Good: Chance to help patients regain normal function. Often see dramatic improvements in relatively short period of time. Get a lot of fresh post-ops, so you don't lose skills. Bad: A lot of lifting,...
Orca replied to TsavarenaRN's topic in Psychiatric
I believe you handled it well. Document only the facts, what you saw and heard. I hope that you also documented somewhere the doctor's reaction when you tried to obtain an order. I find it odd that...
Pros: A chance to give of yourself without hiding behind medical procedures. A chance to make a genuine difference in a patient's quality of life and way of dealing with life events. Cons: Often seen...
I liken prison nursing to being a nurse at a small town hospital - because essentially you are. You see a little of everything, from scrapes and bruises to shootings, stabbings and MIs. You often have...
Orca replied to LolaBunnie's topic in Correctional
In all honesty, I feel safer walking the yard than I did working at a hospital that was in a poor economic area. A lot of measures are taken to protect employees, and you can be pretty sure that no...
We are not allowed to dispense anything that didn't come from our own pharmacy. Inmates are not allowed to bring meds back from the hospital, regardless of who carries them. We do have some heavy-duty...
We KOP a lot of meds - pretty much everything other than psych meds and meds for TB prophylaxis (the latter because knowing for sure that the inmate has taken each dose is critical). Inmates can lose...
Orca replied to pitbullmom's topic in Correctional
When we conduct interviews for nurses, we ask each applicant if he/she believes that his/her way of practicing nursing will have to be altered as a result of working with convicted felons, and if so,...
Orca replied to nursedudeforchrist's topic in Correctional
I am a DON at a female correctional facility. Before that I worked as line staff and as a charge nurse at a male prison. The primary difference I see is that females are more likely to seek medical...
Orca replied to happyjailnurse's topic in Correctional
This is an important point, and one that many people miss. Many of the inmates we get have had little or no medical care prior to incarceration, and little or no education in health, medication or...
Orca replied to uscstu4lfe's topic in Correctional
The way I have always put it is that we are paid for what could happen rather than what usually does. When we have our moments, they are usually big ones. Add to that that we work with those that...
I was wondering about the experiences of any nurses here with the anti-psychotic drug Abilify. I have had some experience with it, and the results of my early informal poll is that this drug is all...
Wellbutrin can cause agitation in bipolar patients. I'm surprised that your doctor didn't change your antidepressant if bipolar disorder is suspected. From what I have learned about Abilify in the...
Ironically, I got into nursing to get out of corrections. I had worked in and around prisons in a number of capacities, including correctional officer, over a period of more than 15 years. Tired of...
Orca replied to Schweetnsazzy's topic in Correctional
I find that in many cases, the inmates are more polite. Some staff have the idea that since they are dealing with inmates, they can be as abrupt and nasty as they like. I treat inmates with courtesy,...
Orca replied to kittiesareus's topic in Psychiatric
All other things being equal, get the BSN. It is best to have the most education in the area you will be working in. I have an ADN with a BA in psychology. I got the former degree because all the...
Orca replied to katchmoleen's topic in Correctional
That's a tough spot. At least in my case we have doctors either on the premises or on call (depending upon the time), and they make the final call. Of course, I am their eyes and ears when I call...
Orca replied to 1ninjanurse's topic in Correctional
Look for inconsistencies between what you observe and what the inmate tells you. Inmates will seldom admit to being assaulted, instead saying things like, "I fell off my bunk", "I ran into a door"....
One thing I noticed from your narrative is that you seemed to tend to relent in negotiation. Many people on mental health units require firm limits, and once you show that you can be manipulated, that...
A piece of advice from one who has been there: start out in an area other than mental health. For some reason, once you work mental health, many employers don't believe you can do anything else....