ripley

Hi Jazzylyn I have a little info on PHS. I worked for them for about 2 months before another company took over the contract. There were the usual complaints that nurses always have about their jobs ie: management doesn't care; they don't pay enough; they don't know what it's like being down here in the trenches, etc. When a new company took over, I think most of the nurses realized that )PHS wasn't so bad after all. We always had plenty of supplies; every inmate had the medication they needed delivered in a very timely fashion; we had adequate coverage (of course it always seemed like we needed more help, but we had an RN , 2 LPN's and depending on the shift, fron one to 3 or 4 med techs (who were trained to do intake interviews, vital signs, accu-checks etc. Also, any nurses and techs appreciated that PHS considered that working 32 hours per week, qualified them to receive benefits. All in all, not bad considering what I have heard about the new company, Naphcare, who cut back both staff and benefits , and placed all employees on 90 days probation, and gave no credit for seniority when deciding who to keep and who to let go. So, my input is, "you could do a lot worse"!

Thanks for the reply. I kind of got the feeling that they were a pretty shifty company.Lots of promises, but not a very respectful attitude. They started breaking promises they had made to nurses before they even took over. I haven't , so far, heard anything too bad about CMS and I plan to apply to them tomorrow. We had PHS prior to being taken over by Naphcare and I'm betting the staff is thinking Naphcare wasn't so bad after all. (I did run!) Thanks again, Ripley .QUOTE=ccpc]Just read your post about your recent experience with Naphcare. Advice - RUN! There are only 3 major players and maybe some minor league companies i'm not aware of....I worked for CMS for several years and although we had a particularly evil administrator, the company was strong and mature. Naphcare won the new bid at the correctional facility where I and several good nursing friends worked. Naphcare initially came in and gave their big "we don't want to replace anyone" speech, but low and behold, nearly every major nursing player there was replaced within several months and word is, they plan to continue replacing, after they've worked all these poor nurses to death, and OVERWORKING shifts, to help them get their feet wet with this new contract. At least 3 Naphcare managers have lost their jobs because of the chaos they caused and word has it that the department with whom Naphcare contracted is already fed up...lies have been told over and over and although I loved that place and the inmate population, I am glad my time there was nipped in the bud. The few that are left, including nurses, a PA, and a few others are currently racing the clock to find other employment before their pink slips come in. PHS is also another company around for awhile. I've never heard any complaints and several of the CMS nurses have worked for PHS as prn and said it was cool...sorry if your first experience in correctional nursing is rough....find the right company and you may LOVE it.

Tell me more. I lived in California for a long time and miss it very much. I am currently living in the midwest for family reasons, and am thinking that contract work might be a solution for spending time in both places. Have you heard of any specific agencies or correctional facilities I could contact, or were you maybe just passing on general information? Either way, thanks for responding.Ripley

I would opt to keep them and detox them, you never know when someone will finally decide they have had enough and decide to stay clean or sober. I know it's not that likely but, you gotta give them that chance.

I am currently working in a county jail as a PRN/Rn and am looking for a full-time position. Right from the start I have had difficulty looking for JUST jobs in correctional facilities (CFs). I have tried numerous key-words such as: jail nursing; prison nursing; corrections etc. and have found jobs mostly by accident. Any suggestions on how to zero in on just positions in "CFs". Thanks, ripley

Hi all, I'm a long-time hospital nurse who finally decided I couldn't take the frustration and pressure any more.I left every day feeling I hadn't done enough. Hospital nursing has become wayyyyy too stressful. It's not fun anymore. I decided yo go into corrections nursing and have been working at a county jail for several months. I love it. I'm hooked already. My motto has become," A bad day at the jail is better than a good day at most hospitals!" My problem is that I was not told when I took the job that the medical management company at the jail had lost their contract and another company (who underbid the old co. by a half million $$) would be moving in the 1st of October.) We all have interviewed with the company and so far they have kept people but, many who had part-time or full-time jobs WITH benefits are now being forced to go "prn" with no benefits and they are already cutting back on staffing requirements for each shift.As you might expect, many people are angry and offended. The old co. was PHS, and the new co. is Naphcare. I am wondering what experiences other nurses have had similiar to this one and could recomend...or not....which companies to look for and which to avoid.This doesn't have to be a "bashing" session, just a "heads-up" to help with job-hunting since I have zero interest in going back to the hospital.:uhoh21: Thanks. ripley

Hi All, I am a long-time hospital nurse who has just started (2 months) nursing at a county jail and I am hooked on corrections nursing. My motto, so far is :"A bad day at the jail is better than a good day at the hospital." The stress level is so much less, and the jail I work at is very adamant about there alway being at least one deputy with any nurse coming in direct contact with any inmate. The problem I have encountered is that when I was hired I was not told that a new medical management company would be starting in 3 months. They are keeping me on as PRN/RN, at least for now. My question is (if this is appropriate for posting on this forum) does anybody have any input or suggestions on which private companies are "good", "fair" or "downright BAD". :uhoh21: The new co. here is Naphcare. Also I would appreciate some info on courses available to help me improve my "jail nursing" skills. One last questions, can anyone recommend travel companies that staff primarily jails and prisons? I know this is rather long, but this is my first post and I have lots of questions. Thanks