The correctional health concentration was introduced in Fall 1999 in response to demands from Federal and State correctional facilities needing qualified advanced practice nurses,' and in response to the increased legislative and public health needs to make quality healthcare more accessible to this under-served population. VUSN partnered with nursing leaders and administrators from the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Public Health Service Corps to develop appropriate didactic and clinical course content along with designating clinical sites and preceptors for student rotations.
Nurses are the largest group of health professionals employed in prisons and jails.
In order to increase not only access to care, but the timeliness of access, more primary care services must be readily available to this isolated, under-served population. Advanced practice nurses are ideally suited to meet this need for quality care in a cost-effective manner. This program expands the traditional role of the ANP to enable graduates to more effectively provide quality care within facilities where security concerns and the protection of the public take precedence.