The Laramie County Sheriff's Department has partnered with the University of Wyoming and Laramie County Community College to give nursing students hands on experience with patients at the Laramie County Detention Center.
"We're trying to recruit new nurses, and we thought what better way to get nursing students actually working in our jail to see this whole new environment that maybe they're not used to," Sheriff Brian Kozak told Wyoming News Now.
Kozak called the new partnership a win-win, since students are able to acquire clinical hours while at the 24-hour medical service at the detention center.
During this quarter-long program, nursing interns work alongside nursing staff to gain all the skills needed to work in the field of correctional nursing.
Carrie Barr, UW's director of undergraduate nursing, said that includes "professionalism, communication, having those boundaries, professional boundaries. Also looking at all of the determinants of health that play in and how to coordinate care across a lot of different partners."
In addition to fulfilling graduation requirements, gaining knowledge and experience, nursing students can also establish connections to help their chances of getting a future job at the detention center.
"Since we started the program, we've had a couple students actually say I haven't even thought of this before, but now I think I want to work here," Kozak said.
Wyoming faces a shortage of bedside nurses, as many retire or burn out, without enough students to replace them.
Republished with permission from Wyoming News Now, a TV news outlet covering the Cheyenne and Casper areas.