Job interview Wed, Sept 23

Specialties Correctional

Published

Specializes in Surgery 27 years.

First- (most important!) THANKS to all who have posted answers to my questions. I will have LOTS more, I'm sure. Second- I have an interview this Wed Sept 23 at Warren Correctional in Ohio. I have been an OR nurse for 27 years and it is time for a change. I am preparing myself by reading the advice that you have given to each other. I never felt that level of support for those new to the profession of OR nurse. I am taking a Correctional Nurse class thru Canyon College. I have the Standards & Practices for Correctional Nursing also. I have downloaded many articles from the web (many from Lorri-thanks for being such a great support to your fellow nurses.) Any other suggestions?????

Thanks, Stephied

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

One question we ask each prospective nurse in an interview is what changes, if any, does the nurse see him/herself making in practice as a result of working in a correctional setting. We are looking for things like setting appropriate limits, not becoming overly familiar with inmates, not doing special favors and being mindful of the surroundings.

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Good luck to you on that interview! You are preparing yourself well and that will show in your thoughtful answers to the interview questions. Orca has some good ideas, too. There are definitely boundary issues in the nurse-patient relationship. You might also want to research the facility, if you haven't already. Most state prison systems have a website with information about each facility. Find out the security level, number of inmates, any specialty information like rehab, work camp, drug treatment. Armed with this information you will be prepared to dialog with the manager and relate your answers to the special care issues based on the nature of the facility. For example, if the site is an occupational site you may be involved in machinery injuries or evaluations for work release.

Let us know how it goes tomorrow!

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

Also - if you are asked a hypothetical situation question, after listing your nursing interventions it never hurts to mention that you would follow agency policy, and that you would consult a supervisor if you had doubts or questions.

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Specializes in Surgery 27 years.

I had the interview at Warren Correctional (Lebanon, Ohio) this past Wed. I was one of about 8 nurses there for interviews. I haven't heard anything back from them. It was a good experience and I feel that I did well on the questions. If this one doesn't pan out I will keep looking. Thanks again for all the tips.

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Specializes in Psych, substance abuse, MR-DD.

Was the course with Canyon College helpful/worth the money? Do you know if you can you use it for college credit?

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Specializes in Surgery 27 years.

Chaoticdreams33, The Canyon College course was $950 for 5 college credit hours and it provides a certificate at the end of the course. I think the course was helpful. You can check it out at "Canyoncollege.edu" or google "Canyon College". It led me to this site that has been extremely helpful. Who better to educate you than the ones who have gone before. Dr Lorry Schoenly RN PhD has a site "correctionalnurse.net" that has a wealth of information. I still haven't heard about the job that I interviewed for but I keep calling them to see if they have made a decision yet. The state doesn't do anything quickly. Good luck to you.

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Specializes in Psych, substance abuse, MR-DD.

Thank you! I will look into the course, as it seems that it would be helpful, and I need some more electives to finish my Bachelors. Keep us posted about the job search, I would love to hear about what it is like.

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