A LPN's Day at a Correctional Facility

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Hello everyone

I took someone's advice and tried a agency who asked me if I can work correctional facility. Me being a new grad LPN and desperately looking for a job, I jump on it. Now I'm awaiting my background check to come back. Hurry, hurry hurry up! I want to know what a typical day is for a LPN in a Correctional Facility is like? What are your duties, policies and atmosphere is like?

Thanks in advance:thankya:

Moonielove:1luvu:

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Specializes in Correctional Nursing, Geriatrics.

Typical 3 pm to 11:30 pm shift:

3 pm: Report to work, get report from off-going nurses.

3:30 or 4:00 pm: One of you (usually 2 eve.shift LPNs at our facility) starts Nurse Sick Call.

4:30 pm: Accuchecks/Insulin administration.

5:00 pm: Chow (dinner) for inmates. We usually try to eat around this time before the evening rush starts.

5:30 or 6:00 pm: finish dinner--mind you they are calling you to booking area at all different times of the evening to screen in new inmates, or assess new one with an injury before they accept him/her for incarceration.Also must repond to any Signal 95 (medical emergency), and Tower officers call you 17 or 18 times a night...."Inmate So and So has a tummy-ache" or "Inmate So and So says he has a rash on his leg..." Your response: "Tell Inmate So and SO that it is not a medical emergency he is not coming up the hall to medical and he can fill out a Nurse Sick Call form like everyone else!!"

7:00 to 8:00 pm: Charting--finishing paperwork on Nurse Sick Call, your screen-ins, or any other minor incidents...charting accucheck stuff if you have not done so already.

8:00 pm: Time for Med Pass--We have 2 pods, one of us goes to A-Side, then when they finish, the other goes to B-Side.

10:30 pm: Med Pass complete....you are mentally and probably physically EXHAUSTED!!

11:00 pm: Your relief shows up....you give report.

11:30 pm: Barring any unforseen disasters....you go home!!!!:monkeydance:

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Specializes in Mental Health.

Hi,

I'm an LPN, new to nursing. I started off working for a nursing home

had 30 patients or more. Currently, I work for a state prison in Miami,

Florida, but I don't work for the state I work for Prison Health Services.

They have a contract with the prison.

I earn $20.50 an hour and I work 7p to 7a. I like the environment

because it's quiet and I can work at my own pace. I am learning

a lot I work in the infirmary, mini hospital, it holds 13 patients and we

average about 7 patients on any given night. We have 1 LPN, 1 RN,

1 CNA, and 1 officer. We handle all emergencies after 11:30p, and

preconfinements.

I'm also the pill line nurse I pull meds around 12 am and give them at

6 am, this was added to my duties because the old person left and no

one wanted to come in at 3 am to pour meds for the pill line so since I

was already at work I got the gig. :uhoh21: I came to like it, and the

inmates and I get along very well. On average there's about 60.

I enjoy working for a prison because it is definitely a different side

of nursing and as I stated previously I can work at my own pace.

Don't get me wrong there's drama it's by no means boring, you will

see everything that you see in a hospital...and a little bit more, there

are some things that I'd rather not see...

However, I don't think it's for everyone I have seen many people come

and go...and I got my position because the nurse that was hired failed

to show up for orientation. The prison that I work for is a reception center

so prisoners are constantly coming and going...only a few are housed

permenantly. If you are not sure if it's for you then pray about it that's

what I did...God Bless!

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Heres my day:

Awake at 4 am.

Make coffee/dress

5 a out the door.

5:45 at work clocked in and on the floor giving Road crew meds

or counting narc/stock/answering phones/looking at medical hold inmates and medicating them/calling mental health staff services/foodservices/

custody/intake for paperwork/bringing roll out or transfer meds up front while checking on new roll ins.In the midst of this Code Blues take priority

so I drop what I am doing and run grab the emergency cart and jump in an elevator with other staff and off to see what can be done.Sometimes this exhausts me for the rest of the day..lol..

7am..code 4 roll meds upstairs to maximum.Give three floors of meds unlocking doorslots and inbetween court calls/GED/KITE/breakfast.

9 am back down stairs to find missing or moved inmates or get new mars or orders etc.Depends on if the md wrote some or the dentist while I was upstairs.

9:30-11am find charts for sick calls.

11 am give noon meds.

12 or 12:30 lunch

12:30 stock sick call cart.

1:30 up on floor answering calls and doing RA cell checks etc.most anything at this point can be happening from emergency care of inmates to emergency care of custody etc.

3:30 back down to write orders/call pharmacy and order meds/file paperwork etc./help other nurses so we can leave and shift who came on at 12 can finish their day.

Day ends 4 mostly 4:30

Walk to car in relief thankful that I made it through another day.

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Specializes in Correctional, Home Care, Clinic and LTC.

I found that I liked working in the Shasta County Jail for PHS but I would not recommend it for everyone - especially for new nurses, you need to get your experience first! (Just my opinion, I'm no expert)

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