BradyR

I guess "not letting an i/m show it bothers you", still doesn't sit right with me....if an i/m is inappropriate or disrespectful, then there should be a consequence...whether it be, loss of commissary, money taken from his account or whatever....no staff person, should have to tolerate "abuse" from an i/m...that abuse could be verbal, or non-verbal....I guess having worked in a maxi-max jail, instilled this in me....and now that I am in a minimum security facility, I still expect the same from the inmates---and that is respect..at all times...no matter what the situation is....

I cannot believe that you mentioned that if an inmate says something disrespectful to you ..."don't show them that it bothers you"....how about writing them up, and have them sent to SHU!!! No inmate no matter what the behavior is,an inmate should not be allowed to say or do anything that is inappropriate ....bottom line....they should show nothing but respect whether it be for you as a person, or your position....there should be consequences for their behavior...this way if they learn that....maybe they won't come back....think about "games inmates play"..you not saying anything can be perceived as though you you like it!!! (what they saud or did)...being complacent is one of the worst things a person can do when working in a jail, no matter how "nice" the inmate is.......Just think about it!! I am not saying to be a hard ass (excuse my french) but respect is something that is a very valuable tool when working in a jail...especially considering that at times an inmate has to bare his genitals etc......I can't stress it enough.....

Congratulations....hope you prove me 100% wrong....Good Luck....keep us posted on how it's going

Been a nurse for over 25 years. Now doing Correctional Nursing for approx the last 10....don't find that working in a prison is causing any negative effects on my home life....as a matter of fact, the physical demand of working in ICU/Med Surg exhausted me more, which I guess did effect my personal life....In my case, Correctional Nursing has much less physical demands than bedside nursing...but I would think that would depend of where you are working.....If you are the type of person to "bring your work home with you", then any job you have is going to cause problems....

Sorry to hear about your position....but if I can just give you a little advice....First you really need to look at your part in what happened....are you the type of a person to just do the bare minimum, do you offer to help others when you are done with your work, are you thorough, do you depend on staff to help you " a little too much", do you find ways to learn without necessarily depending on others, are you willing to come in a little early or stay a little late to help you to learn certain things????? All of these depending on your answers can play a big part in why your termination happened....One thing I have learned throughout my many years as a nurse...(25+)...you have to have the respect of your peers inorder to function well....you have to work well side by side with your peers no matter how you feel about each other personally, you cannot under any circumstances be a "LAZY" nurse, you have to be willing to give 100% most of the time, so when you can only physically or mentally only give 90%, on any given day, it will be ok, you have to be willing to take constructive criticism, and learn from it. As far as your med error, I know a lot of places can terminate you if the med error occurred while on probation, depending on the severity of the error, and how else your work reputation was....so try not to be too down on yourself, but be honest when thinking about your part...there are a lot of different fields of nursing...I am sure there is one out there that you would be happy with, and work well in....as long as you do your part....but if you are trying to just slide by, make good money with doing little work, then nursing is not the place for you....

I would think since you are not actually doing the "tele" responsibility, the agency would give you a hard time to give you the increased rate....but I would be more concerned with legally being that patients care giver....where do you stand legally if the charge nurse did not respond correctly to a rhythm on the monitor?? I would check with the agency regarding this, more importantly than the hourly wage...

In my experience in the past.....I worked for an "agency" as a traveling nurse....but most recently I worked as an "agency" nurse locally....In order to work as a "traveler" you obviously have to be hired by an agency, they would be considered your employer....regardless of where you are working.....there are some agencies that you can get the benefits of a traveling nurse with only working 60 miles or more away from your home...and still get the benefits of being a traveling nurse (ie- housing and travel allotments)...each agency is different, so if you are thinking about doing this look into all of them, because their benefits can differ tremendously....

Violence in prisons definetly depends on the facility....maximum security facilities have more, first of all because the inmates have less to lose...a lot of them are lifers, a lot of them are there because they have long history of violent behaviors, with little if any remorse for their crimes....thus, mimimum security facilities have a lot less because they are there for parole violations, non-violent crimes etc...and some are getting ready to go home...so they do not want to jeopardize that....plus it depends on the way the inmates are handled by administration and the security staff....I have been very fortunate to work in facilities where the security staff is excellent, (max,med and minimum facilities)...The one good thing about working in a max, from the perspective of a nurse, is that you are able to maintain your ER skills, because of the stabbings, trauma etc....so if you are looking to do that, then a minimum facility would not be for you....

In response to inquiry....I have worked in Corrections in the state of NY for over 10 years....an inmate/patient can refuse anything they so choose....an officer cannot force them out of the cell for you to give meds, take vitals, do an assessment etc....They "have the right" to refuse all treatment and care....Just make sure you document that he refused, document the witnesses, and I would initate a refusal form...in NY, if an inmate refuses to sign a refusal form, the nurse, and the witness sign it....this way you are covered......Hope this helps....

I can not believe your response....first let me say...thank goodness that you are no longer a CO...When I read that you knew you would save your own tail....I was shocked....you took that job, knowing what your responsibilities were....and that at times it would be difficult....but when you accepted the job, you accepted all that it involved....did it ever occur to you, that a nurse should not ever, have to tolerate being disprespected by an inmate, I don't care if it is a minimum or a maxi-max....and any facility allows that to happen, needs to change its administration.....And maybe if she had the support, and team effort by the security staff, her "skin" could remain just as it is....professional "skin" does not have to be tough....Here in NY...that unacceptable behavior is never tolerated by an inmate....or in your case a very unprofessional correctional officer.....

I couldn't help but respond to your inquiry....from what your background is in nursing, I personally don't think you would do well....Correctional Nursing is very different from the areas you have experience in....other than Psych. Nurses in corrections, are very autonomous, most of the time....making it necessary to have a very strong medical background. Psych definetly helps, but it is not enough. As far as your P+P's your physician should be involved in the introduction of them. In NY our physician is considered the Facility Health Service Director...who ultimately makes the decisions of what care can be given without notifying the physician....so ultimately, the physician has to OK all the P+P's...so why not involve him in writing them??? Again, rethink your decision....it may not be the best one you could make....

Definetly not a good idea. First you are cheating yourself out of learning all the basics of nursing, in a "real" setting. Working is nothing like going through the motions of clinical, while obtaining your degree. Without the basics, your decision making will be weak. Plus, there are so many things to learn after school, and you will not have the opportunity to learn a lot while in corrections...Get your basic nursing background, work in med surg, possibly ICU, for a few years, then if you still are considering Correctional Nursing, then investigate. In my experience in Corrections, a lot of your decisions, are made using your past experiences in medical situations, as well as your nursing knowledge....Don't make rash decisions, when it comes to your career, one wrong decision, can ruin it!!

I just read your inquiry about how to respond to a poor environment at your new job with corrections. I work in the State Of New York, and I was quite surprised that you have to work in such a poor environment.I had a situation some years back, when I was fairly new to Corrections. While dispensing meds in SHU,(in a maximum security prison) I had an I/M approach the bars with his member hanging out of his shorts. Considering the CO had to wake him, inorder for me to give him his meds, I wasn't sure if he was "aware" of his dangling appendage. At the time, the inmates in SHU were allowed to place a towel across the bars to their cell, where the toilet was. So I stepped to the side of the cell door, where the towel was, preventing my seeing the inmate below the neck. I discussed the situation with the SGT, not knowing how to handle the situation....I wan't sure if I should write him up or not...the SGT's response was, "If he did it on purpose and you don't write him up, when you go there the next time, all the I/M's memberes will be swinging in the breeze"...so I wrote him up...turns out, he had done this to other nurses in other facilities....so he was transferred immediately to another facility for "separation of staff"....I am a firm believer, that when working in Corrections, you should never tolerate being disrespected, ever...if the CO's don't handle the situation correctly, then speak with your supervisor....Yes, you work in corrections, but that does not mean you should be treated with anything less than you would take from any patient in any setting...if your facility allows this, than shame on them....and that would make me wonder how your security staff would respond if your life was in danger....maybe you need to work somewhere else.....