[nuttienurse67]

Originally Posted by apogee

This is my first post. I am a correctional nurse. I know stuff. Been doing it for awhile. If you have questions, I will do my best to give you realistic answers.

I have been in corrections for about 5 years, our medical department is having budget problems. Do you have any suggestions about saving costs in a department. Our Inmates have become more ill just over a few years, it seem that they bring in only sick ones. All have one problem or another.

[jailDON]

Sicker and sicker inmates are the trend. Long past are the days when the typical inmate is young and healthy. The average age is getting older and older. The rising costs are a sign that your community is not dealing well in the areas of the mentally ill and the indigent.

The only answer is good preventative care and maintenance. Manage problems before they become so serious that the inmate is ICU material.

[Felecia]

Originally Posted by CHER-LYNN

I am considering a position as a correction
nurse in a male facility. Want to know the pros and cons of this type of nursing.

Thanks for any info you can provide

I've worked in Correctional Nursing for about 7 years. I've always worked in Max Security Male Institutions. I think one of the Pros is that you have more autonomy as far as care decisions/treatment (within the framework of standing orders and protocols at times). One of the biggest cons is that you have to practice within the framework of the Prison model. This means that you can't at times be as caring and concerned as you are used to being. I've done many other types of nursing which is a benefit to this field and I think that if you don't have any other experience or excellent assessment skills, this would be a difficult field. As one of my fellow correctional nurses' has said, "You need to be part detective (to figure out the truth of the Inmate's health claim) and part nurse."

[ddc101]

Hi I am so glad some of you have given indepth thoughts about this area of nursing.I have lately considered working at a Womens Correctional Facility.I have never worked in one before but I am a 12.9 yr nurse and a minister.I have
worked over and over with people in all walks of life including homeless/shelter/womens shelter folks.I have notice this.Some folks harm themselves by their actions and are no harm to you but some hate the world.Sad but true.I wonder what its like to care for this kind and do you ever feel comfortable with it.I read a report today that says Correctional Nurses can get callous due to the enviroment being so far from the nursing sector.What are opinions on this from those of you who are doing this now?

[Felecia]

In my opinion, you are setting yourself up for some trouble being a minister and taking care of Inmates. Can you distance yourself from trying to "help" these women? If not, you need to re-think this field. It's not that you become callous as much as you need to focus on the medical needs of the individual and not get involved at all in their social/legal problems. In most states, getting involved in these issues as a nurse, would probably get you "walked out" of the institution as being someone who got "caught up" or manipulated. They will try to do this in order to get what they want and they are not supposed to have. Not all prisoners are like this but you, as a nurse, are not supposed to be in a position to find out. Firm, Fair and Consistent are the watch words of corrections and correctional nursing.

[ddc101]

Originally Posted by Felecia

In my opinion, you are setting yourself up for some trouble being a minister and taking care of Inmates. Can you distance yourself from trying to "help" these women? If not, you need to re-think this field. It's not that you become callous as much as you need to focus on the medical needs of the individual and not get involved at all in their social/legal problems. In most states, getting involved in these issues as a nurse, would probably get you "walked out" of the institution as being someone who got "caught up" or manipulated. They will try to do this in order to get what they want and they are not supposed to have. Not all prisoners are like this but you, as a nurse, are not supposed to be in a position to find out. Firm, Fair and Consistent are the watch words of corrections and correctional nursing.

Okay Felecia,
I could not be a nurse if I could not be objectional first of all.I doubt also that I am easily manipulated.I am wondering why you would think that being a minister means being naive? just wondering.But think about this...how many women ministers do you know? It takes some pretty thick hide believe me.
Besides when I do nursing I focus on my job not on religon.Does this make sense to you.

[tjazzy31]

Originally Posted by PrisonrNurs

Hey there,

I'm an LPN and got into Corrections with only 6 months experience, to boot! It was scary at first, but I have to admit, I absolutely love it! It's true about what they say. Never the same, never boring! It can be scary though, especially when you're new. Inmates will ask you all sorts of questions, and will try to see how far they can go in getting what they want, so watch out! I was a big softie at first, but I'm learning to weed out the lies from the truth (your assessment skills have to be good) and to be tough when they want something and can't have it. They rant and rave and throw tantrums that would put any two-year old to shame. The fact is, when they do ask, they know already, what the answer is.

If you do get into corrections, best of luck! You'll love it and it will be an exciting experience, and a great learning experience, even if you learn that Corrections isn't for you.

Hi My name is Tonya . I have only 6 months experience on a med/surg oncology floor too. I just accepted a job with a county jail inmy area. I start on Monday. Are you still there? I am eager to start. I would love to hear any pointers to give me. you may email me at tbalthop73@juno.com

any and all advice is welcome
Eager to learn

[PrisonrNurs]

Hello Tonya,

Well congratulations on your prison nursing position! Correctional nursing does offer some unique challenges, but can also be somewhat frustrating at times. Here are a few tips that might help you through this.


1. First and foremost, SAFETY is the most important aspect of your
job. You need to be ever-vigilant of the population you are dealing with. No sweet elderly grandmothers here. You are dealing with drug addicts, rapists, and molesters now. The vast majority of the inmates you deal with will be very nice, charming and friendly, but you have to be careful. They teach us to treat each inmate as if they were someone waiting to stab you in the back the minute they got the chance. This is of course, not true, but it helps keep you aware of any potential danger.

2. Try (and this can be difficult) to maintain a non-judgmental
attitude about your patients. Look at them as human beings, deserving of dignity and respect. If you label them according to the crime they committed, it will make it much harder for you to provide quality care.

3. Be careful not to disclose personal information about yourself.
When inmates see a new face, they will try to find out things about you. "Are you married? Are you from here?" Only share with them things they need to know. Your personal life is none of their concern.

4. USE YOUR NURSING SKILLS when assessing a patient. An inmate may
come down saying he's (I'm assuming this is a men's facility) having a lot of pain and wants something for it. Don't trust him at his word. He could be a drug seeker. Use your skills as a nurse to see if he's really in pain. Is he pale, diaphoretic? Are his BP, respirations and heart rate elevated? Many times I've run into patients who have complained of pain, only to get a lay-in from work, or some extra medication. Rely on the inmates non-verbal skills to tell you if he is in pain. They'll tell you more than his words.

5. Don't fall into the "giving trap" as we call it. You will find
that inmates will test you in terms of what they can get from you. If a medication is scheduled for 0600 and they come down at 0630 wanting their medications because they slept in, refuse them and tell them to be at Medline on time. It seems harsh but they will know that they can't get away with things. If you give in easily, they may come down at 0640, then 0650, just to see how far they can push you. You need to maintain a "fair but tough" attitude with inmates. Don't worry, if you don't have this, you will learn to be. :-)

6. Remember those silly little safety and precaution techniques you
learned in nursing school? Well they can literally save your life here. Remember to glove up at all times, and WASH YOUR HANDS!!! Blood borne diseases are rampant in the prison population. Within our facility, 30% of the population has hepatitis. Many have STD's and many more are being treated for exposure to TB. The sad fact is that some inmates are willing to use bodily fluids as a weapon.

7. If you do a Medline, you'll have to do a mouth check to make sure
inmates don't cheek their meds. If they are on psychotropic medications
like Seroquel, Paxil or Wellbutrin, they may try to cheek their medications so they can either crush and snort it, or sell it to another inmate. Don't be afraid to have an inmate lift up his tongue and pull his cheeks apart so you can check in between his cheeks and gums for medications. It's a lot less work than having to respond to an emergency if he tries to kill himself by overdosing on stocked up medications.

8. When men are housed together, whether it be an army camp, summer
camp or in a prison, levels of cortisol and testosterone will rise. This is a natural response and many men's bodies will revert to a pubescent stage, so expect to see a lot of acne, rashes, and a number of other skin conditions.


I hope these pointers are helpful to you. You will find that Correctional nursing is never dull, never the same, and you will see things behind those walls that you've never seen before! Please keep me updated on your
experiences. I'd love to hear how well it works out for you. Best of
luck, Tonya and if I can be of any more help, please don't hesitate to ask!

Sincerely,

George a.k.a. PrisonrNurs

[renerian]

Cavity searches do not sound like fun..................ugh. Everyone has posted good information and insight here.

renerian

[PrisonrNurs]

Originally Posted by renerian

Cavity searches do not sound like fun..................ugh. Everyone has posted good information and insight here.

renerian

No worries Renerian, cavity searches are a physican intervention, not a nursing one, although, it's fun to "threaten" an inmate with one if he's acting silly. "I have really long arms. I can do a cavity search and a throat culture at the same time!"