Prison Nursing in Ca

[MexicanFNP]

Hello everyone-

Any of you happens to work in the prison system? I am talking about Corcoran State Prison, North Kern Prison in Delano area?

My question is the following:

Working at a prison, do you work 8 hr shifts or can you work 12 hr shifts?

How was the job? Hard compared to regular hospital or easier? The same?

Thanks in advance

[NickiLaughs, ADN, BSN, RN]

I worked at a prison a long time ago as registry. I believe the nurses were assigned 8s but many stayed OT for 12s and 16s. Lockdowns are rare, but when they do happen you can be stuck there for a few days. And yes you accrue overtime that entire time.

Every facility has different layouts. At chino, one nurse was in the yard. Then We had a small medical unit, think basic med surg. Examples of patients would be recovering from knife wounds, or inmates who had wound care from pressure ulcers because they were quads, brittle diabetics, etc. these patients were far more respectful than what I encounter in my ER. They also had a tendency to be flirtatious, at 22, I wasn't really prepared for that. It was a good learning experience, very slow paced. You call 911 if there's an emergency. For me the time went by so slow, I don't think I could do it again, but the nurses who did work there seemed happy. Hopefully you find someone who can give you info regarding those particular prisons, because every place is different.