nomadicV

You know Siri, that's exactly my point. I never worried about my safety while working behind the fence; there are always officers around but in the acute care non correctional environment, help is scarce and people are not alert

I worked at FMC (Federal Medical Center) at Carswell TX in Ft Worth--oversimplified, its a prison hospital for women surrounded by all levels of security. There was also a male facility nearby. I thought Carswell was very well run and didn't leave because I didn't like it or feel valued as an employee

Having worked County and then Federal corrections (3 different facilities) for about 12 years I can share my own experiences as they've differed from working in the private sector: It all depends on the facility. County and state corrections IMHO is more political and less protective of it's staff. I saw more abuses in those systems. Federal was different--I loved it. Saw more interesting cases than in hospitals and other private sectors; security and esprit de corp is much higher in the federal system as is promotional opportunities. The only time I felt like I might be assaulted was in a hospital. In corrections you know what you're dealing with--in the private sector you don't.

sorry, didn't see that you'd already posted your questions: here's my response when did you graduate from nursing school? 1980 have you been a correctional nurse since you graduated, did you work in another nursing capacity, or take time off after graduation? what other types of nursing (if any) have you done? typically i held 2 positions for approximately the first 6 years of nursing--one of which was in corrections. i've been out of corrections for about 2 years now do you work in more than one institution at the present time? no, i worked federal corrections only for about 7 years how many hours a week, on average, do you work in a week? depending on need and crisis 8-24 (yes, 24) hour days but typically 45 hour work weeks what shift(s) do you work? if you work more than one shift, how do you rotate through the different shift rotations? all shifts rotations could be weekly what do you like about working as a nurse? i'm one that believe that for some, nursing is a job--a method to make ends meet but for others they are nurses internally--i fit the second category. it's not so much that i like aspects of nursing it's what i am. in order to try to give you useful data, i'll say providing care at the point of need. what type of facility is the institution? any facility that is not a home is an institution. even if it's home-like. authoritative and decision-making structures that don't include the inhabitants is even more institution-like what are the types of patients that this unit cares for? corrections has all illnesses and injuries imaginable. prisons and jails have the responsibility to provide care for anyone delivered to them regardless to the cost of their keep or care. the closing of government run mental health facilities has led to the criminalization of mental illness as well as the criminalization of homelessness. these people enter with health neglect issues that are compounded due to lack of medical intervention. in general, what are the needs of these patients? education, intervention and stabilization what types of problems do you address or try to prevent, as a nurse working with these patients? correctional needs (institutional security) takes precedence over medical judgment in certain cases. being aware of safety issues and manipulative behaviors is not typically required in the non-correctional setting. what other types of health care providers work with these patients and what are there roles with these patients? how much time, on average, might they spend with a patient on a shift, a day or a week? providing care in-house is cost effective and security wise. psych and dental in house as well as via telemedicine helps with this effort what is the staffing level of the primary shift that you work? do you know what that might be for other shifts? staffing levels depend on the type of facility and census how is patient care divided amongst the different health care providers? (for example does one c.n.a. provide the care to 3 patients and work 1:1 with one rn?) this is not really applicable to corrections except in the case of facilities with in-patient medical units. these units don't use cnas and 1:1 is only in effect with acutely suicidal inmates in which correctional staff cannot watch. have you ever had an injury as a result of your employment as a correctional nurse? no you mentioned your concern about an overall security falter. would you say that prevention of access to weapons, or objects that could be used as weapons is the most important preventative measure implemented in your area? prevention of contraband is certainly a vital component of preventing uprising, but i can't say that it's the most important. containment is also vital you also mentioned that security is first priority, would it be fair to say that putting security before medical care adds to the overall safety of all patients and staff? has a patient's health been adversely affected by security measures in your experience, or has a crisis clearly been prevented by following safety procedures? yes to all are you aware of any regulatory and/or reimbursement agencies are involved in this safety risk for the patient and the nurse? are you aware of the stance of any professional nursing organizations related to correctional nurses or correctional nurse safety? ncchc and aca are very involved in this issue how much additional training was required to prepare you for this job? what was the nature of the additional training? approximately 3 weeks didactic and 1 week ojt

I can help with your project as well, I've worked corrections (County and Federal) for approximately 12 years--just fire your questions off!

No and in general, I worry more about harm with the non-incarcerated population: reason being--in corrections you know the type of individuals you're dealing with and as in the video, there's ususally help nearby. In the non incarcetated population, there is no telling how long the attack would have gone on.

I told one guy that he'd faint before he died and that I would be standing there with the largest bore needle I could find and pump him so full of sugar (D50) that he'd wake up with a high.

Having had experience with hunger strikers, most don't go the distance (in my experience) Funny story: I had one guy who'd declared a hunger strike. In my system, it's not a hunger strike until 72 hours has passed so I told him of this. Looking at the guy: he was overweight and young--I knew he'd never go the distance. I brought him to the clinic during staff meal when we were having a potluck. Sat him within visual and olfactory distance and largely ignored him for about 5-15 min: he was asking for soup within minutes

Generally it takes a court order in order to sink a g-tube. When the consequence is being sued by the family for failing to do all you could and having the IM to die; I don't have a problem with it.

While I'm no Miss America, I don't have a hump on my back either--that said, I know what she's saying. You just need a good game face, tone down the perkiness and be prepared to respond to vile comments. Correctional nursing is different from anything else. The only thing that comes close is psych nursing.

Great response. I'd had some of the same issues. I'd worked County and then Federal and by far; Federal is better, the docs there don't dare get flippant when it comes to responding to a call from staff: there is too much oversight. However, things do happen that place nurses in vulnerable situations. Regarding CO's power plays: Sadly professionalism can be taught but internalizing the instruction is up to the individuals. More than once I'd have to say the IM are there AS punishment, not to BE punished. I think that anyone that's spent any amount of time working behind the fence as a medical provider will agree with you that many mental patients are being warehoused, especially since the closure of government psych hospitals (which are inching back into existance)

You guys have been great. My thoughts were that the most prevalent concerns were 1. Security 2. Medical vs Correctional 3. Correctional training and 4. Personality conflicts I see that I wasn't too far off target. Outside of Federal Bureau of Prisons training, NCCHC (and the pending ACA) certification; correctional training is largely OJT.

Any correctional system: jails, prisons, detention etc

Dunno if this is helpful at this late stage, but what about programs that help with schooling in return for committment such as the US Public Health Service. If you're in a BSN program, there is a co-step program to pay for the last 1 or 2 years of your program. I've been PHS for 7 years and love it

USAJobs website, if you're interested in going federal