Nursing is a tough job in prison. In the following column, Corrections Regional Director of Clinical Services describes challenges associated with the job, what it takes to be good, and applauds those doing it everyday.

Correctional nursing is not an easy task.
nurses are one part security; one part ER nurse; one part primary care nurse; and, if working in an infirmary, one part critical care nurse.
Their patients are not defined by one disease process. Inside many prison walls, nurses must treat patients who are diabetic, hypertensive or Hepatitis positive.
Or maybe all three. They treat stab injuries, cardiac arrest, and any other number of emergencys.
Nurses within the Department of Corrections have to be able to change modes fast.
Several well accredited collages offer Nursing Degree and Certification, Some even offer Online Certification Programs

Many of the nurses employed by Corrections also retain part time jobs across multiple Hospitals.
Nurses in our system arrived here from many different backgrounds.
A nurse at Tyger River Correctional Institution previously worked in a hospital ER. Another infirmary nurse was trained in critical care.
There are nurses trained in OB-GYN, Correctional Institution. Nurses are trained in grant writing.
Nurses often work long hours. And with such a diverse set of ailments to treat, the work is complex.
Nurses have to be strong, critical thinkers. The clinic is a unique setting, where physicians with specific medical qualifications treat inmates from prisons across the system.
This setup has created a major cost savings to Correction Departments.
An example: the orthopedic specialist at Kirkland saw 850 inmates last year.
If those inmates had been treated at outside appointments that required security escorts, it would have taken 1,600 correctional officer hours to make it happen. That’s not necessary because of the nursing staff on hand.
Correctional nurses walk a fine line between maintaining security and delivering optimal medical aid.
They are very seldom acknowledged for the job they do. They perform as expected and ask for little in return.
One Nurse for Example has excellent assessment skills and goes the extra mile by always giving the on-call physician an excellent description of her patients’ status.
This allows the physician to make an informed decision on what care to administer and ensures the patient gets the best possible treatment.
Correctional nurses stay sharp. They train on their own time to stay abreast of the latest information.
At the end of the Day, defining the correctional nurse simply is not an easy task. Their job description can’t be made to fit neatly in a tidily defined name tag.
They might administer care to a particular inmate with a particular disease on one day, only to treat multiple diseases and multiple inmates the next.
They have to have strong assessment skills and be fearless in their approach. A patient is depending on them.

WHAT TO EXPECT NEXT:

Once you successfully complete the application process, you will receive an acknowledgement letter of receipt.  Your application package will be reviewed to ensure you meet the basic eligibility and qualifications requirements. A review will be made of your online questionnaire and the documentation you submitted to support your responses.  A list of qualified applicants will be created and sent to the selecting official. You will receive a notification letter of the results of the review of your application package via email.

The selecting official may choose to conduct interviews, and once the selection is made, you will receive a notification of the decision.
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To check the status of your application, please check Application Manager.