Transitioning from Health Care Assistant to Primary Care Nurse in Prison Healthcare

In this blog I write about my experiences as a Health Care Assistant in HM Prison Oakwood over the last four years and how it has helped me prepare for my transition into a Newly Qualified Nurse in Health in Justice (HIJ). I believe this will raise awareness around prison nursing and the work that we do, whilst outlining the opportunities available to professionals working within health in justice settings.

I have worked at HM Prison Oakwood since February 2019. Since working here I have completed my Adult Nursing degree. Working here has given me fantastic opportunities in terms of developing my autonomy and decision making skills. It has also given me an insight into what being a nurse would be like within the prison setting prior to starting in that role. This topic is important to me as in my experience in talking to fellow students, I have found that knowledge around nursing in justice settings is very limited and is not something that students' usually think about when completing their course. I also think that prison nursing is a "hidden profession" which does not get the recognition it deserves sometimes, and I would like to highlight the amazing work that is done throughout prisons in the UK to keep our patients safe in an extremely challenging environment which presents itself with difficulties that may not be experienced in other healthcare settings.

It is challenging but also rewarding just the same. I would encourage all students to consider applying for a placement within a prison to gain better understanding of the opportunities available to them within health and justice settings. From my own experience I have found that there are endless opportunities for progression, as both a registered nurse and as a health care assistant. For example, as a Health Care Assistant, I have been able to complete training in suturing, wound management, ear irrigation and much more. This shows the diverse skills you can learn whilst working in prison healthcare. What I find interesting about prison nursing is although the general routine of the day is the same, there are different challenges that present themselves each day. 

For example, in the morning you could find yourself working on a medication round and in a nurse triage clinic, and in the afternoon attending a life threatening emergency where you are caring for a patient until paramedic colleagues arrive. This is very different to other healthcare settings as it is very nurse led, providing ample opportunities for nurses to develop their skills and confidence, something that I believe our wider nursing community colleagues are not generally aware of.

Lastly, my main goal is to raise awareness around the work that not only nurses. but all health professionals do within prisons. I think that patients within prisons are offered fantastic healthcare and our professionals work very hard to keep patients safe, whilst also recognising and tackling health inequalities that some of our patients experience due to their ethnicity, age, disabilities and their socioeconomic status.