Help RN in Preparing c Corrections Job

texascowgirl · Aug 7, 2006

just remember, a smile and too nice of a demeanor is misinterpreted by inmates in their little own fantasy world.....best thing is to just be kind of detached and cool, professional, matter of fact....no small talk, just get down to business of nursing.

prisons are their own little world-a culture of its own-like a little mini city behind bars-it gets in your blood. but tread cautiously. your business will become front page news on the prison farm in a split second.

REMEMBER THE MOST IMPORTANT THING:

The inmates are issued DUMBO EARS when they chain in.

The inmates have xray vision.

The inmates develop superhuman senses..you will be amazed at what they will pick up on.

dont bring any pics on your keychains or bags, dont have any kind of personal information on or around you. you could be reading your address book and an inmate will be able to read it from a mile away lol.....it really truly amazing.

AND DONT TRUST EASILY. you might be shocked at the things you will see. I was pretty tough, coming from a psych/detox background, and thought i could see through things and read people, but would have NEVER guessed that 50 year old white haired granny nurse who is so proper would hook up with an inmate, and then be forced to resign and then end up marrying him. they found her granny pants in his locker in the cell block. um yep.

you will see and hear things that will shock the bejeezus outta ya. but it is alot of fun.

it's like being paid to be entertained. better than any soap opera or TV drama

HOOSIERNW · Aug 9, 2006

just remember, a smile and too nice of a demeanor is misinterpreted by inmates in their little own fantasy world.....best thing is to just be kind of detached and cool, professional, matter of fact....no small talk, just get down to business of nursing.
prisons are their own little world-a culture of its own-like a little mini city behind bars-it gets in your blood. but tread cautiously. your business will become front page news on the prison farm in a split second.
REMEMBER THE MOST IMPORTANT THING:
The inmates are issued DUMBO EARS when they chain in.
The inmates have xray vision.
The inmates develop superhuman senses..you will be amazed at what they will pick up on.
dont bring any pics on your keychains or bags, dont have any kind of personal information on or around you. you could be reading your address book and an inmate will be able to read it from a mile away lol.....it really truly amazing.
AND DONT TRUST EASILY. you might be shocked at the things you will see. I was pretty tough, coming from a psych/detox background, and thought i could see through things and read people, but would have NEVER guessed that 50 year old white haired granny nurse who is so proper would hook up with an inmate, and then be forced to resign and then end up marrying him. they found her granny pants in his locker in the cell block. um yep.
you will see and hear things that will shock the bejeezus outta ya. but it is alot of fun.
it's like being paid to be entertained. better than any soap opera or TV drama

Very well said...............!

texascowgirl · Aug 9, 2006

oh and speaking of inmates xray vision.....dont wear thong underwear....even under baggy scrubs....yes, even under baggy scrubs, their xray vision will see them....truly amazing, but true. and you will hear them sing the "th-th-thong song" to ya.....and the last thing you want is to get that kind of attention.

they get off on alot of little things. administration cant wear shoes that show toes-they get off on that foot fetish thang....

remember these are men who see just the women who work in prison, and they have nothing but 24/7 to fantasize and inspect EVERY ASPECT of your body and dress and will elaborate in their little fantasy minds on all of those aspects.

**nurse** · Aug 10, 2006

ask about everything...surprising the things that may be contriband at your institution, like alchohol pads (used for jail tatoos), latex gloves (condoms), gum (sticks in a lock).

Never ever ever ever ever keep a secret. Even if you know you screwed up, if you think something someone has done or said is something you can handle or you don't want to get them in trouble, a secret is the biggest tool an inmate can use for a wedge to blackmail.

Know where your exits are and what you can use as a weapon and even if security is around, you are your first defender. Be aware of who is behind or around you always, and always tell someone when you go anywhere.

Assessments are the biggie....... you can almost never believe anything out of thier mouths, but always always always check it out (I'll be damned, sometimes they really are REALLY sick).

S-subjective, what they say, thier verbal complaint

O-objective, your assessment

A-assessment, a NANDA nursing diagnosis.....if it's been a while, there's a list in Tabers, make a copy and keep it handy for a while

P-plan, what you are doing about it........if it's nothing, return to sick call for continued complaints always works.

It will feel wierd for a while, but give it a chance. I was horrified at first at how callous all the nurses seemed but after a while it was evident that many were excellent and very very caring.....you just cannot wear a heart on a sleeve in there and be effective. On the other hand, nurses are not correctional and are hired to take care of inmates, not discipline them. It takes a while to get there. It can be fabulously rewarding. Good luck!

texascowgirl · Aug 13, 2006

oh and the reason they ask for KOP vaseline or surgical lube or lotion or A&D ointment during sick calls is not for their "chapped lips"....ha ha

military spouse · Aug 14, 2006

Ensure and Resource are sold for cigarettes at our facility. Sick, end-stage AIDs pt took Ultram in his mouth, cheeked it, threw it out window and somebody tossed him a cigarette. The guy weighs all of 64#, has few teeth, and just reeks. Can't imagine taking ANYTHING that was in his mouth.

Be fair, firm and impartial. Don't do anything for one if you won't do it for all, because everything gets around in the prison and sooner or later others will want it. Most inmates can purchase simple items in the commissary, but will try to get the new nurse to give it to them for free. Do NOT get involved with an inmate. You will be surprised at how many nurses do that and lose their jobs.

Dress like a prude. Don't let anything wiggle or bounce while walking. Always sit like a lady. There may be some men, that as a result of a GSW, use condom caths--they DO NOT need help. If somebody starts masturbating in front of you, call the C.O. If they ejaculate, make them clean it up. We've only had a few instances of that and I've never seen it, but...........

Be prepared for drug overdoeses. Narcan is our friend!

Good luck! I think it is a great job with never a dull moment!

Palmo · Aug 15, 2006

Yes,

I have to agree with everyone's advice...

You can still care but must be firm...they will "peg" the "weaknesses"...

The best advice I saw above was "you are your best protector"...know your exits...

Palmo · Aug 15, 2006

Yes,

I have to agree with everyone's advice...

You can still care but must be firm...they will "peg" the "weaknesses"...

The best advice I saw above was "you are your best protector"...know your exits...not trying to make you nervous but keep these things in the back of your head...

texascowgirl · Aug 22, 2006

excellent advice...

yes, like is have said before here, they are issued dumbo ears and xray vision...dress with baggy scrubs, minimal makeup, no sexy hairdo's. trust me, you dont want them to be fantasizing about you, and they will, even if you do your darndest to look "matronly"...

and be prepared for the "kill shot"...they will jack in front of ya.......they are looking for a reaction. dont give it to them. act unaffected

Ensure and Resource are sold for cigarettes at our facility. Sick, end-stage AIDs pt took Ultram in his mouth, cheeked it, threw it out window and somebody tossed him a cigarette. The guy weighs all of 64#, has few teeth, and just reeks. Can't imagine taking ANYTHING that was in his mouth.
Be fair, firm and impartial. Don't do anything for one if you won't do it for all, because everything gets around in the prison and sooner or later others will want it. Most inmates can purchase simple items in the commissary, but will try to get the new nurse to give it to them for free. Do NOT get involved with an inmate. You will be surprised at how many nurses do that and lose their jobs.
Dress like a prude. Don't let anything wiggle or bounce while walking. Always sit like a lady. There may be some men, that as a result of a GSW, use condom caths--they DO NOT need help. If somebody starts masturbating in front of you, call the C.O. If they ejaculate, make them clean it up. We've only had a few instances of that and I've never seen it, but...........
Be prepared for drug overdoeses. Narcan is our friend!
Good luck! I think it is a great job with never a dull moment!

98.6 · Aug 25, 2006

My Father is an M.D., and while living in San Francisco to "moonlight" he worked at Folsom.

They gave him a book which he has forwarded to me after he left the Cal.D.O.C. titled:

"Games Criminals Play: How you can profit by knowing them."

By Bud Allen, MSW (a former Cal.DOC Lt. w/ 27 years)

ISBN: 0-9605226-0-3

He has told me much of what has been posted already.

Nothing flashy. My Father always dressed "down" for a physician. But once he made an abcent mined mistake of wearing a really nice watch and one of his patients saw it and the news that the 'Doc' was wearing it spread like wild fire!

Just a P.S.- the information you recieved from your Brother-in-law who is a Police Officer may be limited. ONLY Correctional Officers spend protracted amounts of time with inmates and can really provide serious insight.

I have been told that it can be very rewarding work. My Father had the gentle influence to put the seed of interest in the heads of discharged inmates to see the value of healthcare as a career. Two of his former patients went out and became medical assistants. So remember you have an influence just beond providing pt. care, you can council as well.

Good Luck!

RN702Nevada · Aug 27, 2006

It's great you have lots of experience as a floor nurse because you need excellent assessment skills. The nurses I have seen have trouble in corrections, are those with limited physical assessment experience such as those coming out of an exclusively psych background. Your assessment skills are essential to walk the fine line between providing quality health care (very important, since you are the only access to health care these people have), and not being taken advantage of. I have seen nurses get fooled too much by fakers, and the prison staff lose respect for them and become uncooperative, which can make the job impossible. I have also seen nurses assume 'every' inmate is faking without the assessment to back it up, which leads to poor health care and liability. The faking can be pretty amazing: I've had a patient before who would sharpen a fingernail and pick his nose deeply with it, swallow the blood down the back of his throat until he had a belly full, and then make a big show of vomitting blood in front of the staff (all for the amusement of a ride to the hospital). More common stuff, especially in the booking area, is hyperventilating until unconscious or simply going limp and unresponsive (that's what ammonia inhalants are for). So, you have to have enough assessment confidence separate fact from fiction accurately.

Do not trust but respect: the USA incarcerates a relatively large percentage of their population for a variety of reasons. They are not all scum and should not be condescended to or treated badly. If you cannot maintain you 'unconditional positive regard' for patients in this setting, do them a favor and get a job elsewhere. It would certainly be scary to be required to entrust your healthcare exclusively to a prison healthcare outfit, so some of the attitude you might get at 1st is understandable. If you show yourself to be competent (NOT generous, just competent), you will wind up having a good rep with the inmates and hence a good working relationship. Get too generous or friendly, and the requests will never end.

Call the custody staff 'Officer', not 'Guard'. Same as inmates, you need to walk a line with them between cooperating with them but not allowing yourself to get pushed around. Appear to defer to them and respect them, be friendly when appropriate, and don't get a rep with them for being too soft on inmates. But certain ones won't want to be bothered to do their job when it comes to the nurses, and will try to intimidate you out of seeing patients. Be assertive, never passive or nasty/aggressive.

In other words, Officers or Inmates: you won't be able to do your job if you are too nice OR to rude to either group. And if you ever catch yourself thinking romantically about anyone from either group, hit yourself over the head with a two-by-four a few times.