Ever done a clinical rotation in a prison?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Med-Surg.

Hi all, I'm doing my community clinical at a minimum security prison this term. This is their first term to accept students, so having us there will be as new for them as it is for us. I was wondering if anyone here has ever done a clinical rotation in a prison... if so, what was it like and any words of wisdom? I'm actually pretty excited about it, I think it will be very interesting. But you should have seen the expressions on everyone's face when she got to... "Okay now we're going to talk about what to do if you're taken hostage..." :imbar

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Specializes in Telemetry, Stepdown.

Not here, but I wouldn't want to either.

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No! But it sure does sound cool!

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I haven't, but I'd guess a minimum prison should be fine.

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Specializes in Community Health Nurse.

No way...no how....never would I ever do that. :uhoh21:

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Specializes in MICU, CVICU.

We didn't rotate to a prison but we did tour one our last day in psych. It seemed fine to me. they had max and lower level security people in this one too. It felt a lot like the rest of my psych rotation, I was at a state run mental hospital and there was one unit we went to that was specifically for people from prison to gain competency. there are so many people and guards around that I felt pretty secure the whole time. We did get some catcalls and stares but other than that no one was overtly inappropriate. I think it sounds like a good experience, but I would probably treat it like a psych unit as far as the safety aspects go, i.e. don't be alone with anyone, stay between them and the exit, etc. Good luck.

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Honestly there are probably worse patients on a general med/surg floor. I have also seen many prison patients brought into the hospital for admissions and care.

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Not here either (although I haven't gotten to community yet - senior year) - though that sounds pretty interesting! Definately a different experience! Good luck! :)

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Specializes in MICU, CVICU.
Honestly there are probably worse patients on a general med/surg floor. I have also seen many prison patients brought into the hospital for admissions and care.

Oh yeah, I also had a patient from prison on my med/surg rotation (county hospital). He was very nice, much more polite than some of my other patients were---maybe compared to prison a hospital isn't so bad. He had one foot shackeled to the bed and a guard in the room with him the whole time. If he needed to go to the bathroom or anything the guard had to uncuff him and let him up, then when he was finished he got back in bed and was cuffed back to it.

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WE will get a few days at the jail. We took a tour last semester, the clinic was pretty nice. I am actually looking forward to seeing "different" things. I don't think I would ever be able to work in one...one of my faults is that I tend to judge people and don't think I woud be able to give the best care.

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Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

I did one day, and it was a nightmare. I'd like to have smacked the guy that yelled "fresh meat". Took me a week to get over that, epecially seeing the look in his eye.

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i really hope we don't have to do this. I feel bad for feeling this way but on the other hand i feel that SN's probably wouldn't have the experience to handle a lot of the situations that could arise. I feel like i would either go into to it far too cynically, or i would try to be be overly optimistic and get taken advantage of. For me this would be something i wouldn't want to deal with unitl i was a seasoned nurse.

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