“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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Emergency response, a fact of life in healthcare, has some interesting aspects to consider in a custody setting. Correctional nurses are called upon to respond to a wide range of injuries and emergencies, from inmate scuffles in the yard, suicide attempts, and unresponsive inmates in the housing units. Are you prepared for the next emergency you will encounter during your…
Read More