Correctional Nursing Supervisor

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Hi all. Recently I have applied for a job as Supervisor of nurses at our local correctional facility. I ask what the job description is and they said...this is a new position, you will be writing policies and procedures, overseeing day to day operation of the medical unit, scheduling, etc. Well...there have been nurses working there who have been doing the work but have not had a direct Supervior. Should I run toward this or away? I have years of nursing experience - Psych, LTC, and Community Health-Home Care. I am thinking about going for it after reading the Corrections is fanastic thread.

What are your most used Policies and Procedures?

:nurse:

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, corrections, +.

Hmmm there are alot of P&P. What you will use alot is MRSA P&P, ETOH and Opiate detox, code response, med pass protocol, gosh all kinds of things. I would imagine they have this all in place, just don't have someone to wear the badge.

Correctional nurses are used to working pretty independently. It is neccessary for us to survive to have excellent assessment skills and the ability to think outside the box to get things done by ourselves. It might be a rocky transition to suddenly have a supervisor if that position didn't exsist before. Alot of that will depend on you I suppose.

I would be curious to know if the nurses who have worked there are running away from or toward the supervisor position. That could tell you alot. In any event you will need to learn alot from them being new to corrections. It is a different enviroment to practice in. Good luck. Corrections is wonderful.

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Specializes in corrections, legal, med/surg, ICU,CCU,.

I would be cautious. A few questions you might want to ask are do they have any P&P's at all. If so, what resources were used to develop them. Is there a Medical Director who is an MD and is there an MD available 24/7 either on site or on call. Do they have a written contract for emergency and specialty care. One answer, the right one would be that current P&P's are based on National Commission on Correctional Health Care Standards. The wrong answer to any of the above questions is no. A no answer should make you very hesitant. If you do take the job. You can find correctional standards of care at the NCCHC website, ANA standards for correctional nurses and American Correctional Association Standards.

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Thank you for the advice. The NCCHC website is a great place for me to start reading.

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Specializes in critical care, med surg, correctional.
Hi all. Recently I have applied for a job as Supervisor of nurses at our local correctional facility. I ask what the job description is and they said...this is a new position, you will be writing policies and procedures, overseeing day to day operation of the medical unit, scheduling, etc. Well...there have been nurses working there who have been doing the work but have not had a direct Supervior. Should I run toward this or away? I have years of nursing experience - Psych, LTC, and Community Health-Home Care. I am thinking about going for it after reading the Corrections is fanastic thread.

What are your most used Policies and Procedures?

:nurse:

I couldn't help but respond to your inquiry....from what your background is in nursing, I personally don't think you would do well....Correctional Nursing is very different from the areas you have experience in....other than Psych. Nurses in corrections, are very autonomous, most of the time....making it necessary to have a very strong medical background. Psych definetly helps, but it is not enough. As far as your P+P's your physician should be involved in the introduction of them. In NY our physician is considered the Facility Health Service Director...who ultimately makes the decisions of what care can be given without notifying the physician....so ultimately, the physician has to OK all the P+P's...so why not involve him in writing them??? Again, rethink your decision....it may not be the best one you could make....

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Thanks BradyR...tomorrow is my interview. For many reasons ...I do feel this is the job for me. Prior to being a Nursing Supervisor in Homecare I worked in the field for 8 years and was very autnomous. Since writing my first thread I have learned more about the committee at the facility that writes and reviews the policies. I can adapt. I'll just have to see if they choose me...they may not.

amesly15

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Going to go for it...I got the position. I am looking forward to the challenges.

Patti

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Specializes in LTC, Hospice, corrections, +.

Good luck. Keep us posted.

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Specializes in critical care, med surg, correctional.

Congratulations....hope you prove me 100% wrong....Good Luck....keep us posted on how it's going

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How is your new career in Corrections?

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Well, I am about one year in and it has been a good fit for me. I am working at a County Correctional Facility that is small. I have made some positive changes that make things easier for the nurses ...I hope. I am learning as I go along but definately enjoy the challenges. Mostly, I am learning about chemical dependency and what a HUGE drug problem there is.

amesly15

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Specializes in Psych, substance abuse, MR-DD.

I am glad that it worked out for you!

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