Most commom camp issues and tips...

[carachel2]

As I mentioned below, there are several of us who are new to the camp nursing scene. I currently work in an ER and I'm good with dealing with the major issues in a hospital setting (i.e. monitors, IV access,etc.) but would like tips on more of the routine issues I am bound to encounter in a camp setting. I am working at a girls camp in the mountains if that helps.

Can we start a string of most common camp issues and helpful tips for dealing with them ?

[muffin7]

I am also interested in camp related skills and assessment info

[Liddle Noodnik]

I am also interested in camp related skills and assessment info

Guess they are all at camp! lol

[teeniebert, LPN]

Guess they are all at camp! lol

You guessed right! I'm home for the weekend so I'm glued to the Internet while I do laundry. Here are a couple sites I've found helpful:

http://www.acacamps.org/knowledge/health/hlthcareres.php

http://www.acn.org/

My camp has a copy of The Basics of Camp Nursing by Linda Erceg and Myra Pravda that I refer to frequently; there's a new 2009 edition that I'd love to get my hands on. In the Trenches by Bob Ditter is also very good. Although it's not specifically nursing-related, it talks about many issues nurses deal with as camp staff.

The darker side of camp nursing: I've been called on several times by the camp director to witness conversations and fill out incident reports related to them. Campers tend to trust the nurse more than other members of the staff, and when I'm there they speak a little more freely than they would in front of their cabin counselors. Unfortunately, games of 'truth or dare' and pranks that were once considered a normal part of camp life can now be considered abuse, involving CPS and the State Police depending on the specifics.

[Illyra01]

Thanks for the wonderful information, I am volunteering as the Camp Nurse for a church camp in the mountains in a few weeks and I was wondering if anyone can give me a rough idea of the number of supplies that will be needed? There will be about 60 pre-teen campers and 30 staff. The camp is a week long. I'm not sure what the usage rate averages, and am hoping someone who has done this before can give me a rough idea of how many boxes of band-aids etc.

[aging1]

Keep spray Bactine or the equivalent for scrapes and cuts - it numbs and is antibacterial. Wipe it off with clean gauze, slap on some antibiotic ointment and a bandage and, voila! Happy campers.

Athlete's foot (smelly, itchy, sometimes cracked feet in kids who've worn the same socks for 3 weeks. . .): put a dollop of bleach in a basin of water, have them gently scrub with gauze, then have them put on lotion, as the bleach is drying. Overnight cure, usually. Plus, tell them to wear clean socks every day, and soak their shoes in a similar bleach mix and sun dry. Makes for better relations with roommates, as well.

Nausea: Nausatrol or a similar syrup. I also use Pepto Bismol - I think the Reyes' Syndrome risk is obscure in adolescence, unless the kid's febrile. Warn them that it turns their tongue and stool black. Sometimes you have to re-dose until it catches up with the vomiting; have them keep taking sips of liquids (Gatorade or juice with a pinch of salt).

Superficial skin infections: Heat will ALWAYS fix these if done early and often (like voting. . .). Put a wet washcloth in a ziplock baggie, microwave it for 15-20 seconds, or until it's uncomfortably hot. Have them put it on and off the spot until it cools enough to hold it on, until it's not hot any more. Repeat every hour the first day - infection will be turning around by the following day, if they're diligent. Warn against burning themselves, of course - people won't, because it hurts to.

I've seen this work on incipient MRSA infections and on my own infected foot after stepping on a long thorn in thin shoes. From inflamed, red distal half of my foot to painless overnight, after frequent, HOT soaks. Germs can only live in a certain temperature range.

Thanks for this thread!