aprisonrn2

I agree...for the most part GA prisons are very lax in security where the nurses are concerned. I am in the process of moving back to Florida and the CO's there take their job of protecting the nurses very seriously (at least in the facilities I've worked through an agency). I've worked with some wonderful CO's in GA, but as a general rule, they are spread too thin to be able to watch all the inmates. I actually feel like the inmates will have my back before some of the CO's will! Isn't that something to think about? :deadhorse

Gee, I guess that means I'm not a "real" nurse when I start the IV on a patient that has massive blood loss from a self-inflicted cut, or when I tell the psychiatrist that the mental health patient I'm caring for is exhibiting side effects from the medication he is taking. What about the interactions between the psych meds and many of the antibiotics that are routinely prescribed by medical MD's? Nope, I don't guess I'm a REAL nurse at all, even though RN is after my name!! lol

As a prison RN for over 5 years, I've never given a patient a back rub or massage of any type!! Florida DOC is a good place to work, whether you're an RN or LPN. The biggest thing to remember about working with inmates is that they will try to get anything from you that they can. ANYTHING that is available in the medical department can become their equivilant of cash, since the prisons are a cashless society. At times, working with inmates will be very rewarding and at other times, it can be very frustrating. (Doesn't that sound like most other nursing environments?!?) Trying to give good nursing care and be a patient advocate and stay within the limits imposed on you because of the system can be very challenging at times. One of the biggest threats to that is nurses that become "institutionalized" themselves. I mean, after all, they are just inmates, right? I don't know about the county camps down around Tampa, but up in north FL, between Gainesville and Jacksonville, I can think of at least 9 state facilities plus the county camps, within an hours drive of Gainesville....and that is just the ones I can think of off the top of my head. Come on down to Florida, we need more good nurses here!!