Let’s Go to Camp

• A description of the type of care the administration wants the nurse to provide.

• Who supervises the nurse as well as who the camp nurse supervises.

• The relationship of the nurse to other staff members (e.g. head cook, counselors, waterfront manager).

• Amount of time spent on paperwork and a description of that work (e.g. insurance forms, health log, worker comp records).

• The camp nurse’s role in communicable disease control and risk management.

• Salary, housing, time-off, additional benefits (e.g. participation in a Camp Nurse Workshop, membership in Association of Camp Nurses).

• Additional healthcare supports (e.g. collaborating physician, standing orders, clinic/hospital, pharmacy, crisis response team, dentist, EMS).

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Camp, the quintessential summertime “kid” rite of passage, comes in as many varieties as there are kids. Whether it’s sleep-away camp, day camp, church camp, sports camp, science camp, club camp or specialized camps for children with serious illnesses or developmental issues, it can also be a chance for working adults to take a break from the routine.

The one thing each camp has in common is the need for on-site, expert medical care or more accurately, that unsung hero — the camp nurse.

We checked in with several nurses in the Atlanta area who spend time each summer fulfilling the duties of camp nurse. Often this is a volunteer position and some of these nurses actually use personal vacation time in order to spend a week or two at camp, taking care of the kids.

Each nurse we spoke with became a camp nurse for differing reasons but in the end each one continues to do this job year after year for one very good reason: The kids.

Jennifer Minick, an oncology nurse at WellStar Kennestone Hospital, has very fond memories of her time as a camper at Camp Westminster in Conyers, Georgia. It was here she was first inspired to seek a career helping and serving others. Now that she’s a nurse, she returns for a week each year to do just that.

On the other hand, Valerie Scales, an RN working with the DeKalb County school system as a special education nurse, was drawn to the position of camp nurse after filling in for another nurse that had a scheduling conflict.

Scales says, “She (the nurse) asked me if I would cover her and I agreed. It was an amazing experience. It was wonderful to know that special needs kids had an option to attend camp too.”

Scales works through FOCUS, Families of Children Under Stress, an organization whose mission is to offer comfort, hope and fun to families with children who are medically fragile or have significant developmental or physical disabilities. They offer a variety of programs including summer camps.

Stellise Kirk switched from Med-Surg nursing 12 years ago to work with medically fragile children in a private respite care facility. When she made the switch, she says she had finally found her niche as a nurse. Then FOCUS asked her to fill in as a nurse for one of their day camps, she says she discovered the fun and challenging experience of camp nursing.

Kathie Teta has been on the board of directors at FOCUS for 17 years. She learned about the organization because she was the camp nurse at one of their summer camps. Now, in addition to her “regular job” as a nurse practitioner at PANDA Neurology, a pediatric neurology practice in Atlanta, she is the main nurse at Camp Infinity, a week long camp that provides camp opportunities to teens and young adults who cannot attend traditional camp.

Maggie Harrington is a staff nurse and the Graduate Nurse Orientation Coordinator and Educator in the AFLAC Cancer and Blood Disorders Center at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.

Several years ago, Harrington heard about Camp Infinity from a work colleague. Along with a couple of fellow nurses, she volunteered and she says they have been going back every year since.

Teta points out that most camp nurses are volunteering for a week or two outside of their regular job. In fact, she is personally unaware of any full-time camp nurses in the Atlanta area except perhaps at sports camps or camps designed just for summer fun.

So, how do these nurses juggle their regular job with a short-term job as camp nurse?

For Scales, this doesn’t cause much conflict because in her job as a school nurse, she already has summers off. However, other nurses like Minick use vacation time in order to spend a week as a camp nurse.

In addition to their medical expertise, these camp nurses find that they wear many hats.

Strong organizational skills are a must. All of the nurses mentioned that there is an intensive amount of coordination required making sure each camper is properly documented with requisite health forms and that adequate meds are on hand in appropriately labeled bottles.

In the case of the kids at the FOCUS camps the nurses may also deal with making sure proper medical procedures are implemented that might include bowel programs, feedings through G-tubes and blood sugar checks.

Kirk also says that dressing changes, catheterizations, transferring and moving non-ambulatory children and managing seizures can also be part of the daily routine.

Of course there is always the occasional stomach upset, bug bite, sunburn, poison ivy and other boo-boos that Harrington says can be fixed by a band-aid and some good distraction.

Minick also mentions that lice checks are mandatory with campers and staff. Last year, in addition to her week as camp nurse, she went back to camp a few extra days to help other camp nurses with the lice checks as the campers arrived for their week.

Of course, homesickness ranks pretty high on the list of ailments for some of these kids. Especially kids that are away from home for the first time. Managing these “symptoms” requires the camp nurse to be a confidante and often times a creative problem solver.

Scales says, “I try to be understanding and loving within my realm as a nurse. I distract and redirect some of the issues that are not real medical complaints.”

She relates the story of one child who was having quite a rough time and pitching a fit wanting to go home because he “hated” camp. Scales said he wouldn’t budge from the area until she noticed he had a stuffed bean bag frog that had a small rip.

She says, “I told him that I would sew up up froggie if he returned to the group. It was simple, but it worked. I found myself stitching up froggie and he was slightly happier.”

Harrington had a camper who “threw up” every night. She discovered that he wasn’t really vomiting. He just really liked TUMS and was looking for a creative way to score some.

And, Teta adds that Skittles are an excellent “prescription” for homesickness and are frequently administered to cure that particular ailment.

These camp nurses also say that part of their duties relate to education. In some cases, camp staff needs to be educated about the needs of a particular camper but sometimes campers need educating too. It’s not unusual for the camp nurse to be called upon to help a teen girl with her first menstrual period or to help a child with anxiety practice calming techniques.

Generally speaking these camp nurses are always on duty. Minick says that when she’s not at the nurse’s cabin she’s wearing a walkie talkie in case of emergency.

Teta says, “Since I work as a pediatric neurology nurse practitioner, I am the first to respond/treat and make decisions for any child who has a seizure at camp. I am always in or at the edge of the pool keeping an eye on the campers that have frequent seizures.”

Kirk says that having the children spread out over different areas throughout the day keeps her on her toes.

She says, “It requires flexibility and thinking outside the box, as well as delegating responsibilities to other staff, educating staff on the medical issues to be aware of and report to me, and trusting co-workers to follow through with instructions. It’s challenging to be able to manage medical emergencies in a non-clinical setting.”

Harrington finds the sleep deprivation to be difficult. “Most nights I don’t get to sleep until about 11 pm because of night time medications and helping out getting campers ready for bed in the cabins, then some nights I’m called for a medical issue which I respond to. And then I am up and ready to give morning medication by 7 am.”

Even with the exceptional amount of responsibility inherent in the job, the rewards are equally exceptional.

Teta says that seeing the campers succeed at mastering something they fear is absolutely priceless. She says, “The smiles and hugs after an accomplishment make every moment worthwhile!”

Minick receives “great joy from working with children and to glorify God in doing so.”

Kirk enjoys knowing that she is helping to provide a safe and fun environment for a child who might not otherwise have a chance to go to camp. She also finds the trust the campers’ parents place in her very rewarding.

Harrington says, “The relationships you build with both campers and volunteers is incredible. I look forward to seeing campers all year long. It’s amazing the imprint a place and people can make on your heart, even when you’re all only together for just a week out of the year.”

Scales concludes by saying, “The smiles that you receive…are the best ever!”