Job Offer at CCA Private Federal Prison

cscott1 · Jun 25, 2008

All I can tell you is that I worked for 6 months in a CCA facility and left for two reasons. First because all too often it was me and an LPN for 1500 inmates (11-7) and secondly because of the way the inmates were treated - like animals.

I would seriously advise you to consider long and hard before accepting this position. Good luck in whatever you do! :twocents:

wowzem · Jun 26, 2008

Hi & thanks for responding. In what state was your CCA job? How many inmates? I'm just curious as to how yours might compare to this one. I had just about made the decision today to go for it, but I don't want to work in an environment like you describe. It sure didn't seem that way when I was out there. I am supposed to go back tomorrow and meet with the warden. It's a relatively small prison, just an L shape. There is no RN at the facility after 8 PM, only LPNs. The inmates go to bed at 8. Did you do mostly patient care or administrative duties? I was told this position is 90% admin. There is a physician on duty Mon-Fri, and he's on call at all times, as is the health service administrator (RN). There are a couple of LPN's who have been there 20 years, and there are 6 altogether.

Since I've not worked corrections before, I'm not sure how to think long and hard about it. :) What questions should I ask the warden tomorrow? How can I find out if the prisoners are treated badly? The ER I currently work at is where the prisoners are brought for any kind of acute treatment. The guards have always been very courteous and the prisoners respectful. Of course, some are overly needy and some are seeking, but I see that with all our "regulars".

Do you still work in corrections? If so, do you like your current position? I am trying to get something with more regular hours, the chance to get good management experience, and with a bit lower stress level. Our ER is always slammed. Am I barking up the wrong tree?

Sorry to pick your brain so thoroughly - I just don't know anyone who does this so have nobody who can "tell it like it is".

cscott1 · Jun 26, 2008

Hi there, I work in sunny Florida and the prision was 1500+ inmates - all female. It is a medium to minimum security prision, so, there are not a lot of "hard core" inmates there; mostly drug offenders and such.

Most inmates will be respectful but its a good sign that the officers are courteous. The only way I found how the inmates were treated was by the number of "psych emergencies" due to real or percieved mistreatment. You will have "regulars" just as in any ER and many of them will be seekers.

Yes, I am still in corrections as a charge nurse at a county jail, but I'm looking to go to DOC or back to the OR. Honestly, just about any nurseng position is going to be "slammed" these days due to the bottom line mentality.

cscott1 · Jun 26, 2008

That post got sent before I finished, so here goes. As far as managenent goes, it will help you to supervise a staff of LPN's. I would suggest that if management is you goal, find an assistant head nurse position in a hospital and work up from there. As far as stress is concerned, there is plenty of stress in managenent.

wowzem · Jun 26, 2008

Thanks for the info. I'm about to leave in half hour or so to go talk to the warden. I'm not sure what all I need to ask him. If anyone can offer any suggestions (pretty quickly!) please let me know what YOU would have liked to know before you started.

TIA, Jana

wowzem · Jun 26, 2008

Well, I'm back. Our meeting was delayed because the health service administrator had to check a medical record before a prisoner was pepper sprayed. It seems he went outside at 9 am and it was 2:30 and about 100 degrees out there and he just refused to come in. They had been talking to him all this time, trying to convince him to come in. They had sent psych out to talk to him and see if he could convince him to come in. No luck. They were afraid for him being out there so long in the hot sun and had to get control of the situation. So she explained to me the procedures in place for something like that. They were still trying to talk him in, but were making preparations just in case. She had to check the medical record to be sure there was no reason to prevent pepper spraying the inmate. Then she explained that 6 guards would have to surround and spray the inmate, cuff/shackle him and take him in, then shower to remove the spray, then medical eval by the doctor. She said a nurse would be on site during the spray with a crash cart just in case there was any adverse reaction. It really seemed like they were trying to exhaust all resources before doing the spray, and that they were going to do it in the safest manner possible, only if necessary. She said they go out of their way to avoid take downs whenever possible.

Anyway, the interview went well, the staff seems to get along very well and have a good working relationship with each other. The hsa encouraged me to ask anyone anything. The human resource manager told me that she's been there over 15 years and that the medical department has been completely turned around over the last year. That she wouldn't hesitate to be treated in their clinic by current staff, but wouldn't have taken a stray dog to be treated there a year ago. They have new administration, new doctor, and several new LPN's who have been in corrections nursing a long time. They came from a state max security facility and said they are very happy to be there and it's SO much better. One has over 21 years in corrections.

I guess you may have read between the lines and figured out that I am planning on accepting the job if the money is right. They told me the range for my level of experience, and I told them they would have to match my current rate before I would take the job. The hsa stressed that her goal was to have the best health service unit in any cca prison, and she wanted to invest in the best people in order to achieve it. I think she's going to lobby for giving me what I need. I should know by the end of the day.

I hope I don't regret it!

TowannaRN · Jul 11, 2008

I would like to now if they met you at the salary you requested and if so....How is the job going?

iwanna · Jul 17, 2008

Where is this prison at? I see where CCA is hiring in my local area. I am contemplating applying there for LPN position.

wowzem · Aug 31, 2008

I'd rather not disclose exact location on a public forum, but it is in TN. I don't see any way to email iwanna directly.

Yes, they met my salary requirements. I told them the least I would accept, and they met it without any problem. Just finished my first two weeks of orientation. Too soon to know for sure, but I think the job's going to be ok. Not my dream job, but a reliable job with decent pay and benefits. There is quite a bit of disorganization in the department, but there was no management for a while and things slid. There's a good health administrator now who seems to be getting everything organized and caught up. I haven't felt unsafe at any time, and am never alone with an inmate. I noticed that things run on a shoestring, and everything has to be approved and there has to be enough budget for it. You can't just pick up the phone and order needed supplies, so have to really keep on top of ordering in advance. I've been told that upper management receives a bonus based on profits and meeting budget, so that may have more to do with it than lack of funds. There are no windows in the unit, it's like being in a concrete bunker and space is very, very tight. If I were claustrophobic, I don't think I would be able to handle it. I don't have a desk yet, but when I get one my "office" is going to be in the tiny break room (seats two). Apparently a desk for me isn't in the budget, and they are trying to find one to recycle. I'm waiting to see how this resolves. In the meantime, I'm working at the one and only desk in the nurses station, where 9 nurses have to do their paperwork too. That's not going to work very long.

The psych counselor in the unit is a jewel, great with the inmates and good to work with. The MD is very efficient, puts in his own orders, and makes the nurse's job simple. Don't know how good a doc he is yet, but have heard from several that he is very smart and keeps up to date on everything. I know he has multiple degrees, including an engineering degree. The nurses seem to know their jobs, although I sense a couple of them don't like to work and a couple more have attitudes. They haven't shown me directly yet, but we are in the honeymoon phase at this point. I hope to establish a good working relationship where they know what's expected and work as a cohesive team to get it done. As it stands, they all seem to know what needs to be done, but don't have clearly defined roles as to who is to do what task. The 3 basic jobs are pill call, doctor's nurse, and sick call. Each nurse is assigned to one of these jobs each day. The problem is that there are so many more things to do - intake assessments, AWO assessments, tb resulting, lab draws, ordering, stocking, etc. That's where the friction comes in. These jobs don't appear to be assigned to any of the 3 roles, and everyone expects "the other guy" to do them. It's like they expect the least busy person to do these tasks as they come up, but never think themselves the least busy person. I think these ancillary tasks need to be split between the 3 roles in order to have accountability for getting the necessary jobs done. That will provide an incentive for helping your co-worker when they are super busy, because you'll want that help yourself when you need it. Anyone who is buried with no help can always come let me know and I can help or assign someone to help. Sound reasonable?

Will keep you posted as I get settled in and learn the job. So far, so good. I'm concentrating on getting off on the right foot first. Welcome any tips!