[rokidog]

I have thought about trying camp nursing for a long time... Right now I am seriously thinking about it. My children are getting older and this may be the time to go for it. I have read several posts on how to get started- join different camp nurse associations, contact for jobs, what may be expected, etc. I was just about to respond to an ad when I realized.... Licensing!... I guess I should be licensed in the state where the camp is located -- correct? Aprox. how long is the turn around to get license?

I am currently licensed in Florida and have adult critical care exp. , should I look for any First Aid certifications? What about PALs?

I will be looking for a noncompetitive coed camp in almost any state
Thanks!
Tammy

[Wendy79]

Yes, you will need to have a valid license for whatever state. You'll probably be able to find a camp in Florida if you aren't too specific about what you want. But you need to act now. I think the license turnaround time varies by state.

If you're not familiar with first aid, taking a course wouldn't be a bad idea; but most camp nurse stuff is pretty easy--"mom" stuff, other than medications--cuts and scrapes, sprains, slivers. Your nursing skills come in for assessment and medication administration. (One area to brush up on would be pediatric breathing emergencies--lots of asthma.) I haven't taken PALS, but I wouldn't say there's a need for it; you won't have specialized equipment or emergency meds available. In that worst case scenario, you'd be doing CPR until the paramedics arrived.

There's only one camp nurse association that I know of, ACN. Their book on camp nursing is worth its weight in gold.

[Belinda-wales]

You would beable to pick up a Temp license quiet qickly as long as you are reg in one state and they last for 90 days- check your license my says muilti state I guessing this would enable me to get a temp license in comparable states. I saw some one will put me right

[rokidog]

Thanks for the responses! I don't know why I didn't think of licensing first... it's something else I'll have to research. It may be kind of late in the season to hope for this year, but I'll take a look anyway. Ideally, I would like to find something on the east coast for 2-3-4 weeks, to try it out.

Living in Florida, I am not sure I would want to spend time in a summer camp for any length of time... perhaps if it were an ocean camp with snorkeling... but it gets really hot and humid in the summers.

Thank you
Tammy

[elkpark]

Originally Posted by Belinda-wales

You would beable to pick up a Temp license quiet qickly as long as you are reg in one state and they last for 90 days- check your license my says muilti state I guessing this would enable me to get a temp license in comparable states. I saw some one will put me right

The reference to "multi-state privileges" on your license is because you live in a state that is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact. This is a group of states that have agreed to recognize each others' nursing licenses, and means that you can use your "home" state license to practice in another "Compact state" without applying for a license in the other state.

However, FL is not a member of the Compact, so that would not help anyone who wants to be a camp nurse in FL (or someone currently licensed in FL who wants to be a camp nurse somewhere else). Someone with a Compact license could be a camp nurse in another Compact state, though, without needing to apply for a license in the state where the camp is located.

Here is the map of the current Compact member states: https://www.ncsbn.org/158.htm