Over the past thirty years, I have had the privilege of working alongside hundreds of correctional nurses. They have practiced in county jails, state prisons, federal facilities, juvenile centers, and detention facilities across the country. They have been LPN/LVNs, RNs, APRNs, new graduates, ... Read More about Correctional Nurse Reflection – The Correctional Nurses I Have Admired Most

One of the first lessons new correctional nurses learn is that they do not practice alone. Unlike many other healthcare settings, correctional nurses work side-by-side with correctional officers every day. Each profession has different responsibilities, different training, and different ... Read More about Correctional Nurse Professional Practice Update – Working With Custody

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 ... Read More about Clinical Decision-Making: He Doesn’t Look Right

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 ... Read More about Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me About Asthma

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 ... Read More about Correctional Nurse Reflection: What Thirty Years Behind the Wall Has Taught Me