ability to swallow, jab up, jab into, jab down, things into his body. He really loved being in the hospital.

Woody:twocents:

I've seen jail inmates in jail, prison inmates in prison, and both in the hospital setting. I have no desire to know why they are where they are. I assume it's not for jaywalking.

I don't know that I could remain objective if I knew the details of the crimes.

I also assume that anyone in prison has the potential to be violent, just as I assume that any patient has the potential to be infectious.