Jennifer’s heart sank as she looked at the shift post assignments. She was scheduled to cover Ad Seg. Two days ago, when last she was assigned there, she endured a barrage of explicit language while moving down the catwalk with the office while she conducted medpass, did the ordered physical assessments and ensured that no one had an immediate health…
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Correctional Nurse Perspective: Inmate or Patient?
“It’s not what you look at that matters, it’s what you see” – Thoreau I have been practicing in correctional healthcare for the last 25 years, and the issue of whether correctional nurses care for patients or inmates has been around for at least that long! I have heard nurses say that their correctional officer colleagues get “upset” when they…
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Rapid Assessment for Correctional Nurses
Consider this situation: A detainee admitted two days ago was complaining of nausea and vomiting at 3 am. An officer called the medical unit requesting a nurse evaluation. The nurse, however, was busy getting meds ready for the 5 am court call. The officer called several times over the next 3 hours, and the nurse finally arrived at the housing…
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