[kampnurse817]

Hope my subjects are not stupid ones. (for info - I am new to camp nursing - have only worked one season at it so far)

My question is this: How do you all master doing these health screenings on the staff and campers? When my season started last year, I did the staff screenings - no problem. However, when it came to the campers, it was a whole different ball game. They had the leadership staff doing them with me in the beginning. Then, as time went on, they had the counselors doing them in the cabins. Sometimes I would get the paperwork back right away, but most times, I did not.

Here is why this question is so important to me: We had a camper that did some harm to themselves at home. It was discovered by her counselor, passed on to the leadership staff and then onto the director. Me, as the nurse, got no information until the camper was already there for about 3 days. I was told that I did not need to know. I requested her counselor to bring her into the infirmary for me to at least look at the problem, to ensure that no infections were present.

I continue to be told that I do not need to know these things. I disagree. I feel that I am being paid to do a certain job, and that is what I intend to do. However, I have nothing to argue with. I have been unable to find much information about camp nursing online, unless I am not looking correctly. I just need something to argue with - some literature or laws or something.

Any ideas? Experiences? Thanks.

[Wendy79]

What type of camp do you work at? How many sessions per summer? (And BTW, your questions are definitely not stupid!)

Seems like you have two questions here.

First, how do I handle first-day check-ins? I get 100-130 new campers each week. I "process" them with the help of one other administrative staff member. I ask all the questions and discuss all the medications; the other person is someone who's trained to check for lice. Move 'em in, move 'em out, spend more time with the ones who come with a medical condition or illness or special diet or medication. I would not have anyone do this; the counselors wouldn't know where to begin, even if they had some training during precamp. I adapted my camp's check-in policy based on what I found in The Basics of Camp Nursing. And the screening is very simple, based on the idea that children are just spending a week at camp. We've sometimes had short-term nurses who don't really "get" camp, who think they're in a public health position. It's not our place. I give advice and help on anything that comes up (quite a bit of meds education), patch them up while they're there, sometimes call their parents if I'm concerned.

Your second issue: I think you're talking about "cutting", or self-mutilation? My guess is that the counselors (I was one myself for many years) think of the nurse more as a "first-aider" and don't realize the mental health training we have. The staff probably thought of this girl as a camper with an emotional problem--and they think of that as their domain. Yes, you should know these things; you're probably the most-trained person in the camp in mental health. Make sure people know that (that you have training, that is, not that you're the "best trained"). Tell the counselors that you're available for those campers.

Have you read the Basics of Camp Nursing book? It's really good. I've found several older camp nursing books as well, but Basics is the best. You mention that "you're paid to do a certain job"--I'd be interested to hear what you see as your job at camp.