prison?

[Medsport, LPN]

What are the pluses and minus of working in a prison? You see, I'm an LPN and worked at a local jail for a little over a year. It was very stressful with the intakes everyday and occasional emergencies. I thought I started to get in the groove at about the year mark, but got let go do to various reasons, but officially budget cuts. Now I work at an assisted living facility on 12 hour night shifts. This is actually the first job I ever had that I don't dread going to work most nights (unless we are short of aids for the night and it happens a lot). I would'nt mind staying there, but the pay just isn't enough with all my bills and being single. I have a PRN job at a nursing home also, but all the openings the past month have been either the same days I work at my main job or 1st shift which I can't do after working 12 hours. So this staffing place called about a job at a prison down in Lima that sounds like I would make at least 30% more and that's including the bonus I should be getting at my present job. But it is about an hour drive so that is also a factor. What do you guys think I should do? btw my present job offers very limited raises and practically no benefits, but the work is easy.

The way I see it I either need to try the prison job (if offered) and look for a place closer eventually or try to pick up another PRN job and maybe also move to the town I work now, which is only about 20 miles away, but my family lives in that town and I think I can find a more affordable house there. I hate to move now as I only have 19 years left on the mortgage here, but the house needs a lot of work I can't afford to put into it and the taxes are getting ridiculous and are way too much now. Plus the water is very expensive here and gas bills are crazy in the winter for a fairly large 2 story house. I thought about a roommate, but not really feasible with my hours, cats and the way the house is set up. Any advice as to whether the prison would be fairly safe and how stressful?

[Guest371144]

Medsport: Generally a prison medical unit is more structured than jail nursing. If the unexpected nature of the jail experience is what causes you stress, than you will probably like it more. Safety is important and you should check for all the safeguards when you interview at the prison (officers in the medical unit, cameras/mirrors for blind spots, sally ports, etc)

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

Even if the prison is an intake facility, you won't get the number of intakes that you get at a busy county jail. For the most part, prison inmates are respectful to medical staff because (1) they know they are going to be there for a while, and (2) you are going to give them something they want. I have worked in and around prisons for over 25 years, the last eight in a medical capacity. I don't worry about walking the yard.

Your comment about a staffing place contacting you leads me to ask - would you be working for the staffing place or the prison itself? There is a big difference. Being a prison employee carries a degree of job security with it - the agency not so much. Contracts are canceled all the time, especially in times of economic difficulty.

[Medsport, LPN]

Yeah it is through a staffing place, but I'm not sure if its a contract or temp-to-hire or what yet. I guess that would be an important issue as I was let go from my last job because of the budget and cut-backs and my present job is pretty secure as long as I want it I believe (I just wish it paid more and had some benefits). I don't know they may not even call me back for an interview as it took me about 4 days to do all the tests and paperwork on the computer. I could'nt believe some of the stuff I had to do. It was almost like taking the NCLEX again. I thought I had forgotten most of it but I guess not as I passed on the first try.

[aknurs]

In some prisons there are different turn-around as far as intakes go, of course this is depending on the institution. (We usually get 2-3 groups of inmates going out & coming in 3x wkly,of course that's tentative)..If you get stressful with emergencies, than maybe a prison would not be for you, as there will be the occasional beating, stabbing , rapeing & you name it, to come along, just when you sit down on your coffee break..As far as a safe place to work, to me it is safer than the ER I used to work in..I know who the bad guys are, & I work with exceptional correctional officers, who look out for me, as much as I look out after myself.