CheyRN

I can't imagine working any other place. I have worked in both prisons and jails, and it's so much safer than working ANYWHERE in a hospital. In a hospital you have to ASSUME that everyone that you come in contact with will be civil until they prove themselves otherwise, but in a correctional setting you already know that your population has a difficult time following the rules and setting boundries is EXPECTED! Yup, no call lights, families or Press-Ganey surveys, can't think of any better place to work.

I've worked in both and the best I can come up with it Jail=acute care and Prison=LTC. In the jail, you have to deal with alot more chemical abuse (drugs and etoh) but in the prison you have to have a thicker skin cause they are WAY more hard core. Hope this helps.

I work in corrections, and if one of the inmates tells me where I should try first I listen to them as most have had some up close and personal experiance with their venous system.

Yes, I laughed out loud when I read that.

True story!!! I had 16 years in as an LPN and when I took my first RN position I took a pay CUT!!! The real kicker was that since I had worked at that facility as an LPN my "preceptor" (and I do use that word VERY loosely) said to me, as we were leaving the report room my first day as a GN "So, you have worked here before, I'll show you how to be charge". So much for getting any orientation to a unit I hadn't been on in over 5 years!! Wyoming has CC's that do offer the bridge program and you can also go from LPN to BSN at University of Wyoming, for all that's curious.

:sleep:Are you asking about how long you can safely work or what's legal. Most states say that 16 hours is the max you can be MADE to work, after that the facility must let you rest/go home. Check with your State Board of Nursing and find out what's the legal limit in your state. Also check with your malpractice insurance carrier, as they may not cover you if you were to exceed that limit. I, personally, won't pass meds or do invasive procedures after 12 hours, but I know my limits and where my safty ends and my brain starts turning off.

"Personally I am almost finished with school and can't wait I am so sick of their attitudes and crappy rules, I have witnessed and been on the receiving end of too much crap for the past 3 years to ever advise anyone to go to nursing school, I love the work but the professors are for the most part horrible humans, most of them have borderline personality disorders" As the old song says, "and we've only just begun". Nurses do "eat their young" no matter what anybody says. you either get over it, work agency so you can move on after 13 weeks, or go to truck driving school. and, from my experience, the nurses that say that they are "not that way" are the very nurses that you need to watch out for the most. The cliques that nurses get into are worse than any you witnessed in junior high and high school.

I would have done it while in school if I was 50# lighter and would have LMAO all the way to the bank. Dignity is something you either have or don't have, and your working environment won't (or shouldn't) change that. Besides, if you can maintain your dignity with your digits halfway to the transverse colon to remove an impaction, you can maintain your dignity showing a bit of clevage. Just my

I agree, but I have one question. Was this DON one of the folks that co-signed a waste and didn't witness it? If so, I would doubt that she would report, as when the SBON investigates the allegations, she would be standing in front of that fecal air circulating system. Also, most facilities don't want regulatory agencies poking around in the records any more than they have to, so I doubt she will report. If your friend is really worried, have someone contact the SBON and ask how long facilities have to report such problems and if a police report is needed to file these allegations. Just a couple of thoughts:idea:, hope they helped. Please keep us informed.

I'm glad you find my insights helpful and honest. Why do I enjoy corrections so much? Well, I find that you have an opportunity to do some "real" nursing. Not to say that other areas are not "real" as I couldn't work in an ICU or on a Tele floor (all the beeping monitors would make me a nervous wreck in about 3 mins flat:bugeyes:). What I mean by "real" is that you have to depend on all of your knowledge (not just what you learned in clinicals) to be effective, safe and respected. There is a great deal of teaching going on because most of the populations have little knowledge of even the most basic health maintenance. When you actually get through to an IM that has little regard or respect for others, but seeks you out because he has finally found someone on this planet he can trust and respect is the best. Following policies are expected and you are (more times than not) backed up by administration. I have worked in hospitals that expected you to follow written policy, except if it didn't make them look good, then you ended up in the dog house for "poor customer service". My favorite part is that there is no family sitting there on their duff, expecting you be in their family members room at all times, just waiting to wipe Grandma's nose or hold the urinal for Uncle Joe. I have also been privileged to work with one of the greatest docs in the business, and I give him a great deal of credit for the whole work culture at the prison where I work:bowingpur. Last, but not least, I like being challanged and this environment has more challanges than the typical hospital or LTC facility. It's not for everyone, but no area of nursing is.

Most inmates today are there for some type of drug offense, and if that's not what they were convicted of it had something to do with why they are inside. Unless someone is truly psychotic, crimes are committed for sex, drugs or money, usually a combination of all three. Stories like "I shot my best friend because he swiped my stash" and "I beat up my wife when she told me to stop drinking/shooting/smoking" are the norm. You need to remember, also, that the crime they were convicted of is not usually the only crime they have committed, just the one they were caught doing. They may have been caught stealing a car, but that's only because they were driving it home from the scene where they buried a body. And, at least at the facilities that I have worked at, boredom is a HUGE factor. There are not enough CO's to supervise the IM's while working, so they don't have jobs and have nothing better to do than to talk amongst themselves and pass "helpful tips" to others. If you have a psych background, that would serve you well as most facilities pass out BUCKETS of the older psych meds (yes, they still use Thorazine in these places). These drugs are cheap and the companies like CMS and PHS cut costs every chance they get. Still, all it's faults, I wouldn't work any place else. :heartbeat

NO!!! The pace and amount of knowledge required is not good for ANY brand new nurse, not even if you have your BSN. I agree with the other poster saying that your assessment skillls have to be above top notch, but with that your BS meter has to be in overdrive at all times. The inmates have nothing better to do all day than to figure out ways to manipulate the system and you are what stands between them and the drugs that they want. You also have to be very comfortable in being able to say "NO" and mean it. In school they teach you that you are to do everything to make the patient comfortable and attend to their needs, but in a prison they are always inmates first and patients second. Security takes center stage over everything else. If you are presented with a medical emergency, the area has to be secured before medical can take action. A lot of nurses I have known have a big problem with that, but it is for the safety of all involved.

A hostile work environment is with other nurses and management. It has been my observation that the only way to "get ahead" is to backstab the other nurses and turn them in for the most minor of infractions (missed chart checks @ 2am, not emptying the trash, etc). This behavior is then encouraged by letting the reporting employee have better schedules, promotions, vacation time, etc. We have also had a huge amount of turnover at the hospital, starting with the CEO, VP of nursing, on down the line. They have also "downsized" the whole educational department. Not real sure as to the stability of the whole facility at this time. Check out the local newspaper (http://www.wyomingnews.com/) and search for the name Charlie Harms for more on that subject.

Why would you move here if you didn't have to! I'm sitting in my house and looking at 9" of snow, 30 MPH winds, and blizzard warnings. I see that your husband is going to be going to the police acadamy, are you planning on staying in the Cheyenne area or moving someplace rural? There are only 2 "metro" areas, Cheyenne and Casper. I prefer Cheyenne because it's only about an hour and a half from Denver. Denver is the only international airport in the region, and the shopping is much better in Colorado. Please double check that this is where you want to live, because with the housing issues (not enough in the rural areas due to the oil fields) and the problems you have selling any type of house in this market, a well insulated trailer may be your best bet. Also, this is fair warning, the hospitals here have NO competition, so that makes for a really hostile work environment in many cases. Most are community access (no Joint Commission accredidation) and not up to most standards. Good luck, I'll check back here if you have any more questions.

Don't be terrifed of getting this type of instructor, just remember that these witches have an ego problem. It is usually best to avoid them if possible and, if avoidance is not possible, stroke those egos. I've been through nursing school twice (LPN, then RN), my Mom has been through 3 times (LPN, RN, BSN/FNP) and is currently a nursing instructor. We have seen the best, worst, meanest, dumbest, ect. and she agrees with me. When in nursing school, you need to remember only 4 phrases: Yes, ma'am, No ma'am, I don't know ma'am, and I would love to learn that from you ma'am. School is a nursing instructors game, they control the ball and the court and if you want to make it through, it's usually best to go with the flow.

Reading your article made me shake as I remembered MY first go through LPN school in 1990! I really wanted to ask if your instructors name was Ruby! I had an instructor that was at least that disrepectful and to this day if I were to see her in the street, I may not have the self control not to run her over. My "Ruby" even had an intern pinned to a door when he didn't D/C a medication that she wanted D/C'ed! He looked at me the whole time with the saddest look on his face and I could just tell that he wanted me to pull this pit bull instructor off of his butt. I couldn't, I was just enjoying the 3 minutes of peace that her harrassing of someone other than myself gave me. :beer:Congrats on getting through!

first of all, don't think for a minute that i am "childless" by some supposed cruel twist of fate. i am childfree by choice as i don't 1) like kids and 2) have a very poor health history on both sides of my family and would never subject another human life to the trials that my family has had to endure. having supported several family members through various cancers, up to and including hospice care and death, your original statment may have hit a little to close to home and taken a bit to personally by me. better support systems for all employees are way overdue, unfortunatly the work culture in most facilities does not encourage that. at the risk of highjacking this thread, how about some constructive ideas on how engage those better systems? any ideas out there?:typing

I don't think someone with cancer deserves any more consideration than anyone who is trying to bring up their children, especially single parents, those without any family close by (you had your Mom to help you, some of us have no one but friends or neighbors- no siblings or parents or other relatives or a helpful mate). Sorry to be hard but I don't think it's fair. So, people with children deserve MORE consideration than somone with CA, are you kidding me! Sounds like you expect that your employer needs to make accomodations for your choices in life, and *SUPRISE* it's not up to them to make your world a happy cozy place. As a divorced woman WITHOUT children, I'm so over the expectations that "you can work the holiday/overtime/weekends/illness coverage because you don't have any kids" that gets thrown at me every time I turn around. Contrary to popular belief, I have a life outside of work and will not be pressured to do all the hours that others find inconvenient. My own mother went back to nursing school in the early 1970's, and NOT ONCE did she ever stay home with me because I was sick. You made your own choices in life, time to make the best of it without making the rest of us pick up your slack.

Sorry to highjack the highjack . I worked for a nurse manager that was truly one of the most evil people I have ever met. Several years after escaping her torment, I learned that her husband had committed suicide and my first thought was "What took him so long!". Toxic situations don't get better, they continue to get worse with those "in control" spiraling even faster OUT OF CONTROL. Take your vacation/sick/personal leave and run for your sanity.

And I thought I procrastinated! I was an LPN for 16 years when I finally got my RN. All I can say is that with what physical demands of nursing and that most LPN's are the facility workhorses, you would be much better off with your RN. They you could at least get into a management position (MDS coordinator, Staff Development, Unit Manager, etc). You can also have more opportunity to do what you WANT to do instead of what you CAN do.

The greatest challange is the condition of the homes. You were taught that sanitary conditions are to be expected in the workplace, but most of the homes that I worked in were far from that. I even worked one place that was so nasty that I had to clean the kitchen before I could wash my hands to do the dressing change. You must also be able to follow agency policies to the letter. You will find family members that expect you to work for them as well ("Can you take my BP while you are here?", "Does this look infected?", "What cold medicine can I give to my kids?"). Lastly, if you have allergies to dust, pet hair, smoke, etc. rethink working in homecare. Good luck, I loved it, but it's not for everyone.

This scares me right out of my scrubs, because I have worked in a couple of LTC settings that have orders to crush meds and give via PEG tube and, when the Pt. starts taking meds PO, they never bothered to get the orders changed to PO. Working nights is a hard time to get things changed, and I'm uncomfortable holding cardiac meds that the Pt. has been on "forever" because of a route discrepencey.

And don't forget the nicest thing of all, NO CALL LIGHTS!!

For a man to going into a female dominated profession, the "emasculation" issue should have been taken care of long ago. Walgreens offers some over the calf support socks http://www.walgreens.com/store/product.jsp?CATID=305104&navAction=jump&navCount=0&skuid=sku2150262&id=prod2150784# I have also used TED hose that I got while in the hospital after surgery and wore cotton athletic socks over them. Please, do not let the word "stockings" make you afraid of taking care of your legs and feet as they are what will get you through your shifts. I learned a long time ago that the most expensive thing you can buy is a cheap pair of shoes.

The power of the schedule is a powerful tool. Schedule the worst of the lot on seperate shifts, so there is less opportunity for them to scheme together. Also, check their hiring status (full time, part time, PRN, etc.). For instance, if someone has been working 40 hours a week but was hired on as part time, a few weeks of 20 hours a week will either "encourage" them to find other employment or shape up. If nothing else, if they are working fewer hours, they have less time at work to drive you nuts!