sire6240

Well it's been alittle over 6 months and i'm ready to move on. The position that i was placed in got boring real fast. I do have to say the benefits and the money is real good, but I realized that i'm a people person and needed to get more hands on. I also felt that all the skills i worked hard for were beginining to fade. I did read a post here that someone said that it is your co-workers that you have to be watch out for and boy is that the truth. Unfortunately there is alot of politics and ass kissing going around and if you choose your political party right it does make a difference on how much petty things are overlooked. If not, then you will be reminded of the petty things constantly. And alot of it comes down to how your team works together. I've run into some of the laziest nurses and staff i''ve ever seen and if your work is noticed and your productivity is high these co-workers get jealous and act like babies. I beleive that management heard through the grapevine that I was unhappy and looking for work so I got the oppurtunity to start floating to other areas which was real nice, sick call, wounds, dialysis meds. But the back stabbing never stopped. Either you have to change your mentality to being carefree or you can find yourself being cold and callous. And do keep your enemies closer than your friends. I have about 18 years left till retirement and i'm deciding to go back to rehab as a PTA and do contract nursing to keep my skils up and make the money. I do have to say I learned alot about correctional nursing and what is unique to this type of nursing. I've made some genuine friends and have some co-workers that is just that, but I find the environment mostly negative. There are inmates that do appreciate your work and teaching, but I find that for my selfish satisfaction that is not enough. But it's true, either you like it or not. Good luck to all you correctonal nurses.

there are more female nurses than male nurses where i work. It comes down to being firm, fair and as honest as you need to be at that moment. i haven't seen, but i've heard stories, but i'm not disgusted by alot of things. I working at a county level which i was told is probably one of the better areas.

update: i'm going into my 3rd month and came to terms that my originial nursing goals are changing. I'm going to start working on my BSN this year and stay at corrections for now. I have more energy now, 100% less stress and my wife and kids are glad to have me less grumpy. The positive about my position is assessing for any potential emergencies that may occur on the main booking floor and triaging. The staff on my schedule are upbeat and are looking for positive teamwork. The negative is, I don't have much hands on. Maybe I'll pick up a day in the hospital to keep my skills up or end up in one of the clinics. I'm alot more happy and sleep better the night before work. One thing for sure, it's never boring. Later.

update: well, i'm going into my third week and have to say correctional nursing is definately a different mind set. I'm in a county correctional facility with almost 5k i/m and from what i'm told and see working their gets better every year. i observed one day in a RN sick call clinic and have to say the setup was pretty nice. co's are present, they get a list of i/m and get them when you ask, the ARNP is present to look at pts at your request and give orders that are placed in the computer. i was pretty impressed since people's perception of working as a nurse in a corrections's facility is primitive. the pace is steady but controlled by the nurse. alot less stress than the hospital, but at the same time you have an oppurtunity to educate and perform nursing one pt at a time. i also observed in booking intake which is another different mind set. i was told this would be my primary area, what makes me nervouse is you have alot of autonomy and need to initiate alot of orders that would be cosigned by the ARNP, or followed through by mental health. what i like about this position is, you are the first line of medical eyes and have an oppurtunity to look at the whole picture once the pt is screened by ma's or have the right to tell the LEO turnaround and go to the ER. so good first initial assessments can keep the booking center smooth and calm. again so much less stress than the hospital, the flow is steady but controllable. at this time i have a good feeling about this decision and it appears there is always room to move either laterally or up in new positions. thanks for your support, i'm glad that i found this wonderful sight.

i'm not sure what the normal is regarding polygraphs since this is my first corrections job. just tell the truth and if you are worried about getting incriminated about something "horrible" that you did i would recommend thinking twice. the polygrapher told me he had a nurse confess touching a pt. inappropriately under anesthesia in PACU, needless to say that nurse got in big trouble. but orange county in orlando, fl only go back 3 years unless it was something pretty bad. the questions were broad, "have you every been arrested?" "what was the worse thing you ever did?" questions like these were asked before you get hooked up and then they were asked again.

starting december 1st. didn't want to work today or tomorrow as my last days in the hospital, so i think god gave me the stomach virus from my daughter, boy am i raw. anyway, the pay is going to be around 60K a year, benefits start on day one.

well, after the polygraph exam brought back stuff that happened over 2o years ago, i was offered the position as a RN at the orange county jail at 33rd in orlando, fl. I have to say i thought i wasn't going to get the job. But i have to say the polygraph was almost therapeutic, saying to some stranger dumb things i did in the past. next is orientation, i will keep you guys updated.

i know the feeling, some of my coworkers show a face of literally disgust when i tell them i'm working in a correctional facility, i can't believe it. i tell them i don't see 80 nurses looking for a position on this floor. just yesterday i was working with a pt who is on methadone and a recovering heroin addict who's been in the correction facility i'm going to work in and he stated that i'm going to do good there due to how i worked with him, that was encouraging news. just wish me luck on my polygraph this thursday, they tell me just tell the truth and you'll pass.

hey davio sounds a little like my adventure. currently i have a PTA and RN license in florida, i did PT for 10 years and was looking for advancement. At the time i was 44 and did not want to go back to school for 5 years to get a DPT, so i did a suicidal one year transition program to RN. my long term goal was to get into rehab, but as a RN with a BSN to combine my experience of PTA and RN and work in a dynamic rehab environment in management, hoping that by the time i was 50 i can help be part of a successful rehab team. well, it did not work that way. at the time, my teachers recommended to get one year of med/surg/tele to work on my skills. even though i learned how to manage time very well, picked up some skills along the way, i told myself this is crazy, stressfull and dangerous. then i went to a pulmonary/ventilator floor and really picked up skills and enjoyed my job an coworkers most of the time. i moved from miami to orlando to be closer to my kids and grandkids and ended up on a pulmonary/pcu floor. what a joke. i see more medical than pulmonary and things are changing on that floor for the worse. i miss therapy and contemplating going back to do PTA work and pick up RN work with an agency to make top dollar. if i'm going to work under stress and a crazy pace i want to get paid for it. when you said acute rehab, did you mean inpatient rehab or on the floors acute. well i'm going to give corrections nursing a try, but i'm happy i did not give up my license for PTA. when you said LTC, did you mean like in a SNF or LTAC? and what position would you be looking for?

thanks rn for your info. i need to remind myself how diverse nsg is and this is part of my journey. i just hope i love it and can start working on my bsn.

i'm going through the hiring process for a county correctional's rn position and having mixed feelings. i moved to be closer to my kids and grandkids and i hate my job. i feel i was mislead on this job. i was hire for a pulmonary/pcu floor and see everything from cellulitis to syncope, discharge pts during the day who were admitted at night and continue to call doctors because they did not read the labs. so when i saw a job/chance to apply and take a break from hospital nursing i applied. there must of been 80 nurses for 6 positions and i thought i would never be called. boy was i surprised. I am a male with 2 years of critical care experience, so who knows. my wife is not too happy, but i tell her i do not see 80 nurses applying for open positions on my floor. most of the nurses are miserable on my floor, there are alot of changes and not for the better. now i have about 5 phone numbers just in case other positions open up in the corrections facility. the only thing is i'm nervous about the polygraph test, i was told just tell the truth. i did some stupid stuff when i was younger. never spent a day in jail, but arrested and released. i've heard pros and cons, but i need a break from the constant phone calls, i find myself doing more nonskilled nursing then when i started nursing. well who knows, if this doesn't go well, i'm might just go back to rehab as a physical therapist assistant and pick up a couple of shifts at top dollar to make up the difference in pay. never had this much stress during rehab. my frinds say i'm might really like it because i'm not into the politics and i don't kiss ass to get the easier assignments. i do my job well and to the point, but i am looking forward in working one on one and educating pts. sometimes we do not have the time in the hospital. well i'm glad i found this thread and if anyone has suggestions i would greatly appreciate it.