Most of us have probably never thought too much about how inmates receive medical care. Megan (@megandesmars) has been a nurse for almost eight years, and she did corrections contracts in her state prison system for over two years. Now, she’s on TikTok sharing her experience with prison nursing.
“I took my very first contract on a whim,” said Megan. “I had no experience in corrections, but I’m a true crime girl, and that world just fascinated me.”
“So, I said, let me sign up. My recruiter emailed me first-day instructions, told me to wear business casual, told me where to go, and told me about going through security, so I was prepared.”
When she arrived at the prison, she started going through security, but the metal detector immediately went off, even though she did not have any metal on her.
The security guards had to pat her down. They asked if she was wearing an underwire bra, and she was. She had missed the part of the email that instructed her not to wear one.
They agreed to let her into the prison wearing an underwire bra. She was led to an orientation room where an officer would be explaining how everything worked.
For the entire day, he told her all about prison culture. Inmates will try to manipulate the employees, and many officers and other staff members have been caught hooking up with inmates.
He showed her pictures of weapons that inmates have made and of prison assaults. Megan sat there in horror and started to regret what she had signed up for.
The officer then directed her to a building to pick up her state-issued scrubs. He advised her never to come back to the prison wearing the pants she was currently wearing.
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“They were just a pair of black business casual pants, and he tells me that they’re going to eat me alive in those pants,” said Megan.
“Apparently, they were too tight, and that was going to seduce the inmates.”
During her hour-long lunch break, she got in her car, drove to the nearest department store, and bought a sports bra and the ugliest pair of black pants she could find. She bought a pair that looked ridiculous and was two sizes too big.
The officer continued telling her stories about working in a prison for the rest of the day. At that point, she just accepted her fate. She worked there for 13 weeks, as per her contract, and stayed on for two and a half years.
She now thinks that being a prison nurse is actually nursing’s best-kept secret. She admits that she initially should’ve done more research on the position before accepting it, but it all worked out well in the end.
By Emily Chan
Emily Chan is a writer who covers lifestyle and news content. She graduated from Michigan State University with a degree in... More about Emily Chan
