valzRN

It's been since Aug. 2014 that anyone has responded to this thread... just wondering if anyone ever figured out where to actually start this venture. I too am interested in doing the MDS training but not sure where to start. I went to the AANAC site and there is something about books (I saw 3 available) but I can't find anything else. I am hoping that this is a sort of "self-study" as I do work full time with LOTS of overtime, so I want to be able to take my time. So... any tips out there?

I think that the pay varies from state to state... you would have to have a fellow NYer answer that one, as far as the hours (I am guessing you meant hours and not tours?) Some states work 12 and some work 8. It was listed on the Corizon site when I filled out the application for employment. We do 8's here though.

I don't worry about it because they know what I say is true. They can put all the sick calls they want for more meds or even narcs, but our dr. doesn't do that. I don't get smart with them until they start in on me. These guys around here know how I am. I just tell them like it is, no BS. There are enought nurses around here that "feed" them the line of crap all the time. I'm not worried about being shanked around here because these guys know that if there is any nurse around here that advocates for them it's me. I work in confinement so there is little to no contact with them except when I draw labs. No, I don't have a lot of compassion left in me, but that goes along with any nursing job. When your patients lie to you about just about anything just to manipulate the situation to get what they want, it happens. Besides, I am sure that ER nurses, floor nurses, nursing home nurses... doesn't matter what kind of nurse you are really, everyone gets burned out. But what can you do? Quit? I don't think so... People have to work to provide for their families. I can see giving the benefit of the doubt to those in jail. They haven't been convicted, but I work in a prison and 99% of these guys here are guilty.

My husband has idiopathic gastroparesis and has recently gotten so bad in the last 4-5 years that he has lost a career that he absolutely loved and has no life at all anymore. His stomach totally dictates his life. There are several different ways that they can treat gastroparesis (GP). There is no cure for this disorder but there are ways that they can reduce the symptoms. The most severe symptoms are crippling abdominal cramping, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, heart palpitations, and dyphoresis. This is what my husband, John has been going through for the last 10 years. It started out as maybe 2-3 flare ups a year that lasted a couple of days. Now they come around about once every month or two and can last for weeks at a time. The only way that he can get relief is to be admitted to the hospital and to be given fluids and medications through IV. The only time he is admitted is if his electrolytes are off or (god forbid) his Albumin level has spiked so high that he's totally out of his mind. (That's something new that has developed over the last 3 flare ups.) The Drs wanted to insert a G-tube or J-tube to focus more on nutrition maintenance. He drinks about 7 Ensures a day (which gets VERY expensive) because he has absolutely NO gastric motility. He refuses to get the tube though. The Dr has also spoken with my husband about another surgical intervention... a gastrectomy, and / or multi-visceral transplant. Although these can improve the ability to eat, they also carry a high risk and should only be considered as a last resort. About 2 years ago he was FINALLY approved by our insurance for a Gastric Pacemaker. This is a gastric electrical stimulator (GES). It's an implantable device used to stimulate the smooth muscles of the stomach in patients with refractory GP who have failed with all other drug treatment programs. This is true for John. This was approved by the FDA in 2000 for use as a humanitarian device in cases of idiopathic or diabetic GP. This means that it is only available in certain hospitals which have been reviewed and approved to perform the procedure. Dr. Stockamp in Pensacola, FL. is the only Dr. in our town that performs this surgery. The next closest Dr. that is approved for this surgery is in Mississippi. Because it is humanitarian in nature, the insurance does not often approve it and the process process can be quite complicated. While the device is not a cure, it does control the symptoms of nausea and vomiting in many patients. The settings on the device are increased or decreased based on symptom control and patient tolerance. Settings can be done in the Dr's office by an external remote control. This does not control any of the n / v s/s that he has. It's excruciating and believe me when I say that someone that has this... they are not faking. Hope I shed a little light on this for you.

Oh my goodness!!! I just thought that working in corrections in a mental health dorm was bad! I don't work the ER but I didn't see a comment regarding anyone shoving anything up in their member hole... we have inmates do that so they can come to the hospital and have pretty nurses give them good drugs. They get mad when they don't get anything but an outpatient surgery and expedited back to the prison infirmary when "Big Buck, RN" gives you some Ibuprofen for your discomfort. I really enjoy reading this thread though.. I felt the need to say something beings I have read over 100 pages of rip roaring laughs! Your poor ER nurses... much respect to you. (BTW, when I do go to the ER, I am the patient one that understands that you have so many idiots to deal with, I ask for nothing, and leave you to do your job and I thank you on the way out and smile at you. Because I know that's a rarity in the ER.)

When I take my dog to the emergency after hours clinic they want $150 cash before they will see my dog... no money, then the dog has to wait to go to the vet. Maybe the ED should follow suit... Just sayin'. I have my reasons for saying that... My husband has a terminally ill disease and when I am forced to take him to the ER I see so many people that do not belong there and because of them, my husband's care is delayed. I think it's crap and something should be done. Quite honestly, as a nurse, I HATE going to the ER unless I absolutely HAVE to, and it's because of the ones that abuse the system. YES... Absolutely refuse care to those who do NOT meet emergency criteria. Maybe then the REAL patients that are there for legitimate reasons can actually get the care they need and deserve.

And that reason right there is exactly WHY I do NOT work in a hospital or an ER... OMG how do you put up with people like that? I would have lost my job for sure after that whole incident. Poor guy.. I feel sorry for him!

It definately different than pediatrics. But, it can be exciting at times. Gotta have some thick skin and not be afraid of guys bleeding out.. they do that from time to time when they decide to act a fool and start cutting on themselves in a desperate suicide attempt. Gotta have a strong stomach... sometimes the smell is ungodly, but you get used to it (kinda). It's not for everyone, but I guess I am one of the few because it's definately my preference.

I guess I am the opposite... I love my job. I work at a state prison in FL, all men... maybe that's the difference. I would NEVER work in a womens prison! I delt with women in the county jail and I hated working with the women. They are too needy. Yes... I do have to agree somewhat with the above statement... Some COs do not care, as some of the Drs. But there are some that do. As far as security, all nurses have at least 1 CO with them at all times, if not more. In the dorm that I work in we have at least 2 when the IM is out of the cell (like for blood draws) and a lot of the time there are 3 in the room. They are handcuffed, black boxed, and shackled so it's not like they can do much. Yanno? It takes a special kind of person to work in corrections. It doesn't bother me, and I totally prefer it over hospital nursing any day! You have to have thick skin in this kind of nursing though. It's not for everyone.

I work in FL for Corizon, and they do not polygraph. They don't even drug test. They just do the required background check for whatever level facility you will be working at.

I don't let them upset me... I just tell them straight up... we don't give out pain medications unless your dying. If you want some Ibuprofen, I can do that, but other than that, it's a lost cause and just give it up. If they keep on, I tell them, "I'm sorry your stay at our 5 star facility is not to your standards and I apoligize for not having your pillows fluffed and a mint on the bed, but next time we will be sure to cater to your every need." Then I just smile and walk away. I guess I have just been in this setting for too long because I really don't care about their back pain. They should have thought about the loss of their comfy bed and narcotics when they were out creating their own destiny. Know what I mean?

Just remember that most inmates will mistake your kindness for weakness and try to manipulate you to get what they want. It's a different ballpark in corrections. You have to rely heavily on your assessment skills because most of the time they are lying to you about what's going on with them. Good luck!

I work for Corizon right now. They took over the contract for the prison that I am currently working at. I don't know what kind of benefits Armor has, and they have contracts all over Florida. I liked working for Armor when I was at the county jail, but the benefits aren't too bad where I am now with Corizon. I live in the panhandle of Florida, by Alabama.

We refer to them as "inmates". Right now I work in a prison so they have been convicted. Honstly, nobody cares if they move past their transgressions... we didn't make them do what they did to get here and they certainly didn't end up here by holding their halos too high. Do you not work in a correctional facility? I mean, the caliber of people that correctional nurses mostly work with on a daily basis are scumbags anyways. Murders, rapists, sex offenders, etc... When you go to work do people masturbate in front of you? Do they cuss at you and all you every name in the book? Do they throw feces at the door? Do they threaten you because you can't give them the medication that they want? Do they hang from the ceiling and scream? Do they cut on themselves intentionally so that they can get psychotropic drugs that they want to make the time go by faster and numb them from the day to day operations? It's a different ball game in corrections. Until you have worked it, you wouldn't, or couldn't understand. As far as being locked up for 8-12 hrs... it doesn't bother me. It takes a minute to get out of the gates in the mornings because officers and medical are both coming on together and there is a process that each one has to go through when coming into the facility, but other than that, no problem. Corrections isn't for everyone, but for some, it's perfect for us to chose to work this "not so easy" nursing path.

If your end goal is CCU, then you might want to stick to the 2 years of Med/surg and after that then move into one of the step down units for about a year. Corrections is not a critical care unit and you will certainly lose a lot of those skills if you stay in corrections.