smllattnspn21

That does not sound like a good place to work. In corrections you have to work as a team. Inmates have nothing better to do than to study us. They have all day to do this. If they sense a breakdown in the team they will use that to their advantage and Manipulate, riot, etc.

I was doing chart reviews and came upon this request, The request went like this: I (Name removed) rail'd a line of powder juice mix up my nose and it hurt like (explitive) hell and since I confessed my sin and even though the state of agony I was in was just punishment, can we have our salt and pepper back please, I give you my word that there will be no more of that?!?! I was in tears and I'm sure the deputies wondered what the laughter was all about coming from my office. I blacked out the names and forwarded this on to my boss to put into her book of things you only see in corrections. Every day is a new day! That's what I love about the field.

I feel much safer working in a correctional setting than I do in a Hospital. If your patients start yelling at you in a hospital setting you have to just take it. In the correctional setting you can shut the door in their face and walk away. You are never alone and always have a deputy with you. Your husbands concerns are not unlike many other spouses concerns. Besides that, guys have the natural instinct to protect those they love. This is part of the reason my dating life is pretty much nonexistent. They find out I work in corrections and run for the hills. However, him forbidding you to work in this type of setting is a little over kill. I for one would never allow my spouse to tell me where or how I will work. That's called control. Next he will be telling you what you can and cant wear. Eventually he will find out, if he hasn't already. Inmates talk and news spreads fast. Wouldn't you prefer the news to come from you rather than from an inmate.

Games criminals play: My Regional supervisor is buying this book for all her HSA's, that way, we have a teaching aide for our new nurses who have never worked a day in corrections. Its a whole different ball game inside the concrete palace.

I completely agree. I felt like in the hospital setting, I did more Butt-kissing than I actually did of real nursing. Everyone thinks nurses in the correctional field are here because we couldn't make it anywhere else. I disagree. Let a hospital nurse who has never done corrections spend one day with us on a crazy day and see what they think.

I know in the nursing homes Men were given Depo shots to reduce libido. I had never heard of Saltpeter but I definitely will research the topic now.

Things I like about being a correctional nurse.... Ive been doing this for 8 years now. 1. Autonomy: We don't have doctors breathing down our necks. We can use the brain we were given, to figure out, what is truly wrong with our patient. 2. We get the opportunity to help a population that is unisured, underinsured, and unable to pay for healthcare on the outside. 3. We get the opportunity to use our teaching skills to a very captive audience. 4. I learn something new every day. 5. The inmates keep me on my toes. 6. Its never the same boring routine day after day. Everyday's a new day. 7. I get to crush meds and learn mind games and cons. This has come in handy in my personal life with my teenagers. 8. I can come to work in a bad mood and get away with it. I don't have to put on a smile and pretend to like someone.

In our facility sick call costs $10 to see medical regardless of who they see. This is usually the way I work it as I do not want to discourage those who are truly sick from seeing me. They are required to fill out a sick call slip, If I see them and address the issue without having to put them down to see the doctor, they are charged $10. If I forward them on to see the doctor I waive my fee for seeing them and they are charged $10 to see the doctor. Therefore they only pay that $10 one time. Medications are charged out at Company Pharmacy cost. Company Pharmacy cost is way better than local Pharmacy cost through Walgreens or Walmart. Before, they paid a flat fee of $10 per script. It was determined that some were getting really good deals when it came to the HIV meds and the NON Form meds. Others were getting really bad deals, when it came to generic and Form meds. Most meds that are Form meds are less than $10 and most are even less than $5. If an inmate requests IBU or Tylenol they are charged $0.25 a piece.

Reasons Ive seen for the high turnover 1. High Stress Environment 2. Inmate manipulation is Physically draining 3. Family concerns over possible danger in the workplace 4. Pay 5. Potential for Lawsuits 6. Potential for loss of License 7. Burn Out 8. Autonomy- often times there is no doctor around. You rely on assessment skills and a return phone call. When in doubt send them out. These are just a few of the reasons. I myself took a 3 year hiatus to gain experience in other fields. I Physically burned out after 5 years due to the stress of the job.

Thank you everyone. These are all very good questions. I am borrowing these for my next interviewee. Ive struggled to find good job related questions to corrections. I always find the generic ones. I have been in corrections since 2006 with a 3 year break to gain my Med/Surg/OB/ICU/ER/Hospice and LTC experience. I found corrections was my calling and where I needed to be. I have worked in big jail, Little jails, Work release, ITU and Prison Systems. They are all a bit different but one thing they all have in common is inmate care. It can be a thankless job but a rewarding one as well. We have the ability to make a huge difference in some of these inmates lives through teaching and education.