Qualified?

Things are a lot different here in the US I think. In order to graduate from an EMT program/have EMT standing, you have to complete hospital and prehospital clinical rotations. Which agency sponsors this first aid training there? It might help us to better understand the situation.

Since when? Or is that perhaps a state-by-state requirement? The only "clinical rotation" experience I had in my EMT training was a four-hour ambulance ridealong (and we didn't even have to answer any calls), yet I was state certified, nationally registered.

I don't know anything about the Canadian system, but I'm taking your word for it that Level 3 Occupational First Aid is truly equivalent to US EMT. (I've heard people tell others that their First Responder or Wilderness First Aid certifications are equivalent to EMT. Umm, not so much.)

I take it that if you're the "first aid attendant" you'll be the primary health care provider for the camp? If it's a resident camp not within a few minutes of a hospital, then you're not qualified according to ACA (American Camp Association), the only accrediting body for summer camps; however, accreditation is totally optional. Is it a Canadian camp or a US camp?

In actuality? Yeah, you sound qualified to me, based on the knowledge that camps have a hard time finding nurses and so have to hire less-educated personnel. The fact that you have quite a bit of camp experience makes you more qualified than some RNs I've seen try to be camp nurses. Most of the stuff that goes on at camp is very basic. Your medication training, for instance, will help you give medications safely; that's probably going to be at least half your job. Know your limits. Identify local resources to call on if you need help; for instance, I sometimes called the advice nurse at the nearest medical center to get a sort of second opinion when necessary, and of course I contacted the doctor we had a relationship with if it was during his office hours. (Small town doctors are awesome!) Absolutely purchase the book THE BASICS OF CAMP NURSING--it's an outstanding resource. Keep a drug guide handy. Make plans with your director about who will be running the show if there's an emergency (it should be you, IMO).

It's not about your comfort level; it's about your ability. But it sounds like you're committed to doing the work necessary to do a good job with this. And it will be outstanding experience for your future--far beyond what students working as CNAs and externs next summer will get. Good luck, if you decide to accept the job.

Sounds like you will be great medical staff person. One of the best people at one of my camps, was the assistant director, she was not formally trained in medical, but was always ready to handle any emergency. As far as joining the "real world" I agree with you, camp is the real world, only a little better.

I have some concerns about you overstepping your bounds as a "first responder" EMT. I would definitely do camp if I were you, but you must remember not to practice outside your scope of practice and training. If you didn't learn it, can you leagally do it? What about medication administration? If you do, you risk a liability lawsuit from a parent, or as an agent of the camp, as a health provider. Make sure you have your own insurance. I would imagine EMT's can get insurance in case there is ever a lawsuit brought against you.