Portable Equipment

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I'm a little new to running camps and I want to organize and overhaul our nurse role. Our camp is only at 100 kids for 1 week, but I believe we will continue to keep growing slowly each year. The main thing that would help would be organizing supplies and meds so that they are easy to find.

What would you recommend for:

  1. Medication storage (bin, on wheels, compartmentalized)
    • We have them bring meds in ziplocs and original package.
    • I would like this to be portable so we can bring to lunch hall and things like that without the bags all getting mixed up.
  2. First Aid supply storage (here are my thoughts, but please suggest yours)
    • Small bags (fanny packs?) for counselors to keep bandaids, hand sanitizer, sun screen, etc.
    • 1 or 2 portable (backpack?) first aid kits for nurse/directors to wear when kids are out and about.
    • 1 Storage container for less common items that would stay in the nurse shack, maybe just refills for backpacks and fanny packs.

Thanks for your suggestions! I think this will really help our nurse and counselors focus on other things and get right to helping if an issue occurs.

Also, if you have any suggestions on what you would stock these containers with, I'd love a second opinion on that as well!

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I'm in a similar situation, in charge of a one week camp for about 80 kids. From no meds kids to some serious, serious stuff.

1. I pre-pour. I wish I didn't but transporting meds is a nightmare. I have been eyeing up some sturdy looking wheeled bags like at https://www.lifesecure.com/product-category/rolling-emergency-kits/

2. I like bum bags for counselors if you can trust them to document their care. My bigger, all summer camp used them along with kits in all areas. Documentation, restocking, and keeping tidy (don't hand it back to me with bloody tissues floating around. There's a trash baggie right there) were ongoing but not widespread issues. Campers were with their own counselors so they could carry inhalers and epi in them. At my current camp, we just keep first aid kits in all areas and that's been fine. I circulate a lot. I have been carrying an ever growing backpack. No matter what I put in it, they'll need something that I left behind. 5 ice packs? I'll need 6. Ok. I have 10 today. I'll need none but now I need 4 abd pads, saline,12 mints, a penlight and a thermometer because why is that kid seizing?! Campers choose activities independently so the same counselors won't be with them so I carry most inhalers and extra epi pens. This year, I think I'm being upgraded to my own golf cart because camp is physically big. I hope so, I got a reasonable trauma bag on ebay to hold all the stuff above! I refill from my shelves in the nurse cabin where I also treat kids that can come during their cabin time. I keep my supplies easy to see and access. Meds are kept in a locking trunk. The $30 sterilite kind serious camp kids use.

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Specializes in NICU, adult med-tele.

We keep our meds locked in a cabinet that is mounted on the wall. It is located where we administer the meds- in our case it's a little kiosk near the dining hall. That way we don't have to transport the meds anywhere, the kids come to us. If you don't have many meds, and want it to be portable, you could get a locking file cabinet that has wheels and a handle. Even having each kid's ziploc in an alphabetized folder works. I have even heard of school nurses that use the file folder method.

For activity area first aid kits, each area has a lightweight drawstring backpack that we fill and replenish as needed, and it just stays in the area, verses counselor having to carry things. Fanny packs work well, too. That is what our lifeguards use. For the activity areas I just provide the basics. We found when we made first aid kits too fancy, the stuff just ended up getting wasted. So we keep it pretty simple. Plenty of gloves, BZK wipes, sting wipes, and bandaids. A baggie of gauze in case they need to hold pressure on something.

Our nurses carry a backpack with more extensive emergency and first aid supplies.

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UTVOL3, I'm curious about night meds. Where do you do those? Do kids come to dining hall then? I've tried keeping meal meds locked in a trunk at the dining hall but somehow, some of those BID at breakfast and HS meds are left in the wrong place. Sigh.

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Specializes in NICU, adult med-tele.

Hi CampyCamp. We work out of the kiosk- which we call the med shed. It is a great set up. We don't have to go to the dining hall or move meds around at all. When the meds arrive, they are set up in a cabinet and stay there until the kid leaves. The cabinet is kept locked, and so is the shed.

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Last question- do you use camp meds or another packaging arrangement?

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Specializes in School Nursing.
On 8/29/2019 at 3:42 PM, CampyCamp said:

Last question- do you use camp meds or another packaging arrangement?

I use CampMeds, and with the exception of controlled substances (parents report difficulty with paperwork/refills) I love it.

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