[jewel2008bsn]

I am an EMT and senior nursing student who is working at an all girls summer camp. Because I don't have a license yet I don't deal with medication besides picking up a prescription for sick kids. Also, I pack first aid kits and medical bracelets for trips. I pack the kids prescribed medication under the watchful eye of the RN. I took one girl to the doctors and she was prescribed Tylenol with codeine for her pain. She never used it but when I went to pack one pill for the trip she was going on, it was missing. The RN and "head nurse" told me not to worry about it and said she would have the other RNs to look for it the next day. It was in a locked medicine cabinet that only the on duty nurse and "head nurse" has a key to and was only there for four days. This "head nurse" has been notorious for forgetting to lock the medicine cabinet. We have looked everywhere in the infirmary but have not found it. As far as I know, no one but the nurses know, not even the director of camp. I don't know what to do. Should I tell someone? Please help, I am only at camp for one more week.

[Miriam57RN]

Hi Jewel,

Do you mean the whole prescription bottle of Tylenol #3 was missing? I don't like the sound of it. Do you know if it was paid for under camp insurance, or the parent's? Either way though, it should be returned to the parents when the camper leaves camp, as all other meds are. The parents also should have been informed about the camper's visit to the doctor - why and what was done or prescribed.

I just came off of working two 10-day sessions as a camp nurse this summer and would have loved to have had a nursing student as my assistant. It's a camp for underprivileged NYC children - between 800 - 900 children come through the summer over 4 sessions. Many from foster care or group homes. Lots of meds, injuries (fights and other situations).

I was the only RN there, my assistant was a college student (not a nursing student) who, since she helps a relative with insulin dependent diabetes, thinks she knows how to be a nurse and basically was given responsibilities by the camp enough to "play nurse" for the whole summer, such as administering meds and doing treatments. I would have been much more supported by her keeping the infirmary clean (she didn't) and the supplies refilled, etc. The other RN who worked the other two sessions (1st session and will be doing 4th) is 75 yrs. old and has delegated more and more responsibilities to untrained staff over the 7 yrs. she's been there.

This was my first summer there and first time working camp. The "nursing assistant" came for orientation before camp started (I had none except one day in the health center with the other RN), and was there for the first session thus had already built up a rapport with the young (high school and college aged) staff, so I had the extra challenge of reigning her in (while I myself was new) as she presumed to make nursing judgements. She was young, cool and hip and the staff and campers would come in looking to her with their physical c/o in the beginning because they knew her and she had a good pretense as "nurse".

A nursing student assistant would have had a much greater awareness of her limitations and the seriousness of making what should be professional nursing judgements. On the last day of 3rd session I saw a female staff member walking out with yellow coban wrapped around her wrist like an ace bandage. The "assistant" gave her this 'pretty colored' coban behind my back (she wanted yellow) and I had to stop her and have her take it off as it's not made for that (can restrict circulation) and she didn't even need an ace (let alone a coban). This is only one example.

This same "assistant" had said "I heard of a place in the Bronx where you can become a nurse in 4 months" (it was probably a CNA course) - she obviously highly underestimated the profession and what it takes to become and to be a (real) nurse. One night I was in the med room and overheard a 12 yr. old boy ask her if she was a registered nurse. She said no but did not reassure him that there was an RN present (me).

If they want me back there next summer, I'm going to have a good talk with the director and asst. director first about how the (one lone) RN can really be supported... certainly not by people allowed to play nurse all summer who neglect the duties that would really support the RN such as cleaning, restocking, taking information etc. A nursing student would be a much more appropriate assistant to give clinical duties to, under the teaching and supervision of the RN... especially if she (the assistant) did her other duties first. I saw 50 - 60 people in the health center daily and had to expend a lot of energy on things that should have been looked after by the assistant. I also lost sleep because of her late night phone calls (this was reported and came to an end) and one night one of her friends came by at 1:30 AM saying she had to give something to her - but really came to sleep in her room. Her unit leader came to the door at 6:00 AM looking for her (waking me up yet again in the process) - she had broken curfiew that night and didn't go back to her cabin. I had also woken up a couple of hours earlier at 4:00 AM with a splitting H/A (Excedrin H/A #9). This girl caused me more stress than support. I'd rather work alone than have someone like this "help" me.

Anyway, I have a new appreciation for nursing students now. And aside from all of the above - I love working with this population of campers, and hope to return - but with some new rules and guidelines in place...mine. I left there on Friday and am still thoroughly exhausted and drained. It doesn't have to be like this.

What state do you live in? I'm in PA.