At the moment, the medical clinic at the Gallatin County Detention Center has only four staff nurses working—one of whom is looking to retire soon. Clinic Director Joyce Young worries that if a staff member gets sick or leaves, the clinic would be left in a bad place.
“We usually have several applications when we have an opening, and we have not had any since October,” Young said.
With few staff members, the clinic has shortened its hours, offered overtime to the current members of staff, and has had to make tough decisions when caring for their inmate patients.
Sandy Young, a clinic nurse, says that she has always wanted to work in correctional nursing and says that the current state is reminiscent of triage nursing.
“We have to bump them,” Sandy Young said. “Say, ‘You’re not as important today as this person right now.’”
MSU students in the past have worked in the Detention Center alongside the clinic staff and Young says she’d love to see more Bobcats, or recent nursing graduates, join her team.
While working inside the center, Young says there is always an officer in the health clinic. Sheriff Dan Springer notes that the Gallatin County Detention Center is orderly, organized, and a respectful system.
Those interested in applying for a position, or learning more, can apply via the Gallatin County website.
