[tirzo13]

Originally Posted by Kashia

During my school rotation we did clinical training in a California state prison.
Although my time was brief, perhaps 3 weeks, this was the impression I came away with:
The nurses at this prison, including the DON, represented everything I believe nursing is not. I had the impression most of the nurses there were correction officers with a stethoscope. They enjoying humiliating
the inmates and being generally disrespectful and rude.
They repeatedly told us ( the student nurses) what terrible human beings the inmates were, deserving of no respect, that they were predators....and I kept thinking the only terrible I could see was the attitude of the nurses.
On the other hand, I met a nurse once that worked per diem at our hospital and regularly at a county jail. I really liked her and she was a terrific nurse, although I did only work with her in our hospital setting.
I have decided to reconsider the role of nursing in corrections...
So my question/concern.....is it necessary to give up caring about your patients in order to do correctional nursing? Is it necessary to be routinely judgmental towards someone for circumstances you really know nothing about? As nurses, isn't our role there to well....be a nurse?
I came away feeling it was the nurses not the inmates that I was most concerned about ( I've left out details of situations I observed)

I tend to agree with you, though i have only worked in California prisons, not out of this state.
So perhaps we see the same things.
Sure not all are like that, just like not all officers are .......?

There is good and bad everywhere, i just seem to notice a hell alot of the bad staff at the prisons compared to any place else i have worked.

[MadisonsMomRN]

Originally Posted by SoloWytch

No, I don't think it's necessary to give up caring about your patients. It is, however, necessary to always remember that you have to keep more of a "distance" in your caring. (Not sure I'm going to be able to explain what I mean here...)

You have to have definite limits, and maintain them at all times. You have to make sure you apply the same rules and standards to everyone. (They will try to get you to make exceptions for them.)

Do you have to be rude? No, but you have to be firm, and they'll think it's rudeness. For instance, we're not allowed to give any kind of medication unless they have an order for it, and that includes motrin, tylenol, etc. One of the inmates who is new to my med pass (and hasn't learned yet! *L*) kept asking me for a motrin. I explained that without an order, I couldn't give it to him. "The other nurses did." (I love that line! If I had a penny for every time I've heard it in the last year I could retire!) Repeated the explanation. He swore and stalked off. Next med pass, same inmate, same scenario. Next med pass, it started again. I explained we'd already had this conversation, the answer wasn't going to change, and told him that that was the end of the conversation. Rude? No. Firm, setting and maintaining limits, and not letting him win the power game.

And they will run games on you. You'll probably fall for some, but you'll learn, either by trial and error or by guidance from more experienced nurses. (I've been very lucky in that regard.)

They will make you mad; they will make you laugh. You will like some and you will want to slap others upside the head. Keep in mind that they are there for a reason. Keep in mind that they are human beings.

It can be a balancing act, and some days you don't hold it all together like you think you should. When you lose it, just take a deep breath, try to shake it off, and go on to the next, trying not to let it affect you. (Hmmm... sounds like nursing in general there, doesn't it?)

Anyhow, I still think this is the most fun job there is, so don't let the burned out nurses from your clinical rotation put you off. (It does sound like they were burned out. I get like that when I work too many days in a row.)

I totally agree. I really dislike the ones that treat them all like crap. I had issues when I first started correctional nursing I had a hard time with the security and safety.

I am definitely not like those nurses you had the joy of experiencing. We are not all like that

[wallalame]

Those of you who work in corrections, please check out this thread! We would like to hear from you! This occured in a hospital, but you might know more about this situation than we do.
"Man sues over fluid samples taken by force"
http://allnurses.com/forums/f195/man...ce-279497.html

[CookieCritter]

Originally Posted by nursinunderpressure

I have just joined this site and I was reading the posts and was prompted to join and post a reply. When I started working in a prison I had no idea if it would be me for me or not, and we all know there are nurses that are great nurses, but correctional nursing isn't for them. I, too, watched staff scream, yell, and do things I could never see myself doing. I learned something on my own, R-E-S-P-E-C-T. I found you can be firm and still be respected. Where I work, respect is very important to our prisoners. They want you to respect them, so I made it clear to those that I had to, that if respect is wanted then it must be given. I found this works alot better than yelling, screaming, etc. Usually, when I do have a problem with a couple of them, I tell them that they have disrespected me. And, I seem to get better results than the other staff that scream, yell, etc.

Bingo you got it. The screaming and yelling is a good way to get seriously injured by inmate as well. I know of a previously very disrespectful booking clerk who ended getting literally jerked up and suspended by her neck. Took ALOT of CO's to get this man to drop her. He later said it was because of her constant yelling, screaming etc. Many people I know both patrol & jail officers and correctional nurses all say stand firm, be consistent, fair, and talk low. The talking low instead of yelling saves more lives. Everyone wants respect even the most belligerent of drunks or the quietest serial killers do not like someone in their face.

This respect no matter how it is perceived is especially important with the advent of so many "gangs" firmly entrenched in the prison system. Their number 1 issue is always a "respect" or "disrespect" perception.

I always make sure I remember that in a detention system the non inmate is seriously outnumbered regardless of job description and the inmates can take over that jail or prison any time they want to. Set a few rules and treat them nicely without becoming a best friend and not only will they respect you they may one day save your life from another inmate. After all it takes one to know one and an instutionalized person can smell weakness and fear a mile off and if it translates into disrespect in their brains someone will be severely injured or killed. It's all a matter of timing and balance.

[bollweevil]

A lot of cops and correctional officers think they have to be rude and tough in order to control the prisoners and inmates, just as cops on the streets think of all non-cops as dangerous and subjects or suspects, and so treat people too rudely, out of fear, in an attempt to be safe. In fact, they are offending people, who might be reluctant to help the officer if he or she were injured or in trouble. No, that situation doesn't arise often but it could and I would think the prudent officer would want the public as friends, not as resentful former targets who won't help the officer in time of need. Nurses often emulate this in order to fit in with their peers and with the culture that confronts them at work.

Don't try to change others, just do your own thing. And let no one take advantage of you, either peer or patient. Be fair and be firm but be nice about it. "Sorry, I can't help you. We';ve discussed it, if you bring it up again, you will force me to write you up and I really don't want to do that. Now do please believe me and leave this subject alone."

There is a lot of mental illness in prisons and it's not just among the patients. There are rogue cops, sick nurses, whatever. Keep calm and quiet, be courteous, treat others as if they were someone God loves - and He does love them. Try to use a little humor, dont go overboard.