Reasons Why You Should Not Fear Working At Correctional Facilities

Reasons Why You Should Not Fear Working At Correctional Facilities As a nurse, it's presumed you are a compassionate person; otherwise you probably would not have chosen this field of work. It takes a special person to be a good nurse. You certainly have acquired the skill of not being judgmental, since you never quite know what you will see and hear from your patients. Because of your expertise, experience, and compassion, you may find it rewarding to work in a correctional facility. Safety Concerns It may sound a little scary if you are not familiar with how things work inside the walls of a prison, but it's actually very safe for the medical staff. In many cases, you are safer walking around inside prison walls than you would be walking from the hospital to your car. When you receive your training to work at a correctional facility, safety is going to be discussed repeatedly and you will have the rules embedded in your mind by the time you start to actually work. In most cases, anywhere the nurse goes in the prison; there is a guard with them. You could say that you have your own personal body guard. You don’t get that in a hospital! You will not treat patients without at least one guard standing by, and in many cases you will simply hand out prescribed medications through an opening in a safety glass window. You are well protected. Related: Private Practice Relationships Rewarding Career Let’s face it, nursing itself is a rewarding career. You help countless numbers of people on a daily basis. The time may come that you are looking for something a little more, perhaps something that not every nurse is cut out for. In order to be successful as a nurse in a correctional facility, you have to commit to being open-minded. Many inmates have complicated lives, and you must learn to look at every prisoner as an individual patient, and not as an inmate. You never know what the circumstances are that led them to where they are, and you have to be willing to treat each patient with respect, just as you would in a regular hospital setting. A correctional facility nursing career can be very rewarding. You never know, but your respect and method of treatment may actually change someone’s life for the better, and show them that they can trust others. Understanding Boundaries It can be difficult as a nurse to not become emotionally involved or attached to some patients. Be conscious of this, and know when it’s time to put the boundary barrier up. This is especially true in a correctional facility. You may experience more cases of manipulation, flirting, or a patient trying to become involved in your life. Set clear boundaries, and don’t share personal information at all. You will get the knack of being

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