Pros
Pay is great. I made $10 more an hour than if I worked at a hospital. Everyday is different. Shifts are only 8 hours. This is great if you have kids or need to make appointments. You'll realize you have a prison "family" (staff) and a street "family". You'll get experience in ER, critical care, med/surg, triage, emergency response, pharmacy and Sick Call. You'll learn how to think for yourself and make decisions based on your nursing skills and expertise.
Cons
Management only cares about themselves. They are rude and hateful about 95% of the time. The other 5%, they are nice because they want something from you. Watch out if you say no. Safety is not their concern. I had a violent inmate, who was known for staff assault, decide I was going to be his next victim and verbally announced it. I asked to be moved to another area until he "forgot" me. I was told to deal with it (this included an eye roll and dirty sneer). I loved my job and never thought I would be anything other than a correctional nurse. It hurt my feelings that they would treat me like that after the years I put in and the extra shifts I picked up to get them out of a jam. I hated to leave, but my safety was more important.
