[RNetpreneur]

I will be moving to AZ in the next several months. I have worked in correctional nursing for over 15 years - both state run and private run. I also have worked fron staff nurse to HSA. What is the feel for AZ correctional prisons/jails?

[chickie]

Sorry, I can't answer your questions about AZ but what is your opinion on correctional nursing. There is a facility in my area advertising for a nurse, I was wondering what a job there would entail?

Originally Posted by RNetpreneur

I will be moving to AZ in the next several months. I have worked in correctional nursing for over 15 years - both state run and private run. I also have worked fron staff nurse to HSA. What is the feel for AZ correctional prisons/jails?

[Timberwolf]

Arizona has lots of inmates and is advertising desperately for nurses. However, they lack follow-through and follow-up in the hiring process. I am not sure whether anyone in upper management really cares whether they hire staff nurses or not.

Additionally, although other correctional systems in which I have worked allow staff to bring in reading material to pass the time when there is nothing to do, Arizona prohibits it. Therefore you can wind up staring at the wall and thinking you will die of boredom. I can put up with many things, but I cannot put up with utter boredom shift after shift. Which is why I withdrew my application with AZDOC.

[RNetpreneur]

Originally Posted by chickie

Sorry, I can't answer your questions about AZ but what is your opinion on correctional nursing. There is a facility in my area advertising for a nurse, I was wondering what a job there would entail?

I have done many different specialties and positions in my nursing career. I keep coming back to correctional nursing. I have used everything I ever learned in school and then some. Correctional nursing is what you make of it. I enjoyed focusing on teaching and assessment skills. You become accutely focused on your listening skill to evaluate what a person is really saying. You develop critical thinking in disease process and patient education. If you are looking for gradification from your patients, that is something that you must learn to ignore because of security reasons but you can develop satisfation in realizing that you are making a difference and if not today then maybe in the future what you said or did will benefit that person.

[ComposMentisBlonde]

I work for CSC in AZ. We have 668 inmates with a capacity for 776. Over 400 receive medications. We handed out close to 40,000 medications last month. We operate with 2-3 nurses on days to run lines for 6 different providers at different times, along with a nursing line. We have 2 nurses on evenings and 1 to cover nocs. We seem to keep pretty busy. At least nobody has complained about being bored lately....lol

[Timberwolf]

Correctional nursing for the state can be busy and wild, I agree. Certainly, that was the case at Florence Central Unit. However, the SMU yards can be very slow and dull --- or crazy --- but slow and nothing to read is not fun.

[ComposMentisBlonde]

Originally Posted by Timberwolf

Correctional nursing for the state can be busy and wild, I agree. Certainly, that was the case at Florence Central Unit. However, the SMU yards can be very slow and dull --- or crazy --- but slow and nothing to read is not fun.

I currently work at Florence West.

[Timberwolf]

Congratulations. I currently work for the California Department of Corrections.