A Day In Your Health Center

SnowbirdRN · May 5, 2010

I would always be in our health center before and after meals, and at bedtime. If a camper is late by 15-20min or if I'm itching to go to bed or something, I call the camper down. The counselors have walkie talkies so it's usually easy for me to call for a camper past bed time without waking up the whole camp.

SnowbirdRN · May 5, 2010

oh and i also hated when people came down during the rest hour after lunch because I often felt like I needed a nap but if I think about it, it's probably best for them to come down at that time rather than miss out on activities.

Neveranurseagain, RN · May 5, 2010

I usually try and hand out meds before breakfast, and let staff/campers know that sick call is AFTER breakfast, unless they REALLY are sick. It takes time to assess a camper, and the infirmary can get plugged up pretty quick. Kids don't like waiting for their meds, and will leave and then you have to tract them down. I will do a sick assessment before breakfast only if the infirmary is empty and there is only one camper that is sick. If they are really sick, I'll take a temp and have them lie down til after breakfast then assess them when it is quieter.

And see campers before lunch, and let yourself have some nap time. Explain to the staff during orientation that you may be up with sick kids during the night, and really need that time to nap.

campmonkey · May 17, 2010

Thank you for your replies.

DanaCharlee, I am with you on letting campers come during rest period so that they don't have to miss activities and I will discuss this with our leadership team before camp starts. They are the ones who have a problem with this. I am not someone who can nap so it's not really an issue for me as long as I can take a couple of minutes for myself after once the kids are out an about around camp.

Awsmfun, I will try to see if I can do sick assessments after breakfast to calm the pre-breakfast rush. We will just have to see if counsellors accept that idea, I have a feeling it won't go so well! But I do think it would work better for me.

Thanks again!

smiley321 · Jul 25, 2010

At our camp, med times are before each meal. In the morning they may come between wake-up and the start of breakfast, and the other meals they maky come fifteen minutes before the meal when the hasher bell rings (one camper goes to set the table for their cabin). At nighttime, I tell counsellors to send them between nine and nine forty-five, and that the med centre is closed at ten. Of course, this never happens, and I really only say its closed at ten so that I have time to go get campers that forgot. This is often an issue as our camp does not have an intercom system and counsellors dont carry walkie-talkies; I often send another staff member if they are available to the cabin to get the campers. I DO NOT let them keep their meds - not safe! Also, I do not ever bring their meds to the cabin if they forgot. I feel that if I do this, they will think it's okay if they forget because I'll just bring their meds to them. No, even if it means they have to get out of bed, it helps emphasis my point that they cannot forget their meds and if they do, they need to take responsibilty and come get them.

Sick call I don't do before breakfast; everything feels worst in the morning and I find campers often feel better after their daily jump in the lake and food in their bellies. Plus, there is no time before breakfast what with all the morning meds. They may come after meals during rest time, and of course anytime if they are truly feeling ill.

TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP · Jul 28, 2010

My camp has decentralized med passing - medications for scouts stay with the unit leaders, just as they would on any other campout. Medications for junior staff stay with the director of their sub-camp. Unit leaders have to fill out a medication administration log which is then turned into the sub-camp office (and thence to the Health Lodge) at the end of each week.

As such, my day is a lot less busy than many of yours - in fact, the joke around camp is that the Health Officers are paid to work the least amount possible, since most of what we deal with are emergencies, urgencies, and things the staff or unit leaders can't deal with themselves. Our morning sick call is at 9am after breakfast, though if I'm expecting that someone I see later in the day and tell to "come back in the morning if you're still having symptoms" will probably show up the next morning for sick call, I tell them to be there at 8:45am or so in order to be able to evaluate them myself before I call the camp physician for an appointment when his office opens at 9am. However, many days no one shows up for it and I get to sleep in. Other than that my coworker and I are on-call 24/7 and operate more on an EMS footing than is apparently typical at non-BSA camps.

Afternoon/evening are when most of the transport-required musculoskeletal injuries occur, while issues with breathing (asthma, etc) that require transport to the local hospital seem to happen at any time of day. Miscellaneous GI ailments tend to peak on Monday or Tuesday evening (*cough* homesickness *cough*) and when not psychosomatic are usually the result of dehydration/mild heat exhaustion. Pink Bisthmuth and Diphenhydramine are the top-two over-the-counter drugs dispensed by the Health Lodge.

nikki_nurse · Aug 31, 2010

Here is the schedule at my camp.

8:00 - Up and getting morning medications ready. Campers are suppose to come down to get their medications at this time. I am also available for minor stuff. Campers and staff like to come down at this time if they are feeling sick.

8:30 - Breakfast - Finish handing out morning medications at the meal.

9:00-10:00 - Impact time (campers in the lodge learning about the Bible - I am at a Christian camp). During this time I am checking cabins for cleanliness.

10:15 - 12:20 - Activities - During these activities I am doing paperwork, phoning parents about missing health information, doing health center laundry etc.

12:30 - Lunch - Hand out lunchtime medications and then stay in the dining hall for the lunchtime skit.

1:20 - 2:00 - Campers have free time. Occasionally see some campers who are not feeling well. Sometimes attend staff prayer, or finish up odd tasks around my office.

2:00-4:00 - I am off. The office covers me for any emergencies or first aid.

4:00 - 5:30 - Office hours. The campers have free time during this time, so I often see a lot of campers during this time. Otherwise I am in the health center working on paperwork or cleaning.

5:30 - Dinner - Hand out dinner medications and then stay in the dining hall for mail call

6:15 - 8:30 - Attend the evening program (usually a camp wide game) and helped if needed. Am available for help if any injuries occur.

8:30 - 9:15 - Campfire - I attend the campfire

9:15 - Bed - Bedtime medications in my office. I also see some injuries/complaints.

The way my position is set up at my camp, is that I am to be in the office for 30 mins before breakfast and lunch, and an hour and a half before dinner and an hour after evening program. Otherwise I am free to be around the camp. I always have a walkie talkie on me, so if I am needed, they can call me. I also have a sign on my door saying where I am at all times. At night, there is a doorbell that the campers/staff can ring if they need me. I think that this system works pretty much. Usually I am in my office working, although it is nice to be able to wander around camp and hang out with campers/staff if I have a bit of free time.

Denisebrevardfl · Oct 27, 2014

Your camp sounds like a camp I would like to work at. Would you share with me what camp you were at?

Thank you!

Denisebrevardfl · Nov 5, 2014

Which camp is this?

JustBeachyNurse, LPN · Nov 5, 2014

Which camp is this?

This thread is more than 4 years old, I doubt you will receive a timely response...

kaufer01 · Nov 7, 2014

I have a health center team of 4-5 nurses in the summer. We administer meds just before each meal and have "clinic hours" right after each meal this may last up to an hour depending on how many kids and what we are dealing with. We then give bed time meds just before lights out. For the younger kids this is around 8:30 for the older kids this is 9:30. If all the kids haven't shown up by 9pm I send our "long duty" senior staff member (senior staff member that is up and responding to needs until lights out) to track down anyone that hasn't come. We sometimes have a few kids trickle in at bedtime with injuries or illnesses. We take care of any immediate need and have them come back in the morning after breakfast for follow up. Kids that stop down to the health center for bandaids and other things that are not urgent (not actively bleeding, having breathing difficulties, or other urgent/emergency type situations) are sent back to their activities with instructions to talk to their activity leader for first aid and to return after the next meal.

We are then able to pack medications for trips (we pack for a lot of trips), take care of health center needs, and spend time around camp interacting with the kids. We carry an on-call phone for calls from the field and a walkie talkie for in camp needs.