New Grad with an interview at the prison

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So, I just graduated and recieved my license (yay!). I applied to the prison a while back and recieved a call from them asking me to call and update them when I get my license number. I called them on Friday and gave them the number, that afternoon they called me back to set up and interview for this Wednesday!

As a new grad, what should I expect from the interview process?

PS- I'm not going into this completely blind. I hold a BS in Criminal Justice and worked as a police officer for 6 years (one of the reasons I feel I might have gotten an interview)

Thanks for any help/suggestions/advice!!!

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Wow! Sounds like this job will be yours if you want it! I have profound respect for anyone who can be a cop and still love humanity at the end of the day... I've worked in so many different places and all of them were looking for technical skill as well as a good personality fit. Most of the asked me interview questions about resolving conflicts with coworkers, dealing with diversity, and customer service and complaint resolution. Some of them even gave me a small written test of basic nursing knowledge.

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Congrats!! My first RN job was in a state prison. It wasn't easy for a new grad but I learned a ton. The interview was very casual. No test or clinical questions. They gave me several days of classroom orientation and 20 shifts on the job training. I am very glad to have had the experience. Good luck to you.

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Specializes in DD, PD/Agency Peds, School Sites.

Keep your answers focused on safety. Corrections is a blast! I loved it.

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Specializes in Correctional Nursing.

How did it go? If you haven't had the interview yet, one thing they liked during mine was examples of how I did not allow manipulation... I used examples of my kids trying things...it worked!

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Specializes in L&D.

How did your interview go? Im not a correctional RN(still just a student) but know some correctional nurses....One of the nurses I know has been doing it for years, and she ended up leaving b/c of budget cuts in the state......When a prisoner is brought in to the nurse, a guard is to remain with them at all times...due to the cutbacks, this was not happening, and this RN was the only RN there....So she was being put at risk. Find out what kind of staff/guards will be available for the nursing unit!

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Specializes in Acute Care Psych, DNP Student.
How did your interview go? Im not a correctional RN(still just a student) but know some correctional nurses....One of the nurses I know has been doing it for years, and she ended up leaving b/c of budget cuts in the state......When a prisoner is brought in to the nurse, a guard is to remain with them at all times...due to the cutbacks, this was not happening, and this RN was the only RN there....So she was being put at risk. Find out what kind of staff/guards will be available for the nursing unit!

This is partly why I left correctional nursing. Budget cuts have made some jails and prisons much more dangerous than they used to be.

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