Prison nursing vs psych nursing

LPNmorse · Feb 20, 2016

In psychiatric facilities you can actually open up those areas of therapeutic communication and work on fixing people. In corrections it is not always as simple in that many incarcerated have ulterior motives for their actions and it adds another level to trying to achieve patient goals in that setting. Not saying it can't be done but it should be taken much more lightly and seriously those cases.

elkpark · Feb 20, 2016

There's a huge amount of psych in corrections settings (since the prison system has largely become the de facto public mental health system in much of the US), so it's hardly worth talking about a "vs."

yhl1975 · Feb 23, 2016

Hi, elkpark.

Could you explain why in US the prison system has largely become the de facto public mental health system ? What is the reason? US has medicate for all series mental illness SMI patients as in Europe.

The Health department has Governmental staff to check outpatient services as in Canada.

Prison system for mental health is expansive and ethically is "wrong". I am sure that smart people in the government understand it in US.

May be medicate was not available for SMI? May be "court mandated treatment systems" in outpatient clinics were not available? May be long acting medication was too expansive?

Well prolexine and halodol still used in Europe in very small doses ( but more then new long acting psychotropic). I am not blaming, I am trying to understand. And personally I believe that with Obama care may be the fact "SMI in prisons " as "treatment" will be changed.

Regards for your answers, sorry for "grammar" .

Thank you.

SarahMaria, MSN, RN · Feb 23, 2016

The criminal justice system is unfortunately where many psychiatrically ill people end up because there is a lack of services and the mentally ill will then commit offenses that get them incarcerated. Many states are developing Mental Health Courts to deal with the problem.

I work in a criminal forensic psych hospital. A place like my facility may interest you if you like psych and criminal justice. It's a maximum security hospital that cares for murderers, rapists, etc. who may have been found NGRI or not competent to stand trial.

Jmarty31 · Feb 23, 2016

That actually sounds incredible and I want to work there.

SarahMaria, MSN, RN · Feb 26, 2016

Look into criminal forensics or forensic nursing or psychiatric forensics in your area. There must be some kind of facility to apply to.

elkpark · Feb 26, 2016

That actually sounds incredible and I want to work there.

Every state has some kind of forensic psychiatric facility, often a unit within one (or more) of the state hospitals. If that is a career goal of yours, I would really encourage you to get some "regular" general psychiatric nursing experience first. It's a difficult population to work with, and you really need to be "on your game." :)

RNforLongTime · Feb 29, 2016

I agree! In my last job as an ICU RN of a small community hospital, we had 2 floors for psych patients. I got them first if they'd OD'd or if the Psych floor couldn't 'handle' them...many a time, I'd have them in restraints..4 point nonetheless and I STILL couldn't control them. They'd constantly rip off the EKG electrodes, sat probe, BP cuff..pull out IV's. It got to be very frustrating some shifts. But it helped me to better understand their underlying psychiatric diagnosis.

When I interviewed for my current position at a male prison that houses the most inmates with psychiatric diagnoses in the state where I work, I used that background to give me a leg-up on the competition. I say that because, the prison I work for is owned by the state and therefore come with state benefits, which are excellent! Now, if I can get 18.5 more years in, I can retire!!

Orca, ADN, ASN, RN · Mar 7, 2016

There's a huge amount of psych in corrections settings (since the prison system has largely become the de facto public mental health system in much of the US), so it's hardly worth talking about a "vs."

I completely agree with this. I have done mental health nursing, prison nursing, and I have worked on a prison mental health unit. A major portion of the prison population has mental health issues, drug histories or dual diagnosis. Both situations often involve working in locked areas.

yhl1975 · Mar 7, 2016

Mental health courts are such a new phenomenon 1990, there is little in the way of outcome data to determine their impact. Several studies of the Broward County court were released in 2002 and 2003 and found that participation in the court led to a greater connection to services.

A 1991 study by L. Feder noted that although mentally ill offenders were significantly less like to receive support from family and friends upon release from prison, mentally ill offenders were actually less likely to be revoked on parole.

My personal subjective view :it is a shame for patient education systems and for family education systems. SMI need to be court mandated treated in outpatient services before prison.

SheriffLauren · Apr 12, 2016

I think once you get the hang of working in with psych patients theyre great, but from what ive experienced and from what other coworkers have told me it seems that managment will make or break it for you. If your trying to deal with difficult cases and the hospital managment isnt listening to floor staff's input and/or if cases are mismanaged it can really make the units suck. Not sure how it works in corrections. I would be interested to know.