UTVOL3

Our camp is kind of taking it week by week. We are still optimistic, but we also have a ton of staff and a handful of kids that are planning on coming from Europe. They are nervous because visa appointments and the like have just been stopped. I am so sad to think that it may be cancelled, but I will admit that it would be nice to know. Our parents are remaining optimistic that camp will go. I am not sure they understand the challenges, though.

Good luck on your interview! I would say just be honest and straight forward about your work experience, and ask a TON of questions. You want to know what you are getting into both in terms of the work and the living arrangements. Don't hesitate to ask about time off arrangements, too. Will there be a supervising nurse conducting the interview? If not, I'd asking if you can be put in contact with that person, to ask nursing specific questions.

Hi, what does everyone use for fluid/electrolyte replacement for someone who has had vomiting/diarrhea? Gatorade? Pedialyte? Something else? Do you mostly stick with water to keep them hydrated?

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.

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.

We have lost our second nurse, so we are scrambling to find someone for the rest of the summer! If your camp has used a recruiter successfully, or has leftover applications/resumes on file that you wouldn't mind sharing, I'd love for you to contact me! We are trying Facebook, ACN job board, the state school nurses association and local school districts. Indeed, craigslist, and of course word of mouth!

I agree, this topic can be really frustrating! The ACN has a practice guideline that might give you some reassurance. It is on their website, under resources.

An RN can delegate medication administration to a counselor in NH. We just go over the med with them before they leave and make sure they understand. Check your state's nurse practice act and the youth camp regulations. I was a school nurse in MA, and we could delegate meds for field trips to a teacher, so I imagine there is something similar in place for camps.

So I talked to my director a little about this last night. In the past we have only required staff (all age 18 and up at our camp) show proof of updated tetorifice immunization. He is considering saying he needs proof of measles immunization too, but we aren't sure we can even demand that from adults, especially since most of them have already signed contracts. He is going to put it out to his camp director forum and ask what other camps are doing. I'll update if I hear anything.

Thank you!

I have no advice but I wanted to say I am right there with you. With the kids, we can just say- we go by the rules for school entry in our state. That doesn't help with adults, though. A lot of our staff come from overseas as well, which can further confound things.

Hi everyone, Are your camps still looking for nurses? Our camp has historically had 24/7 RN coverage. We are getting down to the wire and still looking for an additional nurse for the whole summer. We have it posted on linked in, simply hired and the like, ACN, and the state school nurses association job boards. I am starting to get nervous we won't find anyone. Has anyone ever used a staffing agency to supply a camp nurse? We have used a head hunter in the past, but I don't think the director wants to do that this year. Thanks!

Thanks for the responses, everyone. I'll recommend Campmeds as a choice based on your feedback.

Hi everyone, I am currently working my 3rd summer at a smallish camp in the Northeast. We switched to a new pharmacy for daily medications at camp and it has been truly atrocious. Do you work with a company that you love and would recommend? Our concerns are mostly with customer service on the parent and staff ends. We prefer the small pillow packs over blister cards. Thanks!

My mom did work study in her early 50s! She was assigned to the financial aid office. She made some good contacts there and was hired by the college after graduating.

I transitioned to NICU after about 1 year of med surg. Although I did feel very 'green' for quite awhile. I have to say my experience was not like that, in fact quite the opposite. Early on, my clinical manager gave me some ceu's to work on that hit on the basics of each organ system. It was several years ago but I believe they were offered by March of Dimes. It helped a lot, I didn't feel like a deer in headlights when preceptors mentioned things like brown fat metabolism. It's a different world. See if you can find some continuing ed or go back to your textbooks and review things like transition to extra uterine life. After you've been there a little while, try to find a copy of Core Curriculum for Neonatal Nursing. It's also really helpful but maybe too much right away. Having that background knowledge fresh in your mind may help make you more comfortable. Good luck! One of the best things about NICU is you can watch these physiologic transitions happen right before your eyes! It's amazing.

Thank you! Your response is tremendously helpful.

Hi folks, Could someone explain the main differences between the (hospital) staff development nurse role and clinical educator role? I realize this will vary by facility, and that there is some overlap. I am looking at nurse educator jobs within hospitals. I prefer staff development, this is where my limited experience has been and I've enjoyed it. However, clinical educator jobs seem more available. I get that a clinical educator is typically unit based. But other then that, what are the differences? Thank you!

Home health nursing has a big patient education component too. Maybe look into that as an option.

I worked at an outpatient imaging center and this was done. CT/NucMed techs especially. Is your center outpatient? It is not a new thing. Rad techs work under their own state practice acts ( I think that's what it's called, equivalent to our scope of practice) and the license of the radiologist. Much the same way an MA works under the license of the physician to do things like give injections in the office. T

Really, if you think about it, you were obligated to be off. They weren't 'covering your shifts.' They were covering the unit. It's a real shame your coworker isn't a team player. It sounds like she thinks of no one but herself.

Thanks so much! Very helpful

Any advice appreciated. We are moving soon to the area near Ft Belvior, Va for husband's work. I am hoping to get back to hospital nursing after some stints in home health and outpatient. Particularly interested in ER. Larger teaching facilities and smaller community hospitals are both fine with me. I'm thinking about applying to some D.C. facilities but I'm concerned about commuting. Which hospitals are within reasonable distance driving or by metro? Is there a website that will give you the commute time from point a to b by metro? Any suggestions for ERs to apply for an experienced nurse (but no ER experience). Thanks!

This is a really good question. I agree nurses get kind of mixed messages about it. The info belongs to the patient, period. In this day of electronic medical records with online patient portals, we can't keep results from patients anyway. I think where your responsibility as a nurse comes in is in how you deliver the information to the patient. Avoid using words like 'good' or 'bad'. If they want to know the exact value of their BUN tell them. If they are asking if it's better, I'd say something like 'the result is lower than yesterday.' Let the doc make the interpretation of whether or not it's 'better' for the patient.

Apparently any scheduled patients and SOCs that must be done on major holidays go to the PRN nurses at our agency. Found that out a few weeks after accepting a PRN position.