What happens when a max security inmate is unconscious in their cell?

NYRN08 · Oct 13, 2009

We cannot go in until one is present and we get the "clear" to do so. It is frustrating to know end. :angryfire

stephied · Oct 14, 2009

We are trained our entire career as nurses to respond immediately so chance of survival is optimum but prison is a whole different ballgame. Safety for the patient but also SAFETY for everybody else too.

Jaila · Oct 15, 2009

We don't have to have a capt. or lt., but usually the sgt. or a member of our response team is there. Im has to be secured first. I mean, are we sure they are really unconscious? Sometimes the ammonia comes in handy. :)

Eirene, ASN, RN · Oct 15, 2009

You wait until security clears the area/cell. It doesn't have to be "white shirt", it can be any C.O. They are usually very cautious and safe when it comes to nurses.

MassED, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2009

We cannot go in until one is present and we get the "clear" to do so. It is frustrating to know end. :angryfire

not being a correctional nurse.... isn't it better to have some safety measures in place, in "case" the inmate was pretending, just waiting to overpower a nurse (or whomever)??

Eirene, ASN, RN · Oct 15, 2009

not being a correctional nurse.... isn't it better to have some safety measures in place, in "case" the inmate was pretending, just waiting to overpower a nurse (or whomever)??

It IS frustrating. Yes, we need to be safe and secure. But when someone is sick/dying/whatever; it's very hard to wait. Inmates are people, too. It's just a gut reaction to immediately go where we are needed.

MassED, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2009

I can understand - but just as in "scene safety" - you don't want to be struck by a train as you zero in on a crash and run over to help the victims, lying by the train tracks - tunnel vision can kill you. Scene safety - better to have just one victim, instead of two. No one would fault a nurse to have protection for themselves before lifesaving measures are implemented - I do understand the gut reaction, but it's almost like having to stop, take a deep breath, then act. That must be a difficult job, though, I have to say. I would always imagine the potential threat from an inmate first and foremost. In my environment, inmates are shackled, so there's a degree of safety (though not much, but just enough) - and even with CO's there, I don't assume they're looking out for me.

Eirene, ASN, RN · Oct 15, 2009

I can understand - but just as in "scene safety" - you don't want to be struck by a train as you zero in on a crash and run over to help the victims, lying by the train tracks - tunnel vision can kill you. Scene safety - better to have just one victim, instead of two.

Yes, I already practice that and know that- as I'm sure all of the correctional nurses do.

Working with an inmate who is shackled with his own officer is very different with inmates in the general population. have 150+ inmates in a single pod who are not shackled. When we go to work, we risk our lives every single day.

No offense, but we know who are bad guys are. In an inner city ER, you really have no clue who is dangerous and who isn't.

We know safety. Please don't preach. This thread is for nurses who work in corrections and what our feelings of discontentment are. We know safety- but it can still be frustrating at times.

MassED, BSN, RN · Oct 15, 2009

Yes, I already practice that and know that- as I'm sure all of the correctional nurses do.

Working with an inmate who is shackled with his own officer is very different with inmates in the general population. have 150+ inmates in a single pod who are not shackled. When we go to work, we risk our lives every single day.

No offense, but we know who are bad guys are. In an inner city ER, you really have no clue who is dangerous and who isn't.

We know safety. Please don't preach. This thread is for nurses who work in corrections and what our feelings of discontentment are. We know safety- but it can still be frustrating at times.

whoah whoah whoah - calm down! As I stated earlier, if you read that, I do not work in a corrections facility. Who is preaching???? So what if I don't work in corrections.... I work in an ER... and anyone can be a "bad guy." What is your point? A nurse is a nurse. Safety is safety. I can browse and post to whichever forum I would like. You have totally misread my post.

stephied · Oct 15, 2009

I'm not a corrections nurse YET, but I hope to be soon. I have not worked in ER either but I can see some similarities in both as you both have stated. There are differences too. My background is OR and I've seen the results of what harm people can do to each other. Just as with raising my boys, it was hard to separate their bad behavoir from their "being bad". Every patient situation demands "SAFETY FIRST" that is dicated by the particular situation. I appreciate the comments from all of you as it stimulates me to "think first before I act".

katkonk, BSN, RN · Oct 16, 2009

Yes, I already practice that and know that- as I'm sure all of the correctional nurses do.

Working with an inmate who is shackled with his own officer is very different with inmates in the general population. have 150+ inmates in a single pod who are not shackled. When we go to work, we risk our lives every single day.

No offense, but we know who are bad guys are. In an inner city ER, you really have no clue who is dangerous and who isn't.

We know safety. Please don't preach. This thread is for nurses who work in corrections and what our feelings of discontentment are. We know safety- but it can still be frustrating at times.

Hi. Just a reminder that those nurses who have not worked in a correctional facility don't really know how things operate which is what she said. I don't think any nurse who has not walked into a large prison knows what to expect once you get in there...I certainly didn't, and I would bet that you didn't either. ED nurses have less safety mechanisms built in to their work (I was only in Level I ED facility for a short while before I decided that I didn't like meth'd up/coked up junkies taking a swing at me.) And pre-hospital care has even fewer safety nets, hence the emphasis on safety and securing a scene. And a nurse that is not familiar with corrections would likely think that it is more dangerous than it is.....in that we often get to know the Ad seg/close custody guys and you likely have a feel for whether they are the type to fake a loss of consciousness, and we know their chronic health problems, often a lot about their health history and if they are frequent flyers for fights, their personalities, etc. You are right...waiting for a c/o or higher IS worse than frustrating, especially if you fear they are compromised, and the guys in gray are often disdainful and not in a hurry. However, she was just speaking her concern about the securing the scene. And it is always helpful to browse the chat boards and see what the issues are in other fields of nursing...that is how we learn and become well-rounded nurses. :twocents: