Ask any nurse who triages the medical requests or any nurse who conducts nurse sick call, and they will tell you that skin rashes and lesions are frequently a problem for our patients in the correctional environment. This has been attributed to a number of unique characteristics of the correctional ... Read More about Clinical Update: Skin Assessment for the Correctional Nurse
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Correctional Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice
For the last twelve months I have been honored to be a part of the American Nurses Association workgroup that is reviewing and revising the Correctional Nurse: Scope and Standards of Practice 2nd edition. The 3rd edition is due to be published in book form in late 2019. I was also a part of the ... Read More about Correctional Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice
Correctional Nursing Alert: Ectopic Pregnancy
A young woman in custody at a large urban jail has continuing abdominal pain over a 14 hour period. She is found unresponsive in her cell and rushed to the hospital where she is pronounced dead on arrival. Autopsy revealed a ruptured ectopic pregnancy. What assessments and testing should ... Read More about Correctional Nursing Alert: Ectopic Pregnancy
Job, Career, or Calling? It’s Up to You
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see” – Henry David Thoreau Correctional nursing can be a job, a career, or a calling based on your perspective – what do you see? If you see your work life as an endless string of shiftwork passing pills and triaging sick call slips then ... Read More about Job, Career, or Calling? It’s Up to You
Dental Triage: What is an Emergency?
Correctional nurses regularly make decisions about the need for emergency treatment of dental conditions. These decisions can come as a part of dealing with a sick call request or a ‘man down’ in the facility. What are some key findings to look for during a dental triage that indicate a need for ... Read More about Dental Triage: What is an Emergency?