A correctional nurse refers to a nursing professional responsible for providing healthcare services to inmates and other individuals convicted in jails and correctional settings. According to Mullinix (2021), correction nurses deliver direct care to detainees in correctional centers. This statement implies that correctional nursing involves offering patient care in criminal justice settings.
Role of Correctional Nurses
Nurses in correctional centers play different roles to meet the medical and safety needs of incarcerated individuals. Firstly, correctional nurses are the first ones to examine convicted people needing care and ensure they receive timely and appropriate healthcare interventions (Schoenly & Knox, 2012). In this case, they provide care to patients with chronic conditions, handle medical emergencies, perform medical screening, and administer medications to correctional patients.
Additionally, the nursing professionals keep accurate medical records and often share information with healthcare providers overseeing incarcerated individuals’ care (Mullinix, 2021). The nature of the correctional environment requires nursing staff who can provide exceptional and compelling healthcare services and maintain reliability during follow-up processes (Schoenly & Knox, 2012). For instance, a correctional nurse is needed to offer consistent treatment access to detainees with undiagnosed conditions and substance-induced disorders (University of Southern California, n.d.). Therefore, the nursing role in correctional facilities incorporates different activities, including managing emergencies, performing medical assessments, coordinating care, managing chronic conditions, and communicating with an interdisciplinary team to ensure efficient and quality care to detainees.
Risks and Rewards
There are different risks and rewards associated with correctional nursing practice. The role creates more opportunities for nurses to offer autonomous nursing care and helps to reduce conflict with other healthcare providers (Schoenly & Knox, 2012). Nurses with previous experience in mental health or emergency care settings are likely to feel satisfied while working in correctional centers.
On the other hand, most correctional facilities lack adequate human resources and medical equipment, increasing the likelihood of burnouts among correctional healthcare providers. For example, some correctional centers are situated in remote areas, making it challenging to hire nurses and physicians (Schoenly & Knox, 2012). This issue could contribute to the nursing shortage, prompting correctional nurses to overwork and get fatigued.
In addition, working in overcrowded correctional facilities poses privacy issues and a high risk for contracting infectious diseases. Many correctional centers are highly congested, creating an unfavorable atmosphere for managing privacy risks during healthcare delivery. Besides, the lack of sufficient equipment and overcrowding make correctional nurses more vulnerable to contracting such infectious diseases as Covid-19. Additionally, some incarcerated people may be hostile or violent in nature, posing safety risks to correctional nurses. Therefore, correctional healthcare providers need additional security and specialized training to address such safety concerns.
References
Mullinix, H. (2021, March 10). Correctional nurse careers and salary outlook. Nurse Journal. https://nursejournal.org/careers/correctional-nurse/salary/
Schoenly, L., & Knox, C. M. (2012). Essentials of correctional nursing. Springer Publishing Company.
University of Southern California (n.d.). What to expect as a correctional care nurse and how to avoid burnout in challenging settings. https://nursing.usc.edu/blog/correctional-nurse-career/
