Nursing Students at Camp

Specialties Camp

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Hi Everyone,

I need some advice. I'm a 3rd year nursing student at a 4 year university. I would like to start a program in my university that allows our students to be nursing assistance. I already have a resident camp lined up who would be willing to have our students. What i'm having trouble with is finding the standards of nursing in camps and the qualifications a nursing student must have to be an assistant. I have checked the American Camping Association and the Association of Camp Nurses but i couldn't find anything that would give me clear standards of what is expected.

I, also, don't know, how to go around in to contacting my school and getting support from my instructor. I know that none of our faculty is associated with any camps.

I haven't presented this idea to our university yet, but hopefully this can help me out.

Any advice would help!

Thank you so much!

:D

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Specializes in Foot care.

Wow, very proactive of you to attempt this. Where are you in this project? What's the status? I'm thinking about your questions...

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Specializes in Urgent Care NP, Emergency Nursing, Camp Nursing.

I would be hesitant to hire on a nursing student who didn't have some sort of EMS background/certification. Nursing school does not train for emergent situations in the field.

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Specializes in School Nursing.

I think as long as there is an RN on staff there and you are working under the RN, it should be ok. The RN should do the meds and any procedures, and the students can assist with first aid and illness care as directed. Vital signs, cleaning and dressing minor wounds, etc. Similar to a PCT in the hospitals.

If there is not an RN on staff, I would be very hesitant to do this as a student, and definitely DO NOT adminsiter any meds or treatments. Something goes wrong and it can easily be considered working beyond your scope of practice.

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Specializes in peds palliative care and hospice.

I would echo purple scrubs, if there is an RN, you should be fine. Look at some other camps that allow nursing students as externs and see what their requirment is. I got hired for a student positon (didnt take it) and I know you had to have at least one year of clinicals, and they prefered pedi experiance. I know camp oakhurst has such a position, but fyi, they are a special needs (phys/devel. disabilities) so its a bit different, but you can still use the same framework. Also see if you can talk to some camp directors and see what the reqs are for them on a personal level.

Good luck.

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Specializes in Public Health, School, Camp.

I worked at a summer camp in Maryland (YMCA Camp Tockwogh) the summer of 2010 that hired student nurses to work the whole summer and then had RNs (typically parents of campers - I was the exception) that were there for a session at a time. The student nurse that I worked with was also an EMT, but had taken a course in medication administration so was able to pass meds. Because of his EMT status he was a great asset to the wellness center. We ended up having several emergencies that summer where we ended up sending kids to the ER.

I am not sure what the exact qualifications were that he had to have prior to working at the camp though. I believe he had to have had some clinical rotations.

As long as there is an RN at the camp willing to work with you, I don't see why it would be a problem. But I would certainly suggest getting some sort of emergency medical experience.

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