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At just 19 years old, Melanie started her career in the corrections industry. After working as a corrections officer for 13 years, Melanie decided to switch up her career and become a nurse!  She began working as a CNA while still in school and eventually graduated from nursing school in 2012.

As correctional healthcare continues to evolve, Melanie would like to see correctional healthcare be taught as a specialty in school.  “You hear about everything but correctional healthcare and there’s been a little stigma, but in my mind, it is the right way to do medicine.”

Before joining the CorrHealth team in 2021 as an RN/HSA, Melanie had already begun her significant career in correctional nursing. She spent nine years as a Health Services Administrator (HSA) in Wyoming and in 2016 earned her credential as a Certified Correctional Health Professional (CCHP) from the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. “It was important for me to have this credential in my position as an administrator. If you’re planning on making corrections your profession long term, it is very beneficial and I’m proud of the accomplishment.”

During her time at CorrHealth, Melanie continues to share her knowledge by serving as a Travel Interim Nursing Supervisor in New Mexico, Texas, and Wyoming. “Remembering to be firm, fair, and consistent, is key to building success as a correctional nurse, says Melanie. You have a captive audience, and you can teach patients to be accountable for their own care. Some of them have never learned how to do that and it can change their life.”

To learn more about careers with CorrHealth, visit www.mycorrhealth.com/join-our-team

“Correctional healthcare challenges you” says Emily Martinez, RN/Health Services Administrator in Laramie County, Wyoming. Emily has been a nurse for 8 years and has spent almost half of that in correctional nursing.  In that time, she has worked in long term care, labor and delivery, and home health before taking a chance in correctional healthcare. Although any field of healthcare can have a great impact, Emily feels that she has made the greatest difference in correctional nursing. “Your patients are people who have trust issues. You gain their trust by being respectful, following protocol, keeping your word, and providing exceptional care.”

Following in the footsteps of her grandmother and mother, Emily always found the nursing profession appealed to her.  “A recruiter for correctional nursing reached out to me and I figured I would give it a try. Now, I feel that I could see myself in correctional nursing for the rest of my career.”

As a nurse in the correctional environment for nearly 4 years, Emily wants to remind new nurses that you will gain confidence as a nurse with all the different tasks you complete daily. “As a correctional nurse you see so many different things from addiction with detox, behavioral health, chronic care to acute issues. During training, participate in everything you can. Allow yourself to be in uncomfortable situations when you are training, so they aren’t uncomfortable when you are on your own. Make sure to ask questions and learn from your peers. If you aren’t receptive to constructive criticism, you will limit yourself to what you already know.”

For information about open nursing roles and other careers at CorrHealth, please visit our jobs page. 

When CorrHealth partnered with Comal County in 2019, Nelda joined our team as the Health Services Administrator (HSA). With more than 25 years of correctional healthcare experience, Nelda has served the people of Comal County since 1994. As a new nurse looking to begin her career, Nelda was encouraged by family members in law enforcement to apply at the Comal County Jail. “Maybe I’ll see what this is all about. In 1994, I stepped foot into the facility’s clinic, and I haven’t left” says Nelda. The most rewarding part for Nelda is helping others. Whether it is a one-time treatment or providing ongoing treatment to a patient, the impact being made is crucial. “It’s kind of like they trust you and they open up to you more.” Nelda describes every day as different and the myths about having a limited skill set couldn’t be further from the truth. “Correctional nurses see just about everything; in my opinion I think your skill set gets better in corrections.”

Nelda’s advice for nurses just joining the correctional healthcare field is to remember that all inmate patients are human beings, and everyone should be treated just as they would be in a clinic on the outside.  “The only difference is that they are in a secured environment. These people deserve the same care and respect.”

For information about open RN/HSA positions and other roles at CorrHealth, please visit our jobs page. 

We’re proud to announce that Kim Caldwell, Director of Human Resources, has earned her SHRM-CP credential, which makes her a recognized expert and leader in the HR field.

The exam is given by the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). The organization has 300,000 members worldwide and supports HR professionals through education, training, networking, and lobbying on behalf of policies that are fundamental to HR and labor management. It’s a tough test; only 67% of test takers pass!

We’re also proud to recognize that three more leadership team members have successfully completed their Certified Correctional Health Professional (CCHP) certification.  Dr. Nicholas Longnecker, M.D., our Chief Medical Officer, Christi Franklin, LVN and Travel Training Team Manager, and Tim Hammond, Director of Risk Management are leading the way with this important credential signifying their mastery of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) standards.

CorrHealth is a champion of continuing education for our team members. Our goal is to gain even more certified CCHP members on our team. Tuition reimbursement is available to full-time team members who complete professional development classes and earn important credentials. This helps our team members in their current roles serve our partners better and can help them move into other positions within the company.

For more information about all of our team member benefits, including tuition reimbursement, please visit us at mycorrhealth.com/join-our-team.