Originally Posted by Ga_LPN
Hello all. I too am looking into correctional nursing and was just wondering why others are into it as well. ... I was just wondering what it was that has drawn others into the correctional field and was it everything you thought it would be?
I can only speak from MY experience and that of others I've worked with, but I'm willing to offer my 2 cents!
There are many things I like about correctional nursing. One is the broad scope of things you do. At the facility I worked at, we took care of the inmates total healthcare. We have an urgent care/ER that addresses immediate concerns, injuries, chest pain, etc. We have an MD office where chronic clinics are done ever 1-3 months for inmates with diagnoses that require frequent follow-up such as seizure d/o's, HTN, asthma, HIV, etc. We have an infirmary of 11 hospital beds that admit medical and psych admissions, caring for anything from a suicide watch to someone with a chest tube or post-op whatever, also hospitalizing people with cancer who are in the final stages. And, the dreaded med passes. I've passed meds to anywhere from 50 up to close to 200 inmates in a med pass.
I'm not sure how other facilities are run, but that sums up the basics of the adult-male maximum security prison I worked at. Some may say you lose your skills going into corrections but I started IVs, drew blood, did full assessments and neuro checks, basically everything I did on med/surg, and then you do all that while dealing with someone with a prison sentence, not the average med/surg patient. You get a taste of dr office type nursing, basic ER nursing, and med/surg, as well as med passes.
And, while some inmates will give you a hard time, many of them are respectful and more grateful than the average med/surg or nursing home patient because you are one of few people who are providing a kind service.
The best advice I ever heard was that you don't really want to know why the inmate is in prison (or jail) to begin with. As a nurse, you are not part of their punishment. Your role is to provide medical care, and while I wouldn't say I sympathize or "feel bad" for any of the inmates, I don't treat them differently than any other patient. I give them the same respect and treatment I'd give a patient on a med/surg floor. Of course, I wouldn't put my arm around one of them or hold their hand... LOL... but treatment-wise, I'm consistent no matter what race, age, or prison term or charges they've acquired. And that is something they respect -- when they know that your yes means yes and your no means no, and that when you say no, you won't do something or check on something but when you do say yes, you follow through, they trust you. I guess it's rewarding in a way because it's a career not a lot of nurses would choose, and to be able to provide care to the "undeserving" as some would say, well, says enough for itself.
I hope that answered your question(s) a little? I have to learn to condense myself... I get on message boards and write a novel in one post. LOL. Of course correctional nursing isn't all sunshine and rainbows -- I was assaulted with "fluids" twice in the first 6 weeks I worked at the prison by two inmates who I didn't even know, and didn't know me. After a period of time I knew to not take that personally, and learned how to write a really good disciplinary ticket. Those two individuals received a 2-year sentence added onto the sentences they currently had, and the people who did other obscene things also got the appropriate discipline because I paid attention to the training on how to write a disciplinary ticket that sticks.
All in all it's fun. Never a dull moment, no day is the same as the next. As time goes on you get to know the inmates and while maintaining a professional level of care, you can find a lot of humor in a lot of things within the prison. The security staff (that I worked with, at least) were a blast... that's probably the most important part. Be on the same page with the security staff and make sure that at all times you SHOULD be escorted, you ARE escorted. That's a whole other message thread within itself. But, if you think it's something you're interested in, PURSUE it.
The worst you could find is that you don't like it, and if that's the case, chalk it up to a lesson learned -- one nursing specialty you know you DON'T want to work in! And if you like it, stick with it. A lot of facilities hire LPNs to work just as long as there is an RN on duty (and if it's 7-3 or 3-11 there is an RN on duty 99.9% of the time) -- or they at least use LPNs PRN, and that could be your foot in the door prior to graduating as an RN.
Hope I didn't blab on for too long. If you have any specific questions feel free to PM me.
-A
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to correctional nursing..I've been in it since 2-99 and I LOVE IT. There's always a new challenge, always a new chapter for the book and just when you think you've seen it all, done it all, there's a new story. 
For the most part, you have to remember, patients are in the hospital because they WANT treatment, in jail, they don't want to be there and they will lie, cheat, steal, and sell their mother's soul to be released. They mistake kindness for weakness, and if, given the chance, will chew you up and spit you out. They know just enough to be dangerous, and you need to be on top of your game at all times. You will develope a 'gut feeling' for things, learn to trust your judgement and protect your license. It is still possible to be polite and give good nursing care, you just will learn when to draw the line. They are manipulative and will test you at every turn, until word gets out that you can't be played. BUT, I wouldn't change it for any other specialty. Good luck to you in your new position!!!!:biere:
