Does Correctional Nursing count as Psych Experience?

[Merky101, ADN, RN]

Hello to all!

I was wondering if anyone had any input as to whether being an RN in corrections counts as clinical psychiatric experience? As it is well known, there is a lot of psych issues within the prison system amongst inmates. I was just wondering as to whether college admission committees would abstract the same assertation for this or not.

Just wondering and requesting a 'lil help.

(Have been and will continue Googling & contacting various admissions departments about this)

P.S.> Is it safe to assume that such experience would award eligibility to sit for the ANCC Psychiatric Registered Nurse Board Certified examination?

This info may as well assist many more RNs in the forensic/correctional field who would like more options to certify their expertise or advance their studies.

Thank you!

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I would certainly consider it as such. My facility has both psychiatric and correctional nurses, and in practice there is little distinction between the two. Our psychiatric nurses handle medical issues, and our correctional nurses handle psychiatric issues.

[bluescrubs, ADN, ASN, RN]

I worked at a prison that was a psych camp, so yes that is psych experience for me. They had a separate building for the mental health patients and we were considered mental health nurses and they had medical in another building. Honestly almost anywhere you work you are working with a few people that have mental or behavioral health issues. If you are treating mental health patients then I would put it as psych experience.

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

I have worked inpatient psychiatric units in the past, and I run into about the same amount of pathology inside the fences.

[Kooky Korky, BSN, RN]

Correctional facilities have everything from Psych to all aspects of Med/Surg.

Plus pregnancy/Gyn/Dental/Trauma/probably more.

[Iris S., ASN, CNA, LVN]

I vote yes. My facility has a mental health unit, and I worked inside it and also in the medical unit, and my experience with patients encompassed psych, medical, & meds in both units. My patient experience did not differentiate outside of physical application. The guy who came in with an injury talked about his mental health the whole time, and another guy who came in for phych meds talked about his injury the whole time...like that.