Desertnurse

My daughter (age 10) went with me last year to camp. She was a regular camper and was treated just like all the other campers. I didn't even see her for the first two weeks of camp! Her tution and spending account were paid but not her transportation to camp. That was just my camp's policy...only staff transportation was reimbursed (up to a limit of $300) Every camp is different. My camp was all girls and 7 weeks long, same girls the entire time. It was a great experience for both of us and we are returning again this year for another adventure!

My daughter (age 10) went with me last year to camp. She was a regular camper and was treated just like all the other campers. I didn't even see her for the first two weeks of camp! Her tution and spending account were paid but not her transportation to camp. That was just my camp's policy...only staff transportation was reimbursed (up to a limit of $300) Every camp is different. My camp was all girls and 7 weeks long, same girls the entire time. It was a great experience for both of us and we are returning again this year for another adventure!

Gina (angel), Glad you had a great experience at Camp Cedar! Hey, I think I know the nurse that worked there with you...he is still there and what a wonderful person he is! Since he comes back every year, he is very organized and has the work schedule figured out to optimize days/time off for the nurses. He is an ACN member and dedicated to camp nursing and it makes huge difference to work with someone who really cares about their job. He came over to my camp and gave me some advice and moral support one day, after I sent him an email sobbing about a particularly difficult day. I would love to work with him but I have a daughter and Camp Cedar is all boys. Some of the brothers of my campers went to Cedar though, since my all girls camp was very close to them. This brings up another topic to consider when choosing a camp. You need to ask if there are any nurses from previous camp sessions that will be returning. It will make a world of difference to have someone who knows the ropes alongside you.

Let me point out that the ACN website is not only a wonderful source of information but the people behind the scenes are absolutely top notch in the field of camp nursing. I attended the camp nurse workshops they held this year in Bimidji at the ACN headquarters (Wilderness first aid for nurses and 'bats bugs and bandaids, a nurse goes to camp'). I cannot say enough good things about the course or the people running it. I met friends for life there at that workshop and it was a real bonding experience for all of us attending. If there is any way you can get to this workshop next year, you will not be disappointed. It was extremely benefical to first time camp nurses and to returning nurses. There was something for everyone. The instructors and facilitators were professional and knowledgable and genuinely loved camp nursing. The book "The Basics of Camp Nursing" written by Linda Erceg and Myra Pravda is an excellent resource as well. By the way, both of these women ran the course in Bimidji and they are two of the nicest camp nurses you will ever have the pleasure of meeting! Honestly I cannot say enough good things about ACN and I only just discovered it when I started looking into camp nursing for the summer. After I found their site I did not look any further. I signed up for their course and found a camp nursing job listed on their site. I was not disappointed with either. I think my biggest disappointment in this whole ordeal was when I realized that all camp nurses are not all as wonderful as the ones I met in Bimidji with ACN!! I was never bored at camp, we just had too much to do and there was always something going on. However I did find it a bit lonely. You must realize that the average age of counsellors is about 19 or 20....well I was old enough to be mothers to 99% of the camp counsellors. There was just no one my age to talk to except the doctors and their wives...and thank goodness they were there. Also, you really must have a car. It will make a huge difference with your own transportation on days off. I also felt like I was in prison at first...trapped in the wilderness with no way out! Ha ha, and we were miles from anywhere, there were no walks to town. It took 15 minutes just to get to the rite aid by car...25 to the walmart and almost an hour to get to a decent shopping mall! Three things that I could have done to make life easier for me...1) a car. 2)a laptop computer 3) have the phone line in my room hooked up from day one instead of waiting for almost 4 weeks to have it done. As far as our routine, well it was similar to Nightingales. The work is not hard work it is just that you are working all the time. Eight weeks and not one day to sleep late unless it was your day off...but who wants to sleep in on your day off? I was up and out of there on my day off! We were supposed to get one day off per week but I ended up with only 5 full days off and 2 partial days. Would I do it again? Certainly!

I worked this summer as a camp nurse (my first time too) and came away from it exhausted but with a very happy daughter! I have some of the same concerns as you Nightingale. No car (except on days off) was a huge problem...number of days off and evenings off ...and general alone/down time was another. I was at camp for 8 weeks! Of course hindsight is always clearer and if I do it again next year I will definitely be better prepared. Would love to compare notes with you.