buckrubRN

No this is not the norm. Working in corrections means relying heavily on your gut instincts. As far as the inmate stating the previous nurse was involved with heroin............ you need to remember that inmates lie more often than not just to see your reaction. If you accept this position.........welcome to the land of manipulation. Good luck!!!

inmate lawsuits are an almost constant threat here in wisconsin. i personally have been named in a suit twice and have only been in corrections for 5 years!! i have always prided myself in good nursing care and have always been a patient advocate but when you are working with people who have spent most of their lives trying to get something for nothing it is difficult to be the nurse you want to be. i don't believe that the general public is aware of what level of care that these inmates recieve nor do i believe do their lawyers. many of these men have children who can't get any healthcare services at all but they feel they deserve the best of everthing whether they need it or not!!! the word no will often set them off on their threats of lawsuits. iv'e been nursing for 16 years and have never had so much as a complaint and i stand by my reputation but it is very hard if you don't have a thick skin. i just try to remember that my job is not my life and remind them to spell my name right.!!!

I work in a prison with a population of over 1500. Every once in while you get a case that makes you realize that stupidity is why they are there. The CO's brought a young man to the HSU without calling ahead, which they usually do. The inmate did not appear to be in any distress but the officers had tears in their eyes? Turns out it was because they were trying so hard not to laugh!! Apparantly this inmate had been engaging in some self gratifiying behavior and had stuck a 10 inch shampoo bottle so far up his backside that it wouldn't come back out! He was sent to the local ER and a surgeon reached far into never never land to retrieve it. It takes all kinds! I felt the worst for the CO's who had to stay with him while this happened.