Orca ADN, ASN, RN

Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC

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All Content by Orca

  1. Orca

    Prison nursing

    Orca replied to Xnavykat's topic in Correctional

    I have spent the last eight years in corrections - starting as a yard nurse, then a charge nurse and now a DON. I wouldn't attribute turnover entirely to inconsistency in management - although that...
  2. Orca

    Would you reccommend correctional nursing?

    Orca replied to nimchimpskii's topic in Correctional

    In my opinion, correctional nursing is one of the best kept secrets in health care. Being a nurse in a prison is not unlike working in a small town clinic. You provide the services for that community,...
  3. Orca

    Did you plan to be a correctional nurse?

    Orca replied to MadisonsMomRN's topic in Correctional

    I actually went into nursing to get out of corrections. I had worked in and around corrections in various capacities for over 15 years before going to nursing school. I answered an ad for a per diem...
  4. Orca

    Wonder how often this happens

    Orca replied to BabyLady's topic in Correctional

    We don't accept scripts, or medications from outside sources. The recommendations of hospital doctors are advisory only in a prison environment. We give pain medications up to and including Oxycodone,...
  5. Orca

    Tell Me What It's Really Like

    Orca replied to Bugaloo's topic in Correctional

    Sex offenders are at the bottom of the pecking order behind the fences. They tend to keep a low profile - especially those who have victimized children. I have worked on a couple of units that...
  6. Orca

    Ca Furloughs

    Orca replied to Pepsi_Girl's topic in Correctional

    Nevada started furloughs July 1. The DOC director appears before a board in August in an attempt to exempt at least line level nurses (plus most in the correctional officer class). As a DON I will...
  7. Orca

    State survey

    Orca replied to kappykatlpn's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    It's a women's prison. They were inspeting our
  8. Orca

    California Corrections RN Position Interview: What Should I Wear?

    Orca replied to Nooksta's topic in Correctional

    Troublant pretty much summed it up. Look professional. We often have people show up for interviews in scrubs, which we expect in this profession. Often people interview with us either just before or...
  9. Orca

    Inmates as Patients in Hospital

    Orca replied to 4cas2's topic in General Nursing

    It's a legal issue. The state is liable if the inmate escapes and something happens. There are many documented cases of inmates who duped everyone into thinking they were much sicker (or weaker, which...
  10. Orca

    State survey

    Orca replied to kappykatlpn's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    Since our facility is not classified as a hospital, we are not legally obligated to follow the recommendations that the inspectors make. It sounds crazy, but that is how it is. It may have something...
  11. Orca

    What do you think of Kaplan College?

    Orca replied to Rachelsoon2bRN's topic in General Nursing

    A quick search showed that Kaplan College is not accredited by the NLNAC. I tried using the college name alone, then tried the college name and the state of California. Both came back with no
  12. Orca

    Inmates as Patients in Hospital

    Orca replied to 4cas2's topic in General Nursing

    I am a nursing administrator in a correctional facility, and many years ago I was a correctional officer. I have done hospital escort duty, so I know both sides of this equation. To summarize: To...
  13. Orca

    State survey

    Orca replied to kappykatlpn's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    My response to their report on our facility - and all of their misinterpretations and outright mistakes - was four pages long. The most aggravating thing is that we have to endure the inspections and...
  14. Orca

    Finding Jobs...

    Orca replied to amphigouri's topic in Psychiatric

    A piece of advice, from one who has been there: Don't start out in mental health right out of nursing school. I took a job on an adult psych/CD unit fresh out of school. I worked that job for four...
  15. Orca

    Monitoring patients for lithium toxicity

    Orca replied to indigo girl's topic in Psychiatric

    We used to have a protocol that anyone coming in on Lithium got a level drawn upon admission, and anyone who was started on Lithium got a level drawn every 24 hours for at least the first 72 hours. As...
  16. Orca

    State survey

    Orca replied to kappykatlpn's topic in Geriatric, LTC

    I am a nursing administrator in a correctional facility. We had state auditors in about a year and a half ago. Some of their citations were laughable. They claimed that we had "clerks going in and out...
  17. Orca

    Dilemma: night shift...critical care

    Orca replied to moonischasingme1's topic in General Nursing

    Most anywhere you go, you won't start out on day shift. If you want to learn critical care, take the opportunity that is in front of you. Sometimes getting what you want takes compromises you had...
  18. Orca

    New grads in the Psych ED

    Orca replied to vjhappy's topic in Psychiatric

    I will echo what has already been said by others. The paltry mental health training given in nursing schools is far from enough to prepare new grads to make the kinds of decisions that must be made in...
  19. Orca

    Pregnant felons in prision!

    Orca replied to KAYBDT6's topic in Correctional

    I am a nursing administrator at a women's correctional facility. While I feel sorry for the children, I have far less sympathy for the offender. Whatever her feelings for her unborn child, it wasn't...
  20. Orca

    Nursing Instructor from hell

    Orca replied to MsLEE2121's topic in General Nursing

    Amen. During my time in nursing school, I dealt with: (1) A clinical instructor who was emotionally erratic (ironically, during my mental health rotation). She told us something different every week,...
  21. Orca

    do the correctionals hire new grads?

    Orca replied to spongebob6286's topic in Correctional

    About 90 percent of correctional nursing is how you carry yourself. Set limits early and word will get out. You will definitely be tested by inmates, but if you show them that you are going to work by...
  22. Orca

    Unlicensed Psych tech supervisor over R.N.???

    Orca replied to mytoon38's topic in Psychiatric

    I have worked in a couple of hybrid systems (the hospital I mentioned above was one of them) in which the program director was a psychologist hired by a management company who ran the program end. The...
  23. Orca

    Unlicensed Psych tech supervisor over R.N.???

    Orca replied to mytoon38's topic in Psychiatric

    I would say good bye. Unlicensed personnel should not be supervising nurses. The story is interesting, because I worked on a hospital mental health unit where we had psych techs. The techs generally...
  24. Orca

    Physical Restraints on Acute Child and Adolescent Unit

    Orca replied to tconlgirl's topic in Psychiatric

    My impression is that some doctors believe that they can practice psychiatry because there is no organ system involved. Psychiatry is as much art as it is science. Post-op care for patients with the...
  25. Orca

    Physical Restraints on Acute Child and Adolescent Unit

    Orca replied to tconlgirl's topic in Psychiatric

    I have worked with a number of doctors who did this. It is often a good idea. Sometimes patients get on such a hodgepodge of different medications (and sometimes from different doctors who don't know...