Correctional Nursing vs Dialysis Chronic

[ProtomanEXE]

Hi,

I just got offered positions for dialysis and correctional nursing at a county jail. I am totally torn between the two offers. When the interviewer told me about the facility at the county jail she made it seem as hard as a SNF, which I've worked at before and didn't like it. The pay and benefits are great, but I am unsure.

At the dialysis job, the schedule is only 3 (12 hour shifts) per week, which leaves me a lot to do for the rest of the week. It sounds like the dialysis job at a clinic is starting to sound nice while the correctional nursing just focuses on the negative aspect of what the interviewer described to me.

She mentioned that If we don't get things done in those 8 hours they might have to let us go and that she has worked at SNF before too and this jail is like that. I've been looking all over on other experiences in the correctional nursing and most seem to love it. Which is less stressful?

My friend's dad worked in a jail for a long time and did not like it. He told me that your alone on making decisions since theres no doctor, if someone needed to go to the hospital but doesn't and gets hurt or dies on your shift you most likely lose your license, a lot of politics are involved. I just started working for almost a year under my license and its pretty scary if i just lose it too soon already.

Thank you guys for your input

[nutella, MSN, RN]

I do not know about jail nursing but I can tell you that chronic dialysis is stressful.

While the techs relax pretty much after the pat are on the machine and running and only pull it VS and machine data, the nurse has to go around and push a million meds, do assessments, foot checks and what not. Once the nurse is done, the patients come off the machine - really crazy - one after the other like 15 min apart. You have to clean the machine, set up and the next round is ready to get put on...

Plus pat are not always nice to new nurses in dialysis because they just want to come in - get the tx - and go. If you are not running on time a lot of them freak out. If you not doing a great job sticking them they may not let you stick them for a while creating problems.

I know it sounds not too bad 12 h but when somebody calls out or the techs go and mix baths and take breaks you are non stop working. It is really not a relaxing job at all. Perhaps it used to be at one point but Fresenius and DaVita are totally into productivity because of low reimbursement rates from Medicare/Medicaid and there is high pressure from every direction.

Acute dialysis on the other hand I loved - but long days, a lot of on call....

[RainMom]

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