Camp nursing with your child

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Specializes in L&D.

My son is almost 2, but in a few years I'd love to get a job as a camp nurse and bring him with me as a camper!

For those who do this - do you get free or discount tuition for your child?

Do you also get paid on top of that?

If the camp is 2 months long, broken up into sessions, is it ever possible to only go for a few weeks?

At that point I may still have a per diem job at home I'd like to keep up with, so don't think I can leave for 2 months.

And not sure my husband would be happy with us both leaving all summer!

(This would likely be a larger camp that employs several nurses. Never having done camp nursing, I don't think I'd be comfortable being the only nurse)

Thanks!

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Specializes in Complex pedi to LTC/SA & now a manager.

Most camps have a minimum age of 6 or 7 for campers. Some camps have a day care like setting for staff children that are toilet trained, but not common in sleep away camps. Have you thought about day camps?

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Specializes in L&D.

I'll look at day camps, but I don't there are great options around here.

I know he probably can't go for at least 4 years, just thinking ahead : )

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Specializes in Home Health (PDN), Camp Nursing.

My camp has nannies for staff children. There were about 8 staff children who were not of camp age. So it's possible to find a camp that would accommodate you, but it's a hard sell. Your an unknown quantity with baggage, don't be discouraged if you can't find a place right away. If it's something your really interested in you'll find it.

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Specializes in Pediatrics.

Check with your camp.

The camp where I have been a nurse we go in sessions, so a week at a time.

I have gone where my youngest was a camper and my oldest hung out with me and had free reign of the camp.

I have also been a nurse during the weekends for father/son camp and my husband and my boys were campers and I got to see them around camp.

My camp offers free tuition for my kids if I work 1 week.

Being that your son is younger than a campers age maybe an issue as you need to be available to respond to emergencies, but if you are at a camp that has more than 1 nurse it might not be an issue. Again each camp is different.

I love being a camp nurse, and I am hoping I can work my vacation around this summer so I can go for a full week rather than just the weekend this summer

My camp offers free campers hips

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Specializes in Home Health (PDN), Camp Nursing.

You may want to try places in PA or NY. there are a ton of camps up here and frankly they pay pretty well for camp nurse positions.

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When my kids were young, and ready for camp (they are adults now so it's been a while) I volunteered for a week at a time… they went different weeks. So, I was basically the back up nurse and was there to cover the regular nurse who went home for 48 hours then returned… I think it was Tuesday to Thursday… She prepared all the meds, organized everything so I just administered the meds and took care of any walk in problems… there was a doctor on call to get advice from for broken bones et… Anyways, I was invited to stay the whole week and could bring my other child with me to participate if they wanted to or hang with me… I got half off the cost of the camp. It was super fun but not that lucrative. I enjoyed it immensely. It was worth it to me and my family and I appreciated the decrease cost. It was a very nice camp.

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