PrisonrNurs

Our class met with the board today. It was interesting and honestly, I wish it could have been longer than an hour. Anyway, the meeting did go well. I imagine some of you were expecting me to make an ass of myself and try to debate the BoN on some issue. Well, needless to say, I was civil, but I did ask a few "thought provoking" questions. Many of the other students asked scenario questions so I thought I'd throw one at her, which is based on a real incident that happened. We help manage young offenders who by definition are wards of the state. In one of the cases, the nurse was ordered by the physician to administer a Gardasil vaccine. The parents of the youth absolutely forbade it. The nurse, also the supervisor of the facility, was torn between the wishes of the parents and her duties as a nurse to follow the doctor's orders. She consulted the attorney general, who advised she follow the wishes of the parents. She did, and the nurse was accused of insubordination by the physician and subsequently disciplined. I saw this as an ethical dilemma and asked the Board what the prudent course of action would have been in this case. All the Board could offer was some terse laughter as well as a deer-in-the-headlights look. After a few seconds the Board representative did state that she would need more information before she could comment. I just dropped the issue after that. It was very interesting and as part of our clinical assignments, we will be shadowing the board during one of their sessions later in the year. That will be exciting to say the least.

Well I am a student, returning to school after some time in the workforce. Let me clarify. Not all my information is second-hand. The BoN was in our facility to do an audit and were so incredibly rude, our director filed a formal complaint and the warden almost had them escorted off of property. I say "bias" based on the incident involving a male and female nurse who were guilty of smuggling in contraband, and both were fired because of it. In addition, the female nurse was also guilty of sexual contact while in the performance of her duties. The male nurse was fined $2,400 dollars and had his license suspended for two years. The female nurse got off with a $500 fine and a reprimand. Aside from the sexual contact, both incidents were the same, based on the case files we read. Our facility physician said he worked with a NP who was reported to the BoN by an inmate. She was terrorized for months by the BoN and eventually left the state because of what they did to her. The BoN believed she was guilty of sexual contact based not on any factual evidence, or even allegations but on the inmates claims that the NP was smuggling explosives into the prison...in her lady parts. Again the case files were read in this case. Debating the BoN would be foolish, but really? Are such actions prudent for "respected" members of the community?

Hello everyone, It's been a while since I posted a thread on here, but I have an interesting situation. The Board of Nursing is coming to our class to discuss violations of the Nurse Practice Act. This is probably consistent across the board, but the ND BON is reputed among the medical community for being biased, harsh, discriminatory (especially if you're a male nurse) and very rude when dealing with specific facilities. They (actually one person in particular) have a reputation of "eating they're own young." That comes from some of the doctors who have personal vendettas against the BON because they lost some very good people through the BON. Our facility has had personal encounters with the BON and all of the vices mentioned above have been apparent. I would like to put the BON "on the spot" and ask them some questions that address these issues. Any ideas? One question I thought of is "What does the BoN actually do to help nurses in the field?" Any ideas would be welcome. Thanks in advance for your input! Sincerely, PrisonRnurs

Hey Mina, Believe me, you need to worry about being sued! It can be for anything and everything, and no where in my opinion, is this worse than correctional nursing. I've been a correctional nurse for 5 years, and throughout that time I've had 6 claims of sexual misconduct (three of them were actual RAPE claims) 4 allegations of inappropriate care, and one case of negligence. The negligence case was because I didn't treat the inmate's pain. I wouldn't give him narcotics...for his jock itch! It doesn't matter how frivolous the claim is, if it goes through the process, it's nerve wracking and stressful. I've been reported to the BON once for a claim. I fought it and won, but it took 18 months and a letter to the governor himself to do it. Trust me on this: You never want to go up against the licensing board. They are the closest thing to pure EVIL I have ever dealt with, and I'm a cancer survivor. You are accountable for everything you do and they say document, document, DOCUMENT! It will save your career, and when you document, do so as if a defense lawyer was reading it. I know this from experience. I wouldn't be a nurse today were it not for proper documentation, and if you called to testify, you should tell them to look at the documentation. Lawyers will try to do two things: Prove you negligent or incompetent.

OK, here's my third reply. Had an inmate who never exercised try to do 300 squats. Could only do 150. Complained to the nurse that his pee looked like coke. Rushed to the ER where I was working that day. MD did a CPK. What was it? 250,000!!!!

Among my favorites: Had one inmate upset that his legs were infected. Indeed, they were red, mottled, skin cracked and bleeding. Not an infection though because it ended abruptly at his waistline. After "interrogating" him, he finally admitted that he was not sending his sweat pants to the laundry for cleaning. He was cleaning them in his cell...with floor cleaner. I had another inmate say he's not taking his suppositories because of the excruciating pain he felt. Turns out he was putting them in...without taking them out of the foil wrap. Another is the guy who didn't want to pay the $3.00 co-pay to see the nurse for an eye infection. He treated himself...by taking fungal powder, mixing it with water and putting it in his eyes. He was sent to the ER for an evaluation, but since it was self-infliced, he was responsible for the medical costs which were around $975...and he STILL had to pay the co-pay! I think the most ridiculous and stupid one I've ever seen was the guy who came down to us with second degree burns to 27% of his body. Turns out he was trying to wash his clothes in his cell. He went to the janitor room and filled a (thin) garbage bag with about 10 gallons of scalding hot water. Naturally it exploded all over him.

Thanks for your insightful reply Steve! You're right, yet it's just so unfair. In my case, the board ignored evidence that would have exonerated me. An investigation into the matter showed that there was no wrong-doing on my part, yet the BoN drew their own conclusions. The people who investigated this case are very upset and insulted as well, and want answers too. It's so ironic. The people who dictate the standards of nursing care are the very ones who have shown every vice (prejudice, being judgemental, etc.,) that we were taught to avoid in school.

Read the title. I'm not mad at the nurse. Actually, I miss her dearly. What I am so angry about is that she got by with a slap on the wrist and I had to go through such a harrowing ordeal with the BoN! There seems to be a clear bias on the BoN's part. My case probably isn't an isolated one.

Hello everyone, I wanted to get your advice on something. A while ago I was reported to the BoN (see my other threads) which turned out to be a nasty, evil mess. I have since then successfully resolved that situation (thanks to the Governor) but want to ask what you think of this: A few months ago, a nurse in our department was caught bringing in contraband (tobacco) for, and may have engaged in some sexual contact with an inmate. The sexual contact couldn't be verified but she was guilty of the contraband. She was fired for it, and although not formally charged, she is guilty of a class C felony. As it was in the performance of her duties she was reported to the BoN by the warden himself. We were braced for the worst, thinking she was going to lose her license. What did the BoN do? Give her a $500 fine and a reprimand! Through an internal investigation, I was found innocent, and was never threatened with the loss of my job, yet I go through 18 months of hell in trying to clear my name with the BoN (who thought I was a sexual predator) while the other nurse gets by with a slap on the wrist? Yes the circumstances may be different, but the outcome is, I am employed, she was fired. I was found innocent, she was found guilty. Can someone explain this to me?

I love my job as a prison nurse, but by far the most difficult thing to deal with is not the danger from inmates, but my supervisor. Her incompetence as an administrator is so evident that I sometimes wonder how she became a nurse. She expresses nothing but negativity, has the backbone of a jellyfish, plays favorites among her nurses, does not advocate for her nurses, has a warped sense of priorities and is willing to put patients at risk to protect her own concerns. One of her worst traits is that she promotes only criticism, not inspiration, morale or efficiency. Among other examples, she: Called in one of our nurses to her office, sat down with him and read...from a list...all his faults. He quit shortly thereafter. Came in to the infirmary and told another nurse that the schedule had suddenly changed and he had to go home. His shift had changed from 6a-4p to 6a-2p. She told him this at 2:35pm! She would not allow him to finish out the hour to complete his work, which included documentation on patients, because it would mean an hour of overtime. Allowed (or forced) a nurse to go home on call despite having an inmate in the infirmary with unstable blood sugars who was suffering diabetic seizures almost daily, which violates company policy that a nurse must be on site if a patient is in the infirmary. Again comp time was an issue because another nurse who could have stayed was denied because he had too much comp time. Was unwilling to acknowledge a mistake in the schedule and scheduled another nurse to work 5 consecutive shifts (among 2 different jobs) with 4 hours in between each shift, allowing him to be in an impaired state due to fatigue. Another nurse developed an example of a protocol sheet that was more efficient and easier to use than our old one and presented it to our supervisor to review. She returned it with the comment "There's nothing wrong with our old sheets. We don't need another sheet, we don't need to make any changes. If you need to document further, you can do it on the back of the sheet." To further emphasize the point, she put a big X through the cover sheet. So much for improving work efficiency. Reported another nurse (me) to the Board of Nursing for inappropriate conduct, despite the fact that there was no evidence allegations or disciplinary action taken. She reported it because the Chief of Security, whom she doesn't answer to, pressured her into doing so. Did I not say "backbone of a jellyfish?"A year later, I am still dealing with this case.Complaints were brought up by three different nurses to the warden. Nothing was done. At least 2 nurses quit because of her and now we're severely short-staffed. As I said, I love my job and would hate to leave it, but I'm at a loss as to what to do next. Any ideas? Please let me know.

OK here's another one that got the ER roaring. I had a patient come in (the second time) with abdominal pain. He was driven in by a friend. Both are big burly roughnecks. The friend came in to visit and asked me if we knew what was wrong. He jokingly said "he must be in labor!" I said yeah, that could be, and then asked him if he was the father. Before he could answer I told "you can help with the delivery! You stand here [at the foot of the bed] while I run and get a catcher's mitt for you, and whatever you do, don't drop the baby when he jumps out!" It got a good chuckle out of everyone. He then said "ummm, I think we got a problem here." To that I replied, "I know what you're thinking. No need to worry. Once the hormones kick in, he'll have boobs the size of Utah!!" THAT'S when the whole ER, patients and all, were roaring!

Every once in a while an inmate who is a patient in our ER threatens to "call my lawyer!" if he doesn't get what he wants, like morphine instead of Toradol. To his lawyer threat I say, "The same lawyer who tried to keep you out of jail?" It works every time.

Hello everyone, In our facility we do a lot of QA's on our charts. Anytime there is a discrepency, we have to go in and correct them. Most are very minor...a discrepency when a patient leaves the ER, but some are more important, like not charting the initial assessment or the discharge information. Some can be a week old, but some can be from months ago, depending on when the QA is done. My question is this: Does a late entry consititue a violation of the Nurse Practice Act? A review of the North Dakota NPA does not clearly outline this, nor does our facility's policy and procedure. What do you think?

Hello everyone, In our facility we do a lot of QA's on our charts. Anytime there is a discrepency, we have to go in and correct them. Most are very minor...a discrepency when a patient leaves the ER, but some are more important, like not charting the initial assessment or the discharge information. Some can be a week old, but some can be from months ago, depending on when the QA is done. My question is this: Does a late entry consititue a violation of the Nurse Practice Act? A review of the North Dakota NPA does not clearly outline this, nor does our facility's policy and procedure. What do you think?

No, not paranoid or even afraid in our facility. Some days I swear, this isn't a prison, it's a glorified day-care center! I'm not worried about a physical assault, but I am worried about the threat of law suit. Inmates will do anything to cause trouble, if for no other reason than their bored. The latest trend among the inmates now is to report a nurse to the Board of Nursing. WATCH OUT!!!!

Hello everyone, This is an update to my "accused of being a sexual deviant" thread I posted about a month ago. Here is the post URL if you're interested: https://allnurses.com/forums/f8/accused-being-sexual-deviant-142249.html?highlight=sexual+deviant Anyway, here's the latest. My supervisor filed a complaint with the Board of Nursing "against my better judgement" she said. It is likely she was pressured to do it by our Chief of Security. After conducting an investigation the board felt that I had committed 2 violations against our nurse practice act, regarding documentation and professional mis-conduct. They also made the recommendation that my license be suspended for a year and fined $1,600. Now here's what's odd: I listed the "atrocities" the BoN claims I committed (I'm more evil than Saddam Hussein) to nurse lawyers, legal nurse consultants and administrators. Their reaction was that of total shock, that the BoN would issue such a penalty for what they claimed I did. They kept asking me "what are you not telling me?" thinking I'm leaving something out. One lawyer I spoke with even stated that the BoN isn't being straight forward with me. Although they won't admit it, the BoN thinks I'm a sexual predator, likely after talking with the Chief of Security. They have taken it upon themselves to "charge" me with this despite the fact that I can refute, with proof, each of their claims, despite glowing reviews from my co-workers, despite actually having witnesses present, despite internal investigations proving the allegations to be false and despite experts who deal with sexual predators in our facility say that no such behavior exists! Needless to say I've hired a lawyer, but the stress this puts on me is overwhelming. The BoN has stripped me of my dignity, self-respect and any desire to be a nurse. Regardless of the outcome, I plan on filing suit against the prison and against the BoN, if possible. Any support or advice you can give me would be most welcome.

We had a cardiac patient who started going downhill fast. The Dr. ordered him transferred out, and had us set up a dopamine drip. We were not to start it unless his heart started to fail. It was set up and everything was ready. All that was left to do was wait for the ambulance to arrive. The Dr. left and we went back to care for our other patients. The patient's daughter comes back and told me "The nurse who set up the IV forgot to start it, so we started it ourselves." Once the color returned to my face, I alerted the doctor and the other nurses. The doctor said to leave the drip running. Luckily he was transferred out without any problem.

Actually, all the complaints are unrelated. Matter of fact, one inmate made a complaint while he was in a detention cell, away from the other inmates. lol he said I gave him two red pills which made him pass out, and while he was unconscious, I snuck into his cell raped him and gave him HIV and HBV. The pills I gave him were Ibuprofen. :chuckle I have had incidents where one inmate is assessed for a groin rash, and the next day, three other inmates from the same cell block have the same problem. That's when you get suspicious. lol or maybe I'm just really good with my hands.:roll

You're right, Undecided. The best course of action would be to refer them to the MD where many of the cases go. What's sad is that these types of cases are very common, from groin rashes to testicular cancer. Even worse, when an inmate has something wrong "down there" he mentions it to other inmates first, and always they get the worst case scenario. We have had inmates come down in a full-blown panic thinking that that ingrown hair follicle is a testicular tumor. I could defer them to the MD, but then we'd have 3 times the number of patients on our doctor call and it could be 3-5 days before they see the MD (we don't have one in house). I would hate to leave them in a in a high state of anxiety for that long...knowing what it feels like.

Thanks for your reply Marylou. Yes, in the cases that were investigated, the witnesses did back me up. An internal investigation was conducted in all the cases, and they were all found to be false. In two of the four cases, I didn't even have to give a statement. The issue with the COS is that there were so many in such a short time, which is unprecedented in our facility. He's thinking that I must be doing something wrong...that this can't be a coincidence.

I'm not posting this asking for advice (although any you give me would be most welcome) I'm posting this to VENT my anger! The other day I was called into a meeting with my supervisor and Chief of Security (COS) present. There was some concern that there had been four claims against me of sexual harassment within the past 4 months. I should add that since I am one of the few male nurses, I get referred the majority of genital and anal complaints from the female nurses. I ALWAYS have a witness with me when I'm doing this type of exam and carefully document everything. All the allegations have all been proven to be FALSE but the COS was concerned that "something was up," since there were so many in such a short time. His tone was very harsh and nasty and he treated me as if I was an inmate instead of a staff member. He made several comments such as "I would say what I'm thinking, but it wouldn't be appropriate in this meeting." and "If it were up to me I would let you go." As if that wasn't bad enough, he then asked me "Do you know what a sexual deviant is?" I came completely unglued and had I not been gripping the arms of my chair for dear life I would have jumped across the table and strangled him. He then went on to say that I am showing signs of deviance by telling the inmates, "If you're uncomfortable with this type of assessment, we don't have to do it." Ummm...and all this time I thought I was offering Informed Consent. His qualifications for assessing and diagnosing sexual deviance? He attended a workshop. My supervisor, who is a coward, did and said absolutely nothing during the meeting. In fact, she has been cold and distant instead of supportive or even concerned. Yes, I want to leave, and will, but if I quit now, it would make me look guilty of something. As I said, I just need to vent, but any ideas, suggestions or even a bit of support would be greatly appreciated.

HA! HA! HA! I had to laugh when I read this thread! In my 2.5 years as a prison nurse, I've been threatened with a law suit at least 14 times, been "charged" with RAPE 4 times and have been presented with at least 2 subponeas. Inmates are perhaps the most sue-happy people on the planet and like to play the "attorney" card whenever they can. The first law suit involved the loss of one inmate's testicle due to an infection. We later found out that the inmate had been masturbating...while he had a catheter in place. How he pulled that one off is beyond my ablility to understand. What's really funny is that the names on the subopenas were wrong and had to be changed again! The second inmate tried to sue us because his PPD test came back positive. He says we gave him TB. When an inmate threatens me with a law suit, I say "Will you be using the same lawyer who tried to keep you OUT of jail?" :rotfl: That usually shuts them up. If not, I let them have it and remind them of all the tests, labs and assessments they refused. This is usually as far as it goes.

I've been working in our ER for nearly a year, and in lieu of recent events, was prompted to open this thread. I am the only male nurse in, not just the ER but in the entire hospital. The nurses I work with are very good at what they do, save for one fault. THEY HATE MALES! Despite their "friendly" and helpful demeanor there has always been some underlying hostility towards me. Not only that, I tend to overhear comments like "They only hired him because he's a male nurse." and "Guess who's YOUR partner today?" Even though this is a male nursing forum, Marci, I hope you are reading this. One of the nurses I used to work with (who I miss dearly) suggested I try to "kill them with kindness." It didn't work. I brought homemade cheesecake. They ate it like hyenas at a slaughter, but not a single thank you from any of them. OK here's my question: How do I attempt to solve this problem, without quitting my job (which I do love) without having to resort to murder? Has anyone run across this problem? How did you deal with it?

A good tip for patients with "rolling" veins: Use a hair pick! Lay the pic against the skin, with the vein between two of the teeth. It works like a charm and keeps the vein from rolling away while trying to insert the cannula.

OK, here's my 2 cent's worth: I dont' have chest hair, I have chest FUR! I get teased a lot from the female nurses, who threaten me with tape if I don't do what they say. :chuckle I never was mandated to wear a t-shirt under my scrubs, but I do anyway, as I do feel uncomfortable with all that hair hanging out, plus it looks more professional to me. It doesn't bother me in the least that someone else doesn't wear a t-shirt underneath their scrubs, and I don't think they look unprofessional, but it's just my personal feelings about myself. Thankfully, no supervisor, co-worker or patient has told me I need to wear a t-shirt underneath my scrubs. I have been "propositioned" by patients though, which is really scary, considering I work in a men's prison. :uhoh21: