The housing officer catches you as you’re walking back from medication administration.“Can you come take a look at Mr. Jones? I can’t really explain it…he just doesn’t look right.”You ask what he means.“I don’t know. He’s just not acting like himself.”The patient walks into the clinic without assistance. He answers your questions appropriately. His vital signs are within normal limits,…
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Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Asthma
Asthma is one of those conditions that can seem routine in correctional healthcare. Most nurses encounter patients with asthma regularly, and many incarcerated persons have managed the condition for years before arriving at the facility. Because it is so common, it can be easy to become comfortable with it. One of the most important lessons I learned about asthma is…
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Correctional Nurse Reflection
What Thirty Years Behind the Wall Has Taught Me When I first began working in correctional healthcare more than thirty years ago, I thought I was coming to care for a unique patient population. I quickly discovered that I was also entering a profession unlike any other. Correctional nursing has challenged me, humbled me, frustrated me, and inspired me. It…
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