nursing in a correctional setting

[jamiemrandall]

I work in a classification center in iowa, as an LPN. i have worked there 2 years now. before that i worked in a nursing home for 2 years, and before that a cna for too many years. in the prison setting i try really hard to stay positive no matter what, but i deal alot with mentally ill offenders, i have seen people attempt to hurt themselves, actual harming themselves, i have been threatened, both my life and sexual harm. I have had nightmares of offenders who have threatened me getting out and finding my house. But I would say my biggest problem is the other employees, expecially the other nurses. Alot of them act like these offenders are not human and do not take their health care needs seriously. Now i know that these men, and woman, have not been sent to prison because they were model citazens, that some of them did horrible unmentionable crimes, but they have already been judged by a jury of their peers and found guilty and are already being punished, hence their sentence, we aren't employed there to make their life hell. i get told repeatedly that i "am too nice", "work to hard", "need thicker skin" when i feel i am just doing my job and not ignoring things. does anyone else have experience working in corrections as a nurse? cause i feel like its an unheard of profession or one no one talks about....

[heathert_kc]

Wow you made it a lot longer than me... I worked corrections for 6 months, after about 2 I was searching for a job that would offer me the same pay and left as soon as I found one. I don't know if the nurses are that way because they have worked there too long or if it is just the kind of nurses drawn to work in corrections, but I found the same thing to be true. Beyond their attitude about/towards inmates I found them to be far too crass, so I never felt as though I could fit in. I do recognize that a certain degree of firmness is necessary, as you cannot just give in to anything someone requests of you; some of the suppl commonly requested are often used to create weapons or illegal alcohol. Unfortunately being called all kinds of names and getting a lot of unwanted attention is part of job and so 'thick skin' may be required. The overall environment doesn't help either, minimal sun light, neutral/bland surroundings; I think if I weren't crazy already I would be after being in jail for a matter of months. I felt myself becoming more depressed as time placed... I always looked foward to getting out of that place and insisted on going out for my meal break whenever possible, even if just to my car. Changing to a different shift is better some times, at least it worked for one of the ladies that started around the same time as me. Taking time off, may also be a good idea, I know at the facility I worked for they would force all staff to take off a certain number of days a quarter just to prevent burn out. Maybe it was just the place I worked but I never truly felt unsafe never got any real and direct threats, though the things the inmates would say did get to me from time to time. Ultimately I learned that it just wasn't for me, which may very well be the case for you as well. I was luck enough to get a job at a nice newer, up scale SNF with about the same pay, closer to my house with a more flexible schedule (8 hour shift, varied rather than rotating 12s) that allowed me to go back to school for my RN, so that is where I am now. No job is worth your health, sanity, or safety.

Good luck,

Also you might try posting this under specialty -> correctional nursing, for more comments from those ou have/ do work in corrections.

[nurseycool]

I have worked as an lpn at a correctionasl facility for almost two years now. I am only per diem, so I am definitely a lot "nicer" than the regular nurses who work there on a daily basis. I am much more compassionate and concerned about the inmate's issues than my co workers, to put it nicely. I have not had any dangerous situations arise, nor have I ever been threatened by an inmate. I report to work when scheduled, do my job keeping in mind that I am a nurse, no matter which setting I am working in. I also work at a LTC facility as my regular job. I find many of the correctional nursing staff to be ignorant and cold hearted. I realize they are inmates, but I am a nurse. I take my position to heart, and try to treat everyone respectfully. I am not the judge or jury, or even the correctional officer. I am a part of the nursing team. I view a nurse as being caring, maybe it's just me.