Camp Nurses - Please Introduce Yourself Here.

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At someones suggestion, to introduce herself, this thread was started. I will start:

I was a Camp Nurse in 2000 at a private camp in upstate New York in the Birkshire Mountains. I was there for a month and had a so so time but my kids did have a wonderful experience. My duo, now 17 and 15, share wonderful memories of that summer.

I hope we can here from others with current experiences as well. Where are y'all going this summer? Or, are you there already.

Please take some time in introducing yourself. Let me know if you want other "Stickey's" or what we can do to modify this Forum to make it more interesting for you.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Postpartum.

Hi all,

I am an LPN living in AZ. I work for a couple of registries and mainly work in LTC facilities with my preference for Dementia units. I have done this for 2 1/2 years when I read on this website about camp nurse jobs for the summer. I applied at Camp Staff.com on a wed/thurs and got a call on sat with a job offer in Texas. I am in the process of packing to leave tomorrow with my 13yo for camp. I am excited with this change of focus. My last assignment was Monday nite at an Alzheimers unit I like working at. After the Alzheimer unit, Camp seems like a piece of cake. I am hoping that the rugrats will be a refreshing change from the ravages of mental illness. My son is happy to be a camper but still be able to come home if he gets homesick(they are giving me a 3 bd apt behind the health clinic). I hope to touch base on this site throughout the summer. Wish me luck.

Camp Nurse Eveline

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Well Camp Nurse Eveline... yahoo for you! It sounds like you will have a great summer. I hope your son enjoys the camp. Did you get to read through the suggestions of things to keep you occupied? There may be a lot of down time; the struggle for our family is, "Mom was bored".

I wish you all the best; I am glad to hear you will be checking in. Good luck to you. Let us know if you need anything.

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Hi,

I've been a nurse for 12 years, last 8 years pretty much working part time and per diem, last 16 mos. home full time caring for our newest addition. I've been a camp nurse since 2003 at a beautiful girls camp in Raymond, Maine. I love it. Both my girls have been able to attend and my newest little girl has been there since birth and will eventually be an official camper. This camp is a 7 week overnight girls camp, 9 weeks actually, for me including pre and post camp. It's rustic; the health center is an old "cabin" with stud walls. I'm lucky enough to have electricity and running water (the campers live in cabins, no electricity with a "dew drop" nearby). I live for 9 weeks with mosquitoes, tons of black ants (hate them hate them hate them!!),spiders, mice, skunk and whatever else is wandering around the woods. But I love it just the same. I love all the girls and what the camp itself promotes. I'm excited to find this website and hope to utilize it this summer. The most invaluable tool to have at camp is resources. It's so nice to be able to "bounce" an idea off someone when you're stumped. It's also nice to just not feel so "alone". I am basically it. I am the head nurse, the nurse on call pretty much 24/7. I have one 12 hour day off a week, and have another nurse who covers me for that day and also comes in on Saturday to help out where needed. She also helps out at the initial screen of the campers and during any horse shows. I look so forward to my summer. I remember the first year thinking that I was nuts to "give up" my summer, but it was the best thing I ever did. For myself and my girls. My husband also works at camp so we have the best of all worlds. I hope to check in on a regular basis to see what everyone else is up to this summer. I hope we all write in. I start June 22. I have no computer in the health center but do have access in the directors' offices. Good luck to everyone and I look forward to hearing from you all. Jogmom

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Hi, I am Kathie, the newly appointed charge camp RN at Camp Pocono trails in PA. I am "shipping" off to camp next Friday. I am a new nurse (0nly 2 years experience) and I am very nervous about this assignment. I will have 3 other nurses and an EMT helping me. (Thank goodness) I am charge because I am the only one that was there last year. My daughter went with me last year and loved it, so we are returning.

I will be checking this site daily if I can. We have internet access but it is not the best.

Good luck to all, happy summer!

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repeat post

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For all of you who are off to camp this week, I'll be lurking and anxiously awaiting your posts. I am working a one week starter camp at a girls camp in North Carolina and it isn't until the end of the summer...so I can't wait to read about everyones experiences !

I have a cardiac nursing experience (ICU and CCU) and then cardiac rehab for about 6-7 years. Last year I did a dramatic thing and quit cardiac rehab to work PRN in the Emergency Room on a PRN basis and return to school in the FNP program. I LOVE it !

I think camp if a wonderful experience (if it is the right camp) for kids and gives them a place to belong, a sense of independence and friendships that can last them for life. It is my hope that my daughter and I will keep returning to this camp every year.

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Specializes in pediatric er, iv team nicu, picu, and ot.

Hi my name is sunny :lol2: I am not real computer savvy..can we get phone numbers or is that againts rules..sure would like someone to talk me thru this..will I was a pediatric er nurse also worked picu, nicu and IV team..well actually I worked almost every unit they had ..worked in a lot of childrens hospitals for alot of years I worked one summer in the poconos (sp?)..not the best experience, then I started working summers at a fitness camp insouthern and centrl calif:roll , I have worked off and on with this place since the late 80s..theres just something special ,,they care so much about the campers and all the people..its not the easiest job but management is amazing and there are always amazing life changing stories I get to encounter and actually be part of ..it will test a lot of you character:pumpiron: ..but is amazingly rewarding:yelclap: ..of course ask me atthe end of summer when Im alittle fried:innerconf ..I always come back..there is a reason for that:kiss

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Hi, my name is Dolores Trujillo. I work at Kaiser Sacramento as a charge nurse in the ICU for the last 5 years, 1.5 of those years in management. I have volunteered for Camp Sacramento 2 years in a row, and getting ready to head up for a third year. This camp is run by Parks and Recreation of Sacramento. There are nurses quarters for my family, great food and recreation for my three children. We are approximately 4000 ft. in altitude, so I do encounter nose bleeds, bug bites and scraped knees from falls. I also dispense over the counter drugs for the adults and sick children.

My kids absolutely love going up to this camp, and look forward to it every year. I do not get paid for this week, but it more than makes up for the money. The camp staff are wonderful and accomodating to my family. I am on a standing list, so they contact me in December, and paperwork is in by January. I also catch up on reading that I was not able to do most of the year.

This is a great idea, so keep the information posted. I am curious to see how different other camp nurses experiences are:jester: Dolores

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I'm not really a camp nurse, but I just finished a school elective for nursing children with pku. I don't think I'll ever participate in camp nursing again.

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I'm not really a camp nurse, but I just finished a school elective for nursing children with pku. I don't think I'll ever participate in camp nursing again.

Did you have a bad experience, and that is why you will never participate again? Also, what is PKU?

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The camps that have the sick children can be a challenge. I know some of the nurses that volunteer at these camps come home emotionally weary, but with many good memories. But for some of these camps, the nurses that volunteer are the only way that they can have medical help available, and use the financial resources to run the camp. For some of these children, these camps are highly anticipated year round. You can use the volunteer time on a resume, if applying for a management or specialist job in nursing. The camp nursing experience is definitely an 'icebreaker' when this is mentioned in job interviews. I would suggest trying a family camp with just activities, not with a specialized 'chronic condition'. It may give you a different perspective on camp nursing. Good luck.:wink2:

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