OK... HERE IS WHAT I LEARNED FROM WORKING IN CORRECTIONS ...

that is the alternate title.... ( thanks for the clarification that the nurses working in corrections are not the jailbirds))

WHAT I LEARNED....
Above all to trust myself more, listen to my inner voice and next time I will stand up to any nurse, veteran or not, more experience or not , and be even more proactive then I was, I wont care if I have to wake a nursing supervisor or the house doctor or piss off twenty or so guards and the nurse I am supposed to be working with that night. I will do it anyway. That is above all what I learned and put into practice following the incident I learned it from. I was still working there, the veteran nurse who shall remain nameless ( and for whom looking back at it, I can be grateful to) .... was not. Bless her where ever she is now.

I did a stint in corrections both in state and county and I have to say that state was a better working environment. I was not in a high level corrections unit... where they keep lifers and death row inmates. I was working with lower level felons just starting their sentences and higher level felons on the end of thier sentence.... It was interesting work. I would return to state but not county not even if they paid double, even if at the county I felt I made more of a positive impact. In state I got men who didnt show up regularly to med line to show up more regularly, by using psychology, and respect tinged with kindness. If inquiring after thier health while getting thier pills was kindness.

The difference between the county and the state was the attitude toward the prisoners by the whole system. In State the prisoners are viewed as people who are serving their sentence to soicety, denied any other access to health care we were there to provide the best health care possible for the inmates, while being cautious and on guard never to me gotten over on. In county ... the inmates were by and large (with a few excpetions and i could count those on one hand in both officiers and nurses.) by and large the inmates were treated humanely but with the attitude that they were the scum of the earth. Case in point, I was rebuked for thanking a prisoner for holding open a door by an offiicer. "That inmate is priviledged to be holding open that door for you and it is not appropriate for you to be thanking him. He is lucky to be holding that door open for you" This was typical. I counter that argument with this reasoning... if simple politeness/ respect is not used, what example are we setting? In state prisoners were referred to by name if it was known well to the officer and Sir if not. It is a matter of respect for another human bieng. In county because they ar supposedly innocent until proven guilty and in state because they are serving the time they got.

In county ... you, you there, yeah you. were polite terms, if the name was not recalled. I was told "these people were scum of the earth and that I did not have to make rounds every two hours to check on them" I did anyway.

While i was there at county an inmate died, I had done all I could for him in the hour or so he was in my care before I was somewhat rudely told I was over reacting to his condition, and asked to go do the second half of a sixteen hour shift in another area. When I was summoned back to the medical unit from screenings the inmate was very dead that I wanted to send to the hospital... ( this was on video) and that the seasoned nurse vetoed me on and sent me to another unit.

I was on orientation and all of one month into learning detox for the first time of my nursing career... I am still dealing with that nearly three years later having been brought up on wrongful death charges with all of the correctional unit. what a night mare. I wonder some days if I am not experiencing some post traumatic stress syndrome symptioms even three years after this. Even though I had carried out reasonable care and watchfulness and made sound recommendatons that with improvent in detox protocol that the inmate be watched very closely for any signs of deterioration via vital signs.

My point in posting this is to say if you are in corrections,
It is help and will stand you in good stead to consider viewing everyone as spiritual beings having human experiences, doing the best they can with the wisdom, knowledge and experience they have at the time. That if they are obnoxious and hateful they are calling out for love and respect, and if they are being nice, while being aware of being gotten over on, accept that sometimes even prisoners can be human and kind.

FIRM FAIR AND CONSISTENT is the best motto I know of... in corrections and it is the state by law.

I wish all of you well in Correctional Nursing. I found it to be great working with inmates and in county even in screening prisoners. I had a chance here and there to get to talk with people distraught about the behavior that put them there and that they were in jail,,and was able to encourage them to consider seeing that this "time out" from the universe was an opportunity to review where they are now and which actions might take them in a more positive direction. That they are the only authority in their mind for their thoughts, that their thoughts create their feelings, influence their actions and that the actions make up their destiny, anywhere they are! To be thankful they have gotten this time out without any further trauma that might otherwise be, and just do what they were instructed to do, breath deeply and use the time to their advantage.
It made a huge difference to some people, gave food for thought to others and some... well.. the ones with cold shark eyes... didnt usually have much fear either, they were in their element... so they didnt ask questions or show emotions.

You might choose to remember that the next time you are upset when you get emotional.. Maybe it is better to be able to express emotion and not have it burst out of you in a violent episode as it did for some of those individuals. I treated them with respect and kindness and got done with the screening for them as quickly as possible so they could get back to their sleeping place ... that was all in county where you didnt know if you screening someone who was behind in child support, or a murderer, a drunk or a child molester. It didnt matter, unless they were unruly or combative. They didnt get screened in that instance. What an experience.

Correctional nursing is challenging in the respect that you have a controlled environment that you must respect because it can turn on you when you least expect it.
It will educate you on being aware of your surroudings at all times, and in how to read people as well as they can be read.

It will teach you quickly to pay attention to your gut instincts.

If you use it in this way, it will also teach you to be able to see the spiritual being in all of us...even inmates... and see them as God sees them... a loving God who has the capacity to forgive ANYONE. I never could see how God could do that. I now know how. It is a remarkable expereince, but not one they willl teach you.
I will tell you this... if you do attempt that experience do not disregard the being watchful and not being gotten over on information for bless their hearts, inmates have been trained in childhood to be past masters at manipulation, and for some it was a matter of survival. Be respectful of your environment is what I mean... but you might choose see the spiritual being in each of the inmates you see, in order to overcome unreasonable repulsion or overreaction of fear... pay attention to your gut... and ask, you will know when you are right or irrational.
Show respect, firmness fairness and consistency and you should do fine. Bless your hearts all of you for being in their doing the work you are doing.
God well and truly bless all of us in nursing in whatever field we are in, as well as though of us retired, we are truly blessed in a career in service, but God bless us beyond that too. Special watchfulness over those in corrections Mother Father God... Please. and so it is.

Just a little prayer at the end..
no intention to offend
if it displeases you
chalk it up to my being a reverend
and please know
that whereever you go
you take yourself with you.

If this helped anyone reading it.. please let me know.. It would be nice to know that the trauma surrounding my county expereince benefited someone beside me. I went from maternal child hospital to homecare nursing to prison nursing after a work injury that left me disabled 45%. It has been a tough decade folks. Thanks for letting me vent here a bit. I lost my parents, both of them in that same decade. I appreciate any love energy you wish to send my way... not in feeling sorry for myself, but in trying to make a go at a new career in life coaching. I found the transition rough, but getting easier all the time. I just long for the stead paycheck nursing also provided.

Being only in my 3rd of 5 days of PreService training for corrections, I truly appreciate the advice and headsup of those of you who have been there or are there still. Firm, Fair and Consistent is the 3 watchwords I have heard repeatedly in the last 3 days as well as Accountability and Respect and Integrity. I am impressed so far by the attitudes of the Correctional Officers, and the other staff I have come in contact with so far.  I hope to live up to the large responsiblity being place in our hands when we act on our training.

Indeed a great article, I treat every inmate/patient with the same respect as I would on the outside.  I run sick call each day of my shift,  I am firm  to the point , advising what I am allowed to prescribe per protocols. I don't bend the rules, I treat everyone with dignity and am often thanked for treating them like a person instead of a criminal.

 Jailbirds,  Each and every one of us in nursing have special gifts.  I'm always amazed at the variety of settings open to nurses and that there are very few of all those jobs that I have the gift for.  In a "former life" I was a social worker in a residential treatment program for juvenile males in a ghetto area of Chattanooga.

Thanks for the insight. I am really looking into going correctional or mental health (sometimes there is not difference between the two).

This was so interesting.  I dont think I am the right type of nurse to do this area of nursing.  Thanks to all of you who do this...........even though I am considered a very judgemental person, I believe everybody deserves to be treated humanely.  That also goes for those who are incarcerated.  Good luck to you Luann.