[natania]

I am interested in working at a summer camp the semester before I graduate. Do you know if camps will take Student RNs who are looking simply for some experience? And if so, do students draw a salary? (Not a deciding factor, BTW... I would go just for the experience.)

[SMK1]

Can't speak for all camps, but there is a group where I am that uses students all summer as volunteers.

[edgwow]

Some camps will use a student in the capacity as an assistant to the nurse, to clean up scapes and clean the nurses office. Sometimes they want an asssistant because then there is 2 staff with a camper,. Since it always has to be 3 people together , either 2 kids and a staff memeber or 2 staff members and a kid.
Be careful though, if you are expected to administer prn's like tylonol or motrin, because that is dispensing medication without a license.
The end of the summer is a good time to call around camps that you would be interested in.

[Wendy79]

...and plenty of camps use student nurses as their primary healthcare providers, not necessarily out of choice, but out of necessity (it's very hard to attract RNs, especially competent ones).

You'd have to decide for yourself whether you'd be comfortable with that role. Whether you'd be the primary or an assistant, you will have no trouble finding a paying summer camp job.

Summer camp is an AMAZING experience for a student--definitely a good way to spend a summer. You learn a lot about assessment and therapeutic communication.

[natania]

Thank you all for responding! You have been very helpful. I guess I'll start looking into it, then.

[Miriam57RN]

Originally Posted by natania

Thank you all for responding! You have been very helpful. I guess I'll start looking into it, then.

The camp I worked in this summer uses one RN and one assistant to staff the health center. The assistant can be a nursing student. This year the assistant was a college student, but not a nursing student. I feel a nursing student would be a much better assistant than just any college student. Would you work in PA?

[natania]

Originally Posted by Miriam57RN

The camp I worked in this summer uses one RN and one assistant to staff the health center. The assistant can be a nursing student. This year the assistant was a college student, but not a nursing student. I feel a nursing student would be a much better assistant than just any college student. Would you work in PA?

I'd certainly consider it!

[SarasotaRN2b]

Well, I just found out that I have been accepted to nursing school for January 2008...Yeah! I would much rather spend my first summer assisting an RN in a camp (school nursing is my future goal), and would like to know if I would be considered? It is primarily for the experience and the opportunity to enjoy the out doors a little more.

Kris

[Dinsey]

I worked at a camp as a student nurse as an internship between my junior and senior years. It was the best experience I ever had. I did assessments, helped to sort and pass meds, communicated with the on-call Dr and area hospitals..It was all under the head nurse's license, as she acted in the preceptor role.

[Alex'sDad]

Many camps will take nursing students to assist licensed RNs. I try to find one or two RN students each year for two reasons:

1) I need the help. It's a volunteer camp and I'm usually the only nurse. It's fine if the kids aren't sick, but if they get sick and have to sleep in the infirmary that means I'm up all night checking on kids and then up all day again taking care of them. Makes for a grumpy camp nurse and

2) I'm an avid salesperson for camp nursing. The kids need us and fewer and fewer nurses are going to camp. We can simply make more money elsewhere and most nurses don't want to give up vacation time to volunteer. If I can give a student nurse a great camp experience, it's always my hope that the younger crowd will start doing camp to let us old folks off the hook once in a while!