California Prison Healthcare Services

[nminodob]

This post is intended for California new grads...

A friend told me about Prison Healthcare Services - you go online and take an "assessment" that asks some simple questions about your level of expertise in nursing, such as, "How many times in the last 6 months have you assessed a patient?" You have to select one from the multiple choices: Daily, Weekly, Only in clinicals, Never. After you submit your assessment you are "graded," and then as openings come up you are alerted via snail mail. I actually had gotten a med/surg position so I never followed through with the process, although I received several "employment inquiries" for positions that paid around 8K/month at various correctional facilities in California.

Prison nursing is not for everyone of course, but if someone really has an interest, it seems this challenging work is pretty generously compensated (looks like close to 100K/year).

Hope this finds its way to some new grad who can use the info!

[Sarah Hay]

I am in an ADN program in Florida and last Thursday there was an employment expo in the lobby. I went around and looked. There were a bunch of different people for all sorts of jobs that were open for nurses and techs and anyone in the medical field, really. This one lady asked me what I was interested in doing when I finished school and I said I wanted to work at a prison. She just blinked her eyes at me and walked away. My friend was with me and she laughed because that lady was so rude. Is it rare to find student nurses who do not want to work at hospitals and would rather work in a correctional institution?

:redpinkhe Sarah Hay, SN

[eric909]

I can't speak for all the California prisons but most of them dont hire new grads you need at least 1 year experience to be considered. There is no preceptor ship or training in place for a new grad and to be honest the environment is not new grad friendly. As for pay RNs here easily average 110k year with OT.

[nminodob]

Eric909 - if you are correct then I apologize for getting anyone's hopes up - it could be another one of those cases where they send you a job that "matches" your profile without really looking at your profile *sigh* As I stated in my original post, I never followed up on the job inquiries, so I don't know how far into the selection process a new grad would get.

[eric909]

well i'm certain about it where i work which is a desirable location, you know near civilization. we have a couple lvns that just got their rn license but the prison won't give them an rn position until they have a year experience as an rn. so what they are doing is still working full time as state lvn's but also part time as an rn elseware until they have the one year experience kind of crazy i think but guess they really want to stay there. maybe some of the prisons out in the boonies might take new grads but i'm not sure. i would still recommend starting at a hospital with a good preceptorship because to tell you the truth you won't learn anything in the prison you will actually loose skills.

[diane227, LPN, RN]

I worked part time in a woman's prison as the prison psych nurse. I had a very hight patient load and I saw about 30 patients a day. Low pay, but great experience. Lots of manipulation going on and sometimes the guards are worse than the inmates. You better be up on your psychology of the nature of people cause those inmates don't have anything but lots of time on their hands to figure out ways to manipulate you. If you work in a prison with men, you have to take extra caution. I would never take a prison job without some experience, preferably ED experience in a large trauma center.