Any juvenile correctional nurses out there?

[Juvinurse]

I've been a nurse at a juvenile detention center and group home for the last 5 years and I would love to touch base with others that chose this same career.

[merrick]

I'm only a pre-nursing student, but that field interests me. What's it like? Do you enjoy it?

[Juvinurse]

Hello there. I can tell you it can be the most rewarding and the most upsetting in a matter of minutes. I am 50, been a clinic nurse in a private MDs office the majority of my career. I took on correctional nursing about 5 years ago. My MD retired plus I was just burnt out and needed a change. My years of clinic prepared me for what I am doing right now for sure. I am the one and only nurse. I am on call 24/7. I do alot of phone orders or I go in depending on the situation. I not only am the nurse, I can run the central control board, active and trained in physical and mechanical restraints, I transport to medical or mental health appointments, medical inservice training is done by me for the staff, I am the nurse at our Group Home and other State Program also. The day goes by very, very fast.

Like I always say... it is a chapter they left out of my nursing manual. A lot of listening, gut feeling, and even spiritual support, and the knowledge of psy and psy meds is a big... part of it. So many children are on mood altering drugs now. Something I have had to get familiar with, for sure.

I do love my children and they respect me most of the time. I think I am more of a mother, grandmother figure to them sometimes.

[merrick]

Sounds like a hard but rewarding career. Thanks for the insight.