myownboss

Similar to ICUMan, I got tired of nursing in an acute setting and became a nurse for a state prison system. For the state I work, the starting salary is right at 100k/year and it is easy to make a lot more than that with all the call offs of other nurses and vacancies! It is relatively easy work with SO MUCH LESS stress than the hospital setting!!! I love it. They even hire RNs with little to no hospital experience! They start the salary so high because it’s hard to get people to apply to work in such an environment and the institutions tend to be in the middle of nowhere far from populated areas obviously because you don’t want escapees catching a bus So to speak so commuting can be an issue for some, but I love it because again, so much less stress overall! No families, no stat orders; as long as the guys behave themselves, there’s nothing to do overall... great benefits, pension, ‘unlimited’ sick days (not really, but it is lot more liberal than acute care!)

I easily make more than 100K/yr working as a... prison nurse! I am a relatively new nurse (received ASN in 2010 and BSN in 2012; only working as an RN since 2012). I worked four years in med-surg/tele at a couple of hospitals. Then I obtained a position in as a correctional nurse and easily make more than 100K due to high demand, and relatively few takers because everyone thinks they will be raped and murdered in the prison setting. Yes its true that prison nurses are throwing themselves into the lions' den so to speak, but overall, it is safe and I work with nurses who have been in the environment for 10-15 years with no incident. In addition to the great starting base salary for my state, there is great benefits of course, good pension plan, so much LESS stress than the hospital setting (as long as the guys behave themselves, there is relatively little to do), and usually OT available because nurses are always calling off sick. The biggest drawback is that management can force you to stay to cover the next shift if that nurse calls off, or no one picked up the shift, etc., and it is a 5-day/week job unless you are able to swap shifts with a partner. I tell my friends about it, but I get the same response that they are afraid of being killed or raped so they continue to work in the super stressful hospital settings and make 65-70k like I did when they could make much more with so much less stress overall. Just my 2 cents...

Yep, had a verrrrry similar experience: an older woman with ovarian CA with mets kept screaming and bad mouthing everyone... we just ignored it because of the dx, but she kept 'firing' nurses and phlebotomists right and left because we never knew what we were doing and hurt her. I went on vacation and when I returned, found out she had died after being moved to ICU.

I am a black male nurse. A patient asked for the charge nurse and said, " He does not want a ni**a touching him"... I switched patients with a Filipino nurse for he rest of the shift...

I work at two hospitals in their MS/Tele units; one full time, the other per diem! Both facilities know I work at another so they don't 'mess with me' so to speak. And yes, I rather get the extra hours elsewhere, rather than go in extra because they played that trick on me and I said never again; that is, I'd go in on an extra day, then they'd call me off on my regularly scheduled shift later in the week(i guess to make sure I didn't make overtime). So I decided to make extra money doing per diem elsewhere...

I received an email notice from allnurses saying that I haven't logged onto the site for a long time which is true because I've been busy working a full-time job at one hospital and per diem at another. It was then I decided to take the opportunity to start a discussion that reflected a recent conversation I had with co-workers one night: would we want our children to become nurses? The response was a unanymous 'Hell NO!!' We generally were hoping that our hard work would allow our children to something 'better' and less stressful. Don't get me wrong; we enjoy our jobs and are grateful to be able to work with patients etc, but more and more, it seems like it is becoming more about saving money and charting 'correctly' to prevent law suits. At one hospital where I work, they fired the CNA's and the RN's have to do everything; that is, in addition to RN duties, we have to do I/O's, turning, cleaning post-poop, VS, EVERYTHING!!! At the other facility, as soon as humanly possible, they flex CNA's so that we end up having to do CNA-type stuff, in addition to the fingersticks, etc. Then they wonder why they have so much trouble getting people to come in when other nurses call off for 'sickness'. Also, it seems like management comes up with more and more ways to make charting more time consuming to protect the hospital from 'frivalous claims' from patients and family, etc. Of course they have staff who are paid to sit on their butts for 8 hrs/day and look for nurse charting errors, etc. They are now threatening write-ups for 'improper' charting. I told my co-workers to expect to be counseled sooner or later because we are human and dealing with 4-5 patients (in CA) AND their families. Nursing does not seem to be about patient care anymore; it seems to be about how to get the patient in and out as quickly as possible (unless they have good insurance), before they get a UTI, fall, or skin breakdown. So I ask each of you: Would you want your child to become a nurse as nursing stands now (at least in the med/surg/tele settings)????

Thank you for that information! I will ask the 3 OCN nurses I know of on my unit about what it takes and see if I can shadow them during their chemo administration routine.

Yes this information is very helpful! Thanks. Basically as I understand it, I would not be able to apply for certification at the moment because I have not taken any courses in oncology, etc. I have noticed CE courses in oncology in the Nurse.com magazine I receive monthly so maybe I'll see about taking a local course. Anyway, thanks again!

I am currently a nurse in a med/surg/tele unit. I have noticed that a fair a amount of patients are coming in for chemo treatments or side effects of cancer treatments. The unit manager is encouraging nurses to consider oncology certification. I went to the site concerning sitting for the Oncology certification test (given by, yes, Pearson Vue!!! THE NCLEX people!!!) Anyway, I am a med/surg-type nurse for almost two years. What type of experience or classroom time (in person or online) is necessary before I can apply? Do I or can I pair with an ONC certified nurse on my unit to get experience that can be 'signed off'?

Dear OP: I had to laugh as i read this post!!! I could have written MYSELF!!! As such, I enjoyed reading all the responses and may consider psych nursing (though Im considering NP eventually). I graduated in dec 2010 and it took me a 1.5 yrs to find a job. i too am in my late 40's. ive now been a bedside nurse for a year (yeah i made it to the 'one year acute experience required')... and it sucks!!! i work in the med surg unit of a large county facility and cannot stand it. its not so much the direct patient care per se (i can deal with those who live on the call light, or demanding family members, etc); what's irks me is the amount of paperwork and how everything seems to be geared toward protecting one's license. they have whole departments of former bedside nurses whose job it is to audit charts and make all t's are crossed ,etc; if not, you can be written up. managers constantly coming up with stuff to do, or you can be written up! its like those in management have forgotten or dont care about the stress bedside nursing involves. like i said, the only thing that gets me through is the smile on patients' faces when i make them, or their meddling family members, happy. Thanks for putting up that post and thanks to those who've responded; its given me plenty of food for thought...

hello correctional readers, just today (3 days later), i remembered another question from my interview with the jail facility in a county neighboring l.a. county: you r called to the cell of an inmate whose cellmate mentions that he fell off the top bunk and fell nearly head first onto the floor; he is conscious and alert however; what do u do?

im sorry to admit ignorance, but i dont where the 'interview thread' is. you can let me know or feel free to copy/paste my OP if its possible.

thank u for that post! i anticipate getting similar questions if and when i am called to interview at another correctional institution, so again, i appreciate your post.

thank you for the words of support. i havent given up on nursing; im just putting out the feelers for the OT field. The school i am applying does require 80 hrs volunteer time with a licensed OT so we'll see. anyway, thanks again and i'll you and everyone posted on if i hear anything. they said they would make calls on tuesday...

i'd rather not say exactly except to say it was not a prison, but a jail facility in a county that borders l.a. county. back in sept, i was 'hired' by a large county run facility to be in their ICU. Passed background and physical. They said they would call with start date and never did. they have mentioned that they are waiting for a budget... oh well, so close yet so far... i have a bachelors degree in an unrelated subject so i am actually kind of beginning the process of applying to a school for occupational therapy (masters) since the way its going, i may never see the inside of a medical facility otherwise (i have NO medical experience other than what i did in nursing school). The OT field right now is the way nursing used to be: they are desperate! i should know; my wife is one and she is constantly hounded by recruiters... but with my luck, by the time i finish, that field will also be impacted by budget constraints, etc. one day at a time...