Nurse I

This position provides skilled nursing care for incarcerated individuals in either an outpatient clinic, infirmary, or specialized cell house setting for acute care, chronic support, and emergency interventions.

Responsibilities

• Documents accurately and timely to provide comprehensive inmate medical records.
• Provides standardized patient education within established nursing guidelines.
• Transcribes medical orders and reports at change of shifts.
• Preserves confidentiality.
• Provides physical care and treatments, administers medications, collaborates on treatment plans, employs infection control measures, provides crisis intervention, interviews and triages inmates, and performs patient and staff instruction.
• Assists physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners with minor medical and surgical procedures.
• Ensures ordering and restocking of medications and supplies.
• May occasionally participate in restraining an inmate primarily for medical reasons.
• Delivers PO, IM, IV, SQ, SL medications to inmates in medication lines, infirmaries, specialized cell houses, and PRN.
• Observes and reports the physical and emotional condition of inmates, including the effectiveness of medications and treatments during triage, sick line, and emergency situations.
• Performs physical and emotional assessments of inmates during triage, sick-line, and emergency situations, employing basic nursing and assessment skills and protocol.
• Promotes and is accountable for safety and security of the clinical environment through conscientious observations and sensitive item/contraband control, including counting syringes, needles, narcotics, instruments, and key control.
• Operates a variety of clinical equipment dictated by the type of equipment available in the assigned work unit.
• Knowledgeable about all Life Safety policies and procedures applicable to the assigned work unit.
• Informs supervisor of any violations of security or safety through the report writing process.
• Attends training programs as assigned, including 2-day self-defense to ensure self-protection skills.
• May be required to work any shift, weekends, and holidays.

Requirements

• Current, valid licensure as a Registered Nurse from the Colorado Board of Nursing or any state participating in the Enhanced Nurse Licensure Compact (eNLC).
• Residency in the State of Colorado at the time of submitting your application.

Skills

• Ability to effectively treat inmate patients on a daily basis in a variety of settings.
• Ability to follow patient confidentiality standards.
• Ability to respond to emergency situations involving inmates and/or medical situations.
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills.
• Ability to read and comprehend the English language.
• Ability to effectively communicate fluently in English both verbally and in writing.
• Excellent discernment and decision-making skills.
• Ability to follow instructions and pay attention to details.
• Ability to work a variety of shifts on a full-time basis.
• Ability to create accessible documents and technical content that follows plain language guidelines with accessibility in mind.
• Self-control, a strong sense of ability to work in stressful, potentially violent situations.
• Ability to remain alert, emotionally stable, and mentally resilient under pressure and observant throughout their shift.
• Tolerance to stress, confinement, and high-stakes interaction.

Preferred Qualifications

• Correctional Nursing experience.
• Charge Nurse and/or supervisory experience.
• Acute Care or Long-Term Nursing experience.

Benefits

• Distinctive career advancement opportunities throughout the state system.
• Strong, secure, yet flexible retirement benefits including PERA Defined Benefit Plan or PERA Defined Contribution Plan plus 401K and 457 plans. Correctional Officers I-IV qualify as "Safety Officers" and are eligible for increased PERA benefits.
• Medical and dental health plans.
• Short and long-term disability coverage.
• Paid life insurance.
• 11 paid holidays per year plus vacation and sick leave.
• Wellness program, tuition reimbursement, training opportunities, and more.

For more information, visit State of Colorado Employee Benefits.