What do you like best about working in a jail?

Specialties Correctional

Updated:   Published

I am wondering what you like best about working in a jail? How does it compare to working in a hospital? Any pros and cons are welcome!

1 Votes
Specializes in Neuro.

Benefits are usually much better since most are run by some sort of government entity. Pay can be lower than in hospitals though. Depends.

1 Votes

I work overnight in the largest county jail in my state. We serve up to 600 inmates, usually in the neighborhood of 500. What I like about working in a jail is that I get to create a compassionate experience in a system that is not intended to be compassionate. The variety of the job is cool: part office nurse, taking care of walk-ins; part acute care, taking care of and monitoring acutely ill people, especially those withdrawing from drugs/alcohol; part registration nurse, conducting medical admissions assessments on all new arrests who are going to housing; part triage nurse, assessing new arrests who have injuries that may require attention in the emergency room prior to accepting into the jail; part emergency nurse, responding to medical ELIS calls, assessing, stabilizing, and sending out patients when necessary; and documenting, documenting, documenting.

The challenge of working overnight is that, while I have a fabulous LPN with me with a separate scope of practice and tasks, I only have available an on-call provider. One of the best parts is having a fair amount of autonomy and far less commotion than the other shifts. I also like the 8-hour shifts so much better than the 12-hour shifts that are usually the rule in hospitals.

Working in a jail usually means working for a vendor that contracts with the jail. Medical is separate from security and security runs the show. The environment is tightly controlled and nurses new to the environment often find it intimidating. For instance, there are locked doors and sally ports for every unit, hallway, entry, and exit that require being buzzed through by control. I, personally, find it comforting to know that I am never alone with a patient, that there is always an officer present during any encounter. In that respect, it's a far safer environment than my other job in adult psychiatry in a community hospital.

If this is something you're considering, I'd say to give it a shot. It's the coolest nursing job ever. It's broadened my horizons, taught me a lot about leaving my attitudes outside, and given me the opportunity to practice all sorts of nursing in one location.

4 Votes

I work in a regional jail that usually has on the low side of 800 people. I absolutely love it! I came from a nursing home before and left because I was in a rut. Working at my jail, I do everything and it is never boring. I triage sick calls, I assess possible problems on new intakes, deal with assaults and people who have been sprayed with OC. We draw labs (which we didn't do at the nursing home), so EKG's. We don't have RN's on night shift so its just two LPN's and the MA.

I feel so much safer there than I did at the nursing home. I always have an officer and we are protected, we are treated like gold by security and most inmates. We get some people who are rude but it is dealt with very swiftly. We work 14 hour shifts though so it's long shifts but I still love it

3 Votes

Independence. I set up my day, see who I need to, make appointments, call in meds, etc as I see fit. It is up to me how it gets done, just so it does. Boss is there in person every 2 months, called 1x month. Nobody breathing down my neck to micromanage, and the jail administrator and I work together closely, he sees his job as helping me with issues.

3 Votes

I am much safer than at the nursing home as well.

3 Votes

I actually work in a large state correctional facility. My employer is a large state university that provides healthcare to several of the state penal facilities so my benefits are good and the pay is better than I can get as an LVN at a SNF or hospital.

One of the things I like the most is I have never had a family member cuss me out five minutes after clocking in over “Mama” not getting her extra blanket six hours earlier. When one of the offenders becomes verbally abusive I can simply walk away without being accused of being “uncaring.” Also, you can be a little more, shall we say blunt, when dealing with malingerers, fakers, attention seekers, and manipulators than you can get away with on the outside.

On the down side, it can be depressing. Some of the COs can be as bad as the inmates. The constant security can be stressful. And the first time you get “gassed” can be a total deal breaker.

It’s not for everybody. If you don’t think you can stand still while watching someone who’s sliced their wrist bleed until the COs have served the scene then it’s probably not the job for you. On the other hand, if you’re tired of bedside nursing and all the aggravation that goes with it, correctional nursing might be a good fit.

5 Votes
Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
On ‎8‎/‎17‎/‎2019 at 9:21 AM, Fiddleback said:

One of the things I like the most is I have never had a family member cuss me out five minutes after clocking in over “Mama” not getting her extra blanket six hours earlier.

I don't miss dealing with some of the families that we dealt with in a hospital setting. They were often more troublesome than the patients.

I do deal with families from time to time, but only because I am in administration and it falls on me to handle family contacts. Even so, they are on the phone instead of in my face, and I call them when I have time and after I have had time to review the chart.

1 Votes
Specializes in Corrections, Dementia/Alzheimer's.

I work in a prison, usually in segregation. I like how I am in control, if it is getting out of hand, I can end the encounter by having the officer take them or walking away from the cell. I feel very safe. I enjoy the craziness, the fights, the medical emergencies. Some of the fake medical emergencies are hilarious! I enjoy the crazy stories they tell (fake ones and also real ones) and the crazy things they do to pass the time (the cadillacs and artwork on the cell walls).

It's not pleasant being called some of the things I am called, but once they are written up for it, it typically stops.

The medical request forms they fill out can be a great read sometimes!

Sometimes I feel like I am working in a zoo... I mean this in a very nice and respectful way.

4 Votes
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