Working as a
nurse for a law enforcement agency can mean a number of different things. There are nurses that evaluate and provide
treatment for the men and women in the department, and then there are nurses
that work to evaluate those that have been arrested. If you decide to apply for a nursing position
with a law enforcement agency, be sure to get clarification on exactly what the
job entails, and who you will be treating.
Treating Emergency Responders
Many law
enforcement agencies have a nurse, or nurses that work to evaluate the law
enforcement, and first responder staff.
This may involve assisting a physician with physicals, and assisting
with the implementation of healthy lifestyle changes. In addition the nurse may do routine
evaluations and recommend visits to health care providers based on
findings.
Related: My Most Memorable Patient
Treating & Evaluating Arrested Person's
When a person
is arrested and taken to jail, in most cases, they are evaluated by medical
personnel. The evaluation consists of
basic profile information, however, it can be more detail oriented in certain
instances. Some may arrive intoxicated
on in a drug induced state. A blood
withdraw may be necessary, and not everyone is cooperative. A nurse working in this capacity will
undoubtedly undergo some verbal abuse, and some very difficult times, so it
takes a rather thick skin to handle this type of nursing job.
A Law Enforcement Nurse’s Day
Bonnie has
worked for a major police department for 5 years. Most days she loves her job, however, she is
quick to say, some days she wonders why she has chosen this field of
nursing. Bonnie works the evening shift,
3-11. She journaled a Friday evening
shift.
- Arrived at work at 2:45, and was asked to clock in early due to a, backlog of patients. After clocking in Bonnie had her first patient of the evening, a 32 year old man that was intoxicated. He was uncooperative and resistant to submitting a blood alcohol reading. The state permits blood test by force, so after dealing with this patient for 45 minutes, he was finally restrained to the point that Bonnie was able to complete the blood draw. The patient eventually calmed down and slept off the effects-for the alcohol.
- The second patient was a 23 year old female that was 5 months pregnant. She had only one prenatal visit when she was 4 weeks along. She opted not to go for a second visit out of fear she would be arrested for drug use while pregnant, which ultimately may keep her incarcerated.
- A 71 year old man was arrested for firing his gun in his front yard. After a short evaluation it was determined the man suffered from schizophrenia, and had been off his medications for 4 weeks. He was transferred to a hospital.
Above are some
examples of more common shifts for nurses that work intake in a jail. It is estimated that more than half of all
inmates suffer from some form of mental illness. In most cases, once these inmates enter the
prison system, any psychiatric care they need will be administered by prison
doctors. It is the responsibility of the
intake nurse to note any indications of mental illness, based on the detainee’s
answers, demeanor, and the medications they say they are prescribed. This is a very important part of the nurse
job, as it may determine which area the inmate will be assigned to, and what
type of care they should receive. Nurses
employed by a county jail are responsible for the administration of, medications
to inmates. Considering the number of
inmates, and the number of prescribed medications, this is a very detailed, and
time consuming process. Medications
must be inventoried regularly, and medication handouts generally occur 3-4
times per day.
Several factors to consider before applying to a jail facility are:
- Can you handle working with a detainee’s and inmates? This requires a non-judgmental attitude with a combination of understanding and personal boundaries.
- Excessive walking is the usual in a detention center. There is generally large spread, out areas, and as medications are delivered, you, will be walking for an hour or more at a time.
- Can you handle the feeling of confinement? In most cases, you will be behind multiple locked doors, and it can take a while to exit the facility. This bothers some people, they feel as though they are trapped, a form of claustrophobia. This is obviously not the best position for someone with this condition.
If you have an
interest in working for a law enforcement agency, the starting process is to
contact the agency and find who is responsible for hiring, then move forward
from there.
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