Why Do You Love Being A Prison Nurse?

Specialties Correctional

Published

There's not too much posting on this forum and I'd like to see if we can get a new positive thread going on why you love being a correctional nurse. I'm sure there are topics like this in the past, but I'm hoping some people will come in and build this thread. So, what's good?

For me, I like working with underserved populations. I like the public health aspects. I love that I don't have to deal with family members or spend a lot of time getting refreshments, blankets, or otherwise doing "customer service". I like educating people, who often have had very little health education or access to health care, about their medication and medical situations so they can make better decisions. I like that I get to use my nursing skills in an environment that is not (usually) pulling me in a million directions at once, but gives me many opportunities to hone my assessment skills and make decisions.

There are more things I like, but this is a beginning. Yes, I know there are "cons" to being a correctional nurse and perhaps another thread will be in order for that. In this one, I'm hoping to read about the GOOD things. :-) Please share!

The ability to practice straight up nursing! When making everyone happy all of the time took precedent over providing care it was all over for me & hospital nursing...I think patient satisfaction is important but chasing my tail for ice water for 5 family members, having people flip out because their Dilaudid was one nanosecond late, trying to get the cable TV fixed etc...all while never being backed up by management is too much. I would sooner return to waitressing than hospital nursing. The expectation that the nurse has the God-given ability to render everyone happy all of the time has just gotten out of control. I feel for new grads.

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I completely agree. I felt like in the hospital setting, I did more Butt-kissing than I actually did of real nursing. Everyone thinks nurses in the correctional field are here because we couldn't make it anywhere else. I disagree. Let a hospital nurse who has never done corrections spend one day with us on a crazy day and see what they think.

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I liked the honesty. I liked the truth I could tell once I'd earned some trust. It didn't work with everyone, but most of the guys I saw regularly really appreciated being spoken to like a "real person"--not an inmate, not a patient, not another young guy (often,of color) getting lectured by an older lady who didn't get where they were coming from; I did get it, and once they figured that out I could start teaching them. I loved doing peds--I touched a lot of people's lives; but corrections was where I felt I was doing everything a nurse should do, treating the whole patient, really making a difference. And if my new gig doesn't work out, I'm going right back to prison.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
Let a hospital nurse who has never done corrections spend one day with us on a crazy day and see what they think.

Most of our days are pretty routine, but when we have our moments, they are usually big ones: Riots, stabbings, hostage situations and so forth. By the very nature of the population that we work with, this is a dangerous work environment. Every time I walk into a different area of the yard or a housing unit, I'm scanning. Watching where the inmates are. Seeing if anyone is standing in an area where he shouldn't be. Locating the supervising officer. Checking to see if I am passing through a blind spot. Always trying to stay one step ahead.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Corrections.

I've been in corrections for almost 3 years now. Been a RN for 20. I work in a male medium security state prison and my prison has the most seriously mentally ill inmates in the entire state where I work. Prior to coming to corrections I had 12 years of Critical Care experience(adults).

1) I work night shift so no supervisors breathing down my neck

2) I have earned the respect of the inmates because I don't treat them as though they're sub-human. And I DO what I say ;)

3)While the hands on nursing care on nights is minimal, I do a LOT of paperwork, secretarial type stuff and I get paid quite well for it :D

4)I have put my Critical care skills to good use on more than one occasion

5)I only have one, or maybe two co-workers to deal with at night.

6)NO PRESS-Gainey Surveys or HCAHPS scores to have to worry about.

7)Don't have to 'kiss the inmates butt" for Customer Satisfaction ;)

8)NO VISITING HOURS

9)The inmates are all locked-up at night

10)I am SAFER working in a prison with 2300 male convicts than I ever was working in a community hospital! There's at least one officer when I interact with an inmate and if I raise my voice, MORE Officers arrive right quick and they all have OC (pepper spray but stronger)Spray ;)

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Why I love corrections...1) I can have dry sense of humor and not be reprimanded for it. 2) I love teaching and educating...especially those that didn't get the needed knowledge in the free world. 3) I have lots of autonomy. 4) There is never a dull moment and I am always dealing with something new some good and some really sad. 4) I love our jail officers...they are really protective and appreciative of the nurses. 5)I don't think I will ever change to another specialty ever again.

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Specializes in public health, women's health, reproductive health.

I love these answers. Working as a prison nurse is not my full time gig anymore. But I find that I miss the inmates and my co-workers! It's not an easy specialty but it's rewarding in so many ways. I am a public health nurse at heart and found many public health aspects to the job. Perhaps people will look at these posts and consider trying this work. Thanks to everyone who has posted so far!

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Specializes in Geriatrics, Home Health.

I worked in a prison for a few months. It was a big change from home care. I liked the fact that we weren't expected to befriend the inmates, and we were allowed to say no to the inmates. In home care, a family can dismiss you for any reason or no reason. If you don't cater to them, you don't work. It can make maintaining boundaries very hard.

In Corrections, nurses don't have to worry so much about customer service. The inmates should be respected like any human being, regardless of what they have done. However, if they don't like something you've done, and you've followed the standard of care without violating their human rights, they pretty much have to live with it. It was nothing like my tour of Nursing Home Hell, where I was reprimanded for ignoring one resident's requests for help with her makeup while her neighbor was having trouble breathing (and I told her the about the breathing trouble).

In Corrections, I didn't have to lift or toilet anyone. If someone hit or threatened me, there were consequences. I didn't have to deal with families.

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The good things I liked about correctional nursing

2. You get to see way more interesting medical diseases/injuries much more than say a med/surg unit

Can you elaborate on how correctional facility nursing sees more interesting medical diseases and injuries than med/surg? I am starting school in January, and have worked in a hospital for awhile. I would avoid med/surg but am looking at critical care or emergency medicine, and wanted to learn more about correctional nursing. Much appreciated.

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Specializes in IMCU.

Nice thread. Thank you!

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the rules and regulations on the "correctional" side of this position. everything takes forever so i sit my behind down most of the shift.

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
Can you elaborate on how correctional facility nursing sees more interesting medical diseases and injuries than med/surg? I am starting school in January, and have worked in a hospital for awhile. I would avoid med/surg but am looking at critical care or emergency medicine, and wanted to learn more about correctional nursing. Much appreciated.

A lot of the things that we see occur with much more frequency than in the general population. You also learn a bunch about infection control. You see a lot of different things. I treated my first gunshot wounds inside the prison (I never worked emergency medicine).

On my yard we had an active TB case develop (the guy had tested negative on the PPD at intake), then we had to figure out who he could have reasonably been around before we knew that he was active and re-test all of them. I also had an inmate at a former facility with a disease that only about 5,000 people in the US have. I could have gone an entire career in conventional medicine and never seen such a case. Instead I became pretty much expert in that particular condition.

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