I worked in correctional nursing for 3 years, majority of the time at an all men's prison, although I did a few shifts at a Women's prison as well. In a lot of ways it was like "nursing in a bar". LOL Seriously, though. I was fortunate enough to have a wonderful MD and NP working there and their knowledge (that they freely shared) taught me a lot.
The diversity you can come across in prison nursing was surprising to me. You have this captive patient group (no pun intended there), who are dependent on you for ALL medical needs, so you see everything from routine vaccinations (flu, tetanus, Hep A, B etc) to complex treatment for liver failure, AV malformations, diabetes, wounds. You name it.
The men were mostly all very respectful to the medical staff (except a few hateful individuals who treated the inmates bad -- they got disrespected in return). It is of course, always a risk. Depending on the facility you work at, there are people there who have nothing to loose (i.e.; already doing a life sentence), and there are irrational or mentally disturbed individuals as well. So taking that into consideration is a must.
But overall I would recommend the experience to anyone. I learned a lot, and it is definitely an underserved population!!
Good luck, and congrats on your eminent graduation!!!
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