avahnel

There is a difference between abuse, and techniques used by skilled professionals to subdue a violent inmate. You can tell the difference when you are in that environment. I see people but in restraint chairs that do not want to go into them...is it violent? Yes. I wish there were a big sign in our intake department that said "Your behavior will dictate how you are treated in our facility." Our COs are wonderful, and do not use unwarranted force.

I would like to believe that this type of care would never be delivered at the facility I work at. These are the reasons why: 1. Sick call slips are taken by the nurses on the floor passing medications. They do an assessment of the inmate at the time of the sick call, and take care of the complaint that day. If a medical provider needs to be consulted they are available 9-3 M-F. If it is after hours, someone is on call. 2. I have never had to beg to send someone out to a local ED. If in my nursing judgment, they need to go out, they go. I just have to call a medical provider for the order. 3. I cannot count the number of times our medical director has given me the order: "Just put them in the infirmary over night, I will look at them in the morning." if I call him about someone I am concerned about while assessing people in intake. However, if I truly want them assessed by a physician at the time of my intake assessment, I do not accept them and make the officer obtain a fit for confinement. Corrections is a stressful specialty. I am appalled at the number of articles I see that paint correctional nurses (or corrections officers for that matter) in a bad light. The nurses I work with would never have let this happen in the facility I work at. My other comment is this. I am so skeptical now after working for two years in corrections. I bet there is much more to this story than we know about.

I posted on a topic that was similar a few months ago, Here was my reply: How does correctional nursing compare to, say, med/surg nursing? In our facility the infirmary is "med/surg lite" (per our medical director). The truth is...if they need to be in a hospital they will be sent to one. Can the job be dangerous? Of course. That being said, I have never not felt safe at the jail that I work at. I have a Correctional Officer or Police Officer there with me at all times. I am never alone with a patient...ever. When doing a study of violence in the workplace...nurses in an ED have much more chance of being hurt than I do. And, if a patient hurts you in the hospital (intentionally or accidentally) they are still always right, and they will have no consequences. There are consequences to bad behavior at my facility. How would the wages compare to hospital wages? The hospital I work in currently starts RN's in the union off at just shy of $30 an hour. In my area I get paid more at the jail than I was being paid at a hospital. It may have been because of my years of experience and the specific hospital though. And any overall pros and cons of correctional nursing. I love my job. That being said, I do not know if it is the best job for a new grad. I say that because I have put in 0 foleys, 3 IVs and drawn blood 5 times in the last 18 months that I have worked at the jail. MAs do most of the blood draws. I have given lots of shots, and have become a pro at PPDs. So it is not the best place to cement your skills as a new graduate. Also, I feel that you should have strong assessment skills at a jail. I say this because when dealing with manipulative inmates, you often must weed through the extra complaints or information that the patient is trying to tell you to get to the assessment data. Strong assessment skills come from assessing...and you get the most practice at acute assessments at a hospital. My assessments are very focused, however I can do them because of my years of experience at a hospital. I do not know about CA corrections specifically; however, one of the nurses I work with used to live in CA. She says they are desperate for good nurses, and there are many travel opportunities there. Good luck!

I do not know why condoms are not available in commissary, but I think that you are correct that it does have to with the safety issue. In our facility, every inmate is screened for most STIs and are treated within a month of their stay. We often test, and then if they are positive and have been released, we notify one of our clinics and they contacts them for follow up. (We are employees of the local health department in the facility that I work at.) So our facility does concern ourselves with prevention, just in another way.

I love being a corrections nurse. I was very jaded when I worked at the hospital, and thought I no longer wanted to be a nurse. The autonomy that I gained being in corrections changed that. One of the greatest things is nursing to "the least of these." I am fulfilled by delivering quality care to those that society has written off. I have gained great assessment and charting skills while working at the jail I work at. In your article you did not mention safety. The COs I work with have always made me feel safe in my facility. I live near a big city, and would be in more danger in the inner city ED than I am at work. I cannot say enough good things about the specialty. Great article!

I think that having forums for the APRN specialties would be great. In the RN forums, this is the way things are handled. Being in advanced practice, you would think that the same would occur.

I was wondering if there was a Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse Practitioner thread?

I like the ideas that you have posted. I would also say this patient needs to be shared among many nurses meaning that one nurse done not get stuck with him all week. So, I would say that (staffing allowing) he will only be with one nurse for 2 shifts (or another relatively low number) a week. You can ask nurses if they would rather have those days back to back or spread out. I would rather have them spread out...but I could see some people wanting to have him two days in a row and then having 3 shifts off from him. I would have the charge nurse keep that in mind when doing staffing. Sharing the load is a great deterrent for burnout. I said the above assuming you do 8 hr shifts 5 days a week. If you do 12s, I would think that 1 shift a week would be more appropriate.

How does correctional nursing compare to, say, med/surg nursing? In our facility the infirmary is "med/surg lite" (per our medical director). The truth is...if they need to be in a hospital they will be sent to one. Can the job be dangerous? Of course. That being said, I have never not felt safe at the jail that I work at. I have a Correctional Officer or Police Officer there with me at all times. I am never alone with a patient...ever. When doing a study of violence in the workplace...nurses in an ED have much more chance of being hurt than I do. And, if a patient hurts you in the hospital (intentionally or accidentally) they are still always right, and they will have no consequences. There are consequences to bad behavior at my facility. How would the wages compare to hospital wages? The hospital I work in currently starts RN's in the union off at just shy of $30 an hour. In my area I get paid more at the jail than I was being paid at a hospital. It may have been because of my years of experience and the specific hospital though. And any overall pros and cons of correctional nursing. I love my job. That being said, I do not know if it is the best job for a new grad. I say that because I have put in 0 foleys, 3 IVs and drawn blood 5 times in the last 18 months that I have worked at the jail. MAs do most of the blood draws. I have given lots of shots, and have become a pro at PPDs. So it is not the best place to cement your skills as a new graduate. Also, I feel that you should have strong assessment skills at a jail. I say this because when dealing with manipulative inmates, you often must weed through the extra complaints or information that the patient is trying to tell you to get to the assessment data. Strong assessment skills come from assessing...and you get the most practice at acute assessments at a hospital. My assessments are very focused, however I can do them because of my years of experience at a hospital.

A lot of new grad programs in my area hire nurses with less than one year experience in a hospital regardless of their time since graduation.

Can your facility aquire a foam helmet? We have used them at our facility when there seemed to be no other option. At least them you can chart that it was applied, and you tried to protect the patient's head from self-injury. Good luck!! Something like this Soft Comfy Cap | Helmets & Head Supports | e-Special Needs

I work in MO at a jail, but I call my patients....patients. I love my job and the challenge of the population that I choose to work with. I do pass meds in Pods, and I go to the patients. I take a med cart with my MARs and patient specific meds. We also have a large selection of stock medications. I check every patient's mouth regardless of what they are taking. I received a $2.50 raise from what I was receiving at the hospital. What I did not realize that I would also would be gaining is autonomy. I am trusted to use my nursing judgement everyday, and I believe that this job is preparing me for becoming a FNP in the future.

I felt the same way...until I left the hospital. I feel so much better now. My suggestion is to find a part of nursing that you love. There are so many choices. That is one of the best parts of nursing

I just got a job at the Clayton facility. I start on Monday. They do a panel interview followed by a job shadow/drug screen. I am moving from a hospital, and am excited to start working in public health.

Just keep on reviewing your Math, and take your time on the test, you are not timed, so make yourself double check every question. Good luck!!!