I'm Roland and I am a Corrections Nurse from the wonderful Bay Area. I originally started out as a Psychiatric nurse and have since transitioned to the Correctional setting for the past 4 years.
If you have found yourself on this site you might be trying to figure out what the hell does a Jail nurse do?
Corrections Nursing does not top the lists of many aspiring nurses. In fact, I didn't even know it existed until I came across a common problem among new nursing graduates: finding a job. Unless you happen to know a Nurse Manager or have a friend in a hospital,getting hired can be F'ing difficult, with most jobs requiring more years of experience than you are alive (not literally but that's how it often feels).
Looking for a new job to get out of working the night shift, I found a listing called "Correctional Health Nurse". I had zero clue as to what that entails, aside from it being at a County Jail. I did the usual google search and I ended up with:
Webster Dictionary definition of a Corrections nurse
A bunch of forum posts that got me nowhere closer to answering my questions of what the hell is expected of a Corrections Nurse
Being reluctant to apply, I asked around and got the same answers. "It's not real nursing" "It's probably dangerous, I wouldn't work there" "You shouldn't do it because you'll lose all your skills". Discouraging right? Everyone from school is out there trying to get the hospital job of their dreams and I'm stuck reading through forum to figure out this job description because the field is hardly touched in any textbook.
The contrarian in me told me to apply anyway and I am glad I did. 4 interesting years later I have come to realize that:
Jail is not a scary place
It can often be a safer place than most hospitals
You actually end up developing quite a different and unique skill set from your hospital counterparts
Your friends will love your Jail/Prison stories
So whether you are here as a nursing student, a new grad or a prospective applicant to a Jail/Prison I hope I will be able to help you understand the role of a Corrections nurse.