Dealing with inmates...

[lm8539]

I had an interview today and one of the questions was, "What professional experiences have you had that would help you to work in the correctional setting and deal with inmates?

I had trouble with this one. What kind of answer are they looking for? I am a new grad and I have not worked as a nurse yet. I have worked in restaurants. I have volunteered at Orphanages and homeless shelters. I mentioned something about being able to work with a diverse population, but i didn't know what else to say...

Can anyone help with a good way to answer this question?

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

In your situation your response was a good one. Since you don't have direct experience working with inmates, emphasizing your work with a variety of different populations was the best you could do. The worst thing you can do in response to a question like that is to try to manufacture experience you don't have. Questions like that are usually asked to determine if an individual has experience with inmates, whether in a hospital or jail/prison.

[Andrew12]

I think is was a good response. They probably wanted to first see your physical response to the question (see if your facial expressions look as though you are making up a response). I agree with Orca, mentioning that you've worked with different people, cultures, races, was the best thing you could have done. Is there a reason why you choose to apply for a correctional facility as your first job in the field?

[lm8539]

Because they hire and I need experience. I am comfortable with the challenge. The pay and benefits are also good so I am sure I could see myself doing it for a long time.

[Andrew12]

well that is awesome.. Probably be a good experience because you will also work with people who are from all walks of life. Good luck to you my friend..

[travduck, BSN, RN, CNM]

Good response. Honesty is the best policy. If you have had to deal with difficult customers, and what restaurant worker hasn't, you could have mentioned that and a specific instance. Working in orphanages and homeless shelters has given you experience with people who find themselves in a less than perfect or acceptable situation who are either in the first stages of realizing thier current status or who have developed skills in coping. Since inmates are in a situation that is forced upon them from the outside the experiences that you had had and the knowledge that you have gained is of transferable importance. If you face the question again, just a suggestion. Don't you just love the unexpected in an interview - yuck. Good luck and welcome.

[S.Gettes]

Your response was fine. The worst thing to do in an interview is to falsify any kind of information. In the end they will always find out and not only will you not get the job or lose it when they discover the truth but you will also damage your reputation and word can travel quite surprisingly far. I think that they will admire and appreciate your honesty and your response was very genuine. It wasn't a response that screamed "Look at me look at what i can do" it was a much nicer kind of "This is what i have experienced, this is what i know i can do, what you are offering is what i aspire to do" kind of response. I think you did just fine.

[GigiEmma2]

On 12/18/2009 at 12:23 PM, lm8539 said:

Because they hire and I need experience. I am comfortable with the challenge. The pay and benefits are also good so I am sure I could see myself doing it for a long time.

Hi, I am in my last semester of nursing school and have always wanted to work in corrections. I was wondering if you got hired as a new grad for the correctional nurse position?