Published
I came to correctional nursing after 4 years of ER experience in a level 1 trauma center. I was burned-out and ready for a change. One of the first things I noticed hanging on the wall of the nurses station in the max security prison I accepted a postion in, was an ad to join the correctional nurses association to counteract the perception that correctional nurses were "less than perfect nurses". I must admit, at least in my experience, truer words have rarely been written. Some of the worst nurses I have ever seen have been correctional nurses. Most have not been able to "hack-it" anywhere else they have worked and correctional nursing is the last stop before getting out of nursing completely. I could tell you stories of botched assessments, med errors, inability to manage medical emergencies, inability to draw blood or start IV's that you would find hard to believe. After 3 years as a correctional nurse I'm going back to the ER where incompetence is not tolerated.