On the front lines: Correctional nurses and the COVID-19 pandemic

New Rochelle, NY, July 14, 2021-Firsthand reports from nurses in correctional facilities detail the challenges they faced during the COVID-19 pandemic. These firsthand accounts are reported in a special issue on correctional nursing in the Journal of Correctional Health Care. Click here (https://www.liebertpub.com/toc/jchc/27/2) to read the issue now.

Karen Monsen, PhD, RN, School of Nursing, University of Minnesota, and colleagues present the Omaha System COVID-19 Response Guidelines, which provide evidence-based pandemic response interventions used in correctional nursing. The guidelines are illustrated with examples from correctional nursing practice.

Also in this special issue is an article titled “Leadership in Correctional Nursing: The First Step” by Jennifer Clifton, DNP, College of Nursing, University of Utah. “The first step in developing leadership skills requires introspection and contemplation,” she says. She guides nurses through the development of a Personal Professional Philosophy Statement, which should have two components: one’s core beliefs and values; and the values of the profession.

Brenda Baker, PhD, RNC, presents “Mothering and Incarceration: A Conceptual Model Supporting Maternal Identity.” The model “focuses on four areas of influence for women who experience incarceration: the community before incarceration, individual characteristics, carceral experience, and the post release community for reentry and reunification of the family,” states Dr. Baker. “The most significant implication of the conceptual model is ending the intergenerational influences of incarceration on children.”

“Correctional nurses, once considered invisible to the public and to other professionals because they serve patients who reside behind bars, are understanding more about their own practice,” says Deborah Shelton, PhD, RN, Guest Editor of the special issue. “Correctional nurses are participating in larger numbers on boards and in professional activities to form consensus about the future of nursing. They are claiming their place as leaders.”

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The Journal of Correction Health Care is the only national, peer-reviewed scientific journal to focus the latest research and developments in clinical care for chronic and infectious disease, mental health care, substance abuse treatment, health services management, quality improvement, medical records, medical-legal issues, discharge planning, staffing, cost analysis and other topics as they relate to correctional health care. Complete tables of contents and a sample issue may be viewed on the Journal of Correction Health Care website.

Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research. Its biotechnology trade magazine, GEN (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News), was the first in its field and is today the industry’s most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm’s more than 100 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers (https://www.liebertpub.com/) website.