Correctional Staff Nurse - Bakersfield, CA

Job summary

Correctional Staff Nurse provides basic and emergency health care services to persons housed within Kern County correctional facilities.

Responsibilities

• Collects, interprets and documents data to determine whether incarcerated persons have physiological and/or psychosocial risk factors.
• Records and reports assessment data and makes appropriate referrals.
• Communicates and collaborates with physician and allied health professionals in setting priorities for care of patients.
• Implements therapeutic care for patients responding to needs due to multisystem disease or complications of treatment.
• Performs intake, ongoing assessments and screenings.
• Treats patients according to appropriate standardized procedures and scope of service.
• Implements orders written by Physicians or allied health professionals.
• Manages and treats contagious and sexually transmitted diseases as recommended by the Kern County Health Department and as ordered by the physicians or allied health professionals.
• Performs quality assurance monitoring and analyzes results and participates in process improvement for identified problems.
• Accepts assignments and floats to other facilities according to the needs of the Correctional Medicine Department as instructed by the clinical director, clinical supervisor or designee.
• Anticipates patient care problems and responds to changes on the unit by prioritizing for emergencies, changes in patient status and unusual occurrences.
• Performs and documents the nursing process consistent with scientific principle and hospital policy as required by patient assignment.
• Enters pertinent information in the Criminal Justice Information System (CJIS) as applicable.
• Schedules appointments for incarcerated person to see physicians, allied health professionals or others as appropriate.
• Administers and assists with monitoring the Self Administration Medication program (SAM) or other programs as available or designated.
• Practices personal safety awareness, as well as advocates for incarcerated persons' safety as appropriate for a correctional environment.
• Responds to changes in the facility, such as, but not limited to: lock downs, inmate and ward altercations, riots, medical priorities, quarantines and exposure to chemical restraints.
• Assists in the orientation and training of new staff, completes all competencies, mandatory classes and educational coursework as required by the correctional facility and Kern Medical Center.
• Maintains confidentiality as prescribed in regulation (Title 15, HIPAA, and the Penal Code).

Job description