Kenya Lewis, Health Services Administrator (HSA) at Hamilton County Justice Center, was burned out in long-term care and thinking about leaving nursing altogether when she saw a listing for correctional nursing at NaphCare.
“I said, that sounds crazy — let me try it. And 11 years later, I’m still here.”
Kenya’s work in corrections reinvigorated her career in healthcare. That arc, skeptical outsider turned long-tenured believer, shows up again and again in conversations with correctional healthcare workers.
NaphCare team members in Hamilton County, Ohio; Forsyth County, North Carolina; and Mobile County, Alabama, recently shared their perspectives on why they choose to work in correctional healthcare. This article explores five topics that were repeatedly mentioned.
Finding Meaning in the Work
For many team members, meaning comes first and easily. “So long as there’s a patient in front of me — I don’t need to know if it’s an inmate or somebody from home — I’m always fulfilled. I’m going to help this person get better,” said Jane Kilolong, a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in Forsyth County, North Carolina.
Safety
Safety is the last word people unfamiliar with correctional healthcare expect. But Felicia Griffith, HSA in Forsyth County, North Carolina, echoed what several team members told us. Griffith described her work environment and the officer support she receives compared with previous work environments, saying, “I feel more secure in corrections.”
A More Sustainable Pace
Correctional healthcare careers don’t necessarily involve less work, but the structure and schedule do provide an escape from models that grind people down. Chris Cordon, Lead Mental Health Professional in Mobile County, Alabama, remembers an unsustainable caseload as an individual and marriage therapist.
The grind kept Cordon entering notes and completing paperwork after hours, with little time for family and friends. He found the predictable schedule and team-based approach in correctional healthcare restorative.
Clinical Range
“No day is exactly the same,” said Whitney Pritchett, a Certified Medical Assistant in Mobile County, Alabama. “It’s educational — it’s not like a boring office job where you have the same thing over and over.” Other team members echoed the point, describing the chance to use their full clinical range — rather than the narrower focus of a specialized setting — as one of the field’s real draws.
Career Growth
“I started here as an LPN,” said Kenya Lewis. “Then Charge Nurse, then Director of Nursing, and now I’m the HSA.” Advancement isn’t rare. Many of our leaders started in entry-level positions. Tuition reimbursement, along with clinical and leadership development opportunities, has helped many team members earn certifications and licensure and move into new roles.
Careers in Corrections
Numerous healthcare professionals have experienced the same uncertainty and burnout Lewis felt 11 years ago. Correctional healthcare allowed countless members of Team NaphCare to rediscover real purpose in the work — not only in caring for patients who may never have had reliable healthcare before, but in building careers that keep challenging and fulfilling them.
Correctional healthcare is a path some never considered, but for the team members we interviewed, it became a calling.
For healthcare professionals looking for meaningful work, greater variety, a supportive team, and room to grow, it could be the career they didn’t know they were looking for.
