helgej03

Hey there! I've been a "camp nurse" at a Christian camp in southeast Wisconsin for the past two summers while I was a nursing student. This past summer I was bumped up to "lead nurse." The ages ranged from kindergarten through high school. My advice to you, is to just do it. They were honestly the two best summers. Working with kids is so much fun. The main illnesses/injuries you see at camp are: homesickness, stomach aches (mostly DUE TO homesickness), many scrapes and cuts, homesickness,twisted ankles, allergies/asthma exacerbations, and did I mention homesickness? While there tends to be a lot of down time as a camp nurse, there also tends to be a general rush of kids that come to your office in the evening, usually during chapel if you work at a Christian camp, where you're swamped with tons of kids. It's best to have two people working in the office in the evening because of that. Also, the person below's advice on visiting the ACN website is an excellent one. There's books you can go over on the basics of camp nursing, which I would highly recommend buying. Depending on the camp, you will also be required to create work schedules for the camp nurses and volunteers, be the first responder of an accident/emergency on camp grounds, call 911, take kids and staff members to the clinic, as well as take care of staff members - whose major complaints are usually colds and lack of sleep. If you have any questions, ask some more! I absolutely love camp nursing and it was a great experience. Although, I probably won't return this summer because I graduate and will get a job in a hospital, I do plan on returning.