The Perceived Effectivenss of Nurses' Suicide Management Training in Correctional Facilities: A Phenomenological Study

The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore the perceived effectiveness of nurses' suicide management training in correctional facilities in the United States. The central research question was: What suicidal educational training do nurses receive, and what is their lived experience of managing suicidal inmates at correctional facilities? The type of research design for this study was hermeneutic phenomenology. This study's geographic setting was two correctional facilities in rural areas in the United States. The settings include the Federal Mental Correctional Facility (FMCF) and the Villian Mental Correctional Facility (VMCF). The Federal Mental Correctional Facility is situated in the southeastern part of the United States. The Villian Mental Correctional Facility is located in the south-central part of the United States. Ten nurses participated in the study. The three data collection methods used were one-on-one interviews, focus group interviews, and journal prompt questions. Four themes emerged from the analysis: clinical and in-service training, advocacy role, education improvement, and self-care and support. The job demands-resources (JD-R) model was utilized in this study to investigate the participants’ suicidal training experience, challenges, and support when managing suicidal inmates in the correctional facility. Most participants asserted that they had clinical and on-the-job training about managing suicidal inmates. Two participants stated that they had no prior suicidal management training. The finding revealed that nurses lack experience in managing suicidal inmates in correctional facilities. Therefore, more suicide management training is needed to enhance nurses’ knowledge, skills, and confidence, increasing the quality of patient care.