As the largest group of health care professionals caring for individuals with complex physical and psychosocial needs, nurses play a key role in correctional settings. Research indicates that a standardized new hire orientation process is key to promoting a positive work environment and retention among correctional nurses. Participants will learn specific strategies to improve correctional nurse orientation based on a county jail process improvement project, deepen their understanding of why nurse orientation in correctional settings is critically important, and explore actions needed to implement improvements within their own agency/institution.

Educational Objectives

• Outline reasons that providing a thorough orientation is critically important for new correctional nurses
• Describe four specific strategies used to improve correctional nurse orientation
• Formulate a plan to apply least one nurse orientation improvement strategy

Level Basic