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- Nursing specialties
- Correctional nurse
Correctional nurse
A correctional nurse delivers evidenced-based nursing to protect, promote, and optimize health and abilities; prevent illness and injury; facilitate healing; alleviate suffering through the diagnosis and treatment of human response with care and respect. A correctional nurse advocates for individuals, families, groups, communities, and populations under the jurisdiction of the justice system.
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Required education
ADN or BSN
Varied
Take on different tasks, patients, and situations every day.
Patient-facing
Work hands-on, directly with patients.
Independent
Work on your own or even start your own practice, in some states.
What is the role of a correctional nurse?
You’ll encounter a wide range of situations, from injuries and contagious diseases to mental illness and substance abuse.
What you’ll do as a correctional nurse
Advocacy
In an environment where healthcare is not the primary mission, patient advocacy can be challenging, but it is a critical role for correctional nurses. You’ll advocate on behalf of patients in need of resources, education, and interventions.
Assessment
Correctional nurses examine patients in the correctional environment, evaluate their response to treatment, and monitor their progress.
Counseling
Correctional nurses provide mental health and emotional support for their patients and sometimes their families, and when necessary, refer them to appropriate mental health resources.
Collaboration
Correctional nurses work in collaboration with healthcare providers, ancillary staff and non-medical correctional staff to promote patient health and wellness. Understanding of the correctional nursing role and the custody role is important to successful collaboration and ultimately, patient outcomes.
Education
Patient education is one of the most important roles of correctional nurses. You will educate patients about their chronic diseases, self-care strategies, their treatment plan, and preventive health care. In addition to patient education, correctional nurses educate nonmedical and healthcare staff in emergency medical response, infection control and disease prevention.
Leadership
Nursing leadership in correctional settings requires expertise in nursing practice and recognition of their position as the onsite healthcare authority. The correctional nurse leader shall be able to think strategically and have a view of the entire system. This person must be grounded in professional practice, be agile, persevere, and be willing to drive professional practice and safe care. This person must have the capacity for resilience.
Management
Correctional nurses are an integral part of the multi-disciplinary team at the facility. In addition, there are opportunities to lead, guide, support and supervise healthcare staff, develop policies and procedures, and in general, ensure that the healthcare program is providing quality care to the patients.
Treatment
Correctional nurses provide direct patient care, including medication administration, wound care, nebulizer treatments, and other more complex care based upon the patient’s treatment plan.
What does a day in the life of a correctional nurse look like?
Being a correctional nurse means you work fluidly between multiple specialties. Within an eight hour shift you could be a mental health nurse, a public health nurse, a community health nurse, an acute care nurse, an emergency room nurse, a primary care nurse, a case management nurse, a palliative care nurse, an infection control nurse, an occupational health nurse, a utilization review nurse, a nurse educator, and a med-surg nurse to name a few. A correctional nurse can come in and have a plan in place for how their day is going to go, only to learn that they have a medical emergency to take care of that alters the plan. Flexibility is key.
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Where you’ll work as a correctional nurse
Correctional nurses work in a variety of settings, including:
- Department of Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Immigration Health Services Corps, or a contracted facility
- Jails & Prisons
- Juvenile Detention Centers
- Correctional Healthcare Acute Care Clinics
- Urgent/emergent Clinics
- Primary Care Clinics Infirmaries
- Nursing Care Centers
- Palliative Care Units
- Hospitals within Jails/Prisons
- Community Correctional Settings
- County Jails or State Prisons
- Federal Bureau of Prisons
How to become a correctional nurse
Get an Associate’s Degree in Nursing (ADN) or Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN).
When considering a future nursing career, it’s important to explore the different nursing programs available and the paths they offer. With various options like associate degree programs, bachelor’s degree programs, and direct-entry master’s degree programs, prospective students can choose the educational path that best suits their goals and interests.
Pass the NCLEX-RN and work as a Registered Nurse.
The National Council Licensure Exam (NCLEX) is the all-important step between graduating from nursing school and becoming a nurse. It’s a standardized test, set by the Board of Nursing in each state, that makes sure you have the knowledge and skills you need to work in the field of nursing.
Get your Correctional Health Professional Certification from the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare.
You’re ready to work as a certified correctional health professional.
Correctional nursing career resources
Become a member of a correctional nurse organization to find career opportunities, learn from your colleagues, and support the profession.
Related nursing specialties
Forensic nurse
A forensic nurse cares for patients who have been the victims of sexual abuse, violence and assault.
Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner
Psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioners are certified advanced practice professionals responsible for the care of patients diagnosed with mental disorders and behavioral problems.