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I have had more scary incidents with staff. One in particular: An officer who was supposed to be watching my back stormed out of the lab room when I was drawing blood on a psychotic inmate. My guess is that the officer was upset because we gave the patient a warm blanket as the patient was shaking; when he didn't stop shaking my colleague put her hand on the patient's back and said something to reassure him. He stopped shaking and I went for the vein while the hothead officer (who I never saw demonstrate common courtesy for anyone in medical) stomped out of the room, abandoning his post. There are many officers where I work who believe that nurses who provide standard of care nursing (in compliance with the Nurse Practice Act, Title 15 and Title 22) are actually doing something inappropriate. They will actually call you an "inmate lover" and make life very difficult for you--perhaps even looking the other way when an inmate tries to pull your arm through the food port. On the other hand, these officers will support medical staff who bad-mouth their patients, neglect or even abuse the patients. Many nurses (at least where I work) will behave inappropriately, even illegally to secure favor with the officers so they know the officers won't blacklist them. Hence--or at least contributing to, the numerous successful and expesive class-action lawsuits leading to the Federal take-over of the California prison system. There is an atmosphere of justified contempt, hate, cynicism and "us-versus-them" thinking (on all levels, but most especially staff versus inmate). This atmosphere is so pervasive that it eventually overpowers people of integrity, eroding their objectivity and professionalism. I've seen it too many times now. And Yes, now I'm so paranoid that I'm out on a leave, taking benzodiazepines just to quell the fear that the Green Wall is after me. I blew the whistle on not only some rogue officers but also my fellow nurses who practice their own Code of Silence to cover up medication errors and other bad behavior.

In the 3.5 years I've worked as a correctional nurse at Pelican Bay State Prison, which has some of the most violent and psychotic offenders in CA, I've never been attacked. I do know one nurse who I work with who has been similarly assaulted and another who had a close call at the food port.

Recall your first year(s) of nursing. Did you feel as if you went through a hazing or cruel initiation? Or--was it a supportive and caring experience with veteran nurses providing encouragement and mentoring?