resource during summer

BonnieSc · May 19, 2006

My campers only come for a week, but still, we treat lice immediately (after calling parents for permission and to confirm that the kid wasn't just treated). I think sending kids home would be complicated and not really necessary, since lice are fairly easy to treat, especially if you screen the first day before anyone sets up their bunks. 100+ screenings per week--I wonder how many I've done total, over the last three years?

I know just what you mean about it being "lonely" to be the only nurse--even if you make friends among the staff, there's no one to check things out with. There's a camp nurse listserv that was helpful to me last summer when I needed advice about documentation (many great responses). As long as it's not breaking the rules here, I'll post the email address to join the listserv when I dig it out of my email.

But yes, I'll be here during the summer.

carachel2 · May 19, 2006

Welcome to our board. There are a lot of us who are going to be first time nurses at camp and we would love for you to share your experiences. Most frequently seen complaint ? Tips ? etc. etc. Weirdest complaint ? Most serious accident or illness seen at camp ?

I will only be at camp for a week and the camp is very established with protocols, infirmary all set up etc., but I would still like info about your daily life at camp. Thanks !

nightingale, RN · May 19, 2006

Yahoo... networking, that is what it is all about! It is how I learned about Camp Nursing and "did it" a few years ago.

I am glad you have all found this site

kdmcook · May 20, 2006

I will be the camp charge nurse (for the first time) at new image camp in the Poconos. I will have my laptop with me, so I can check in.

Thanks,

Kathryn

nightingale, RN · May 21, 2006

Hi Everyone,
I found this site by accident, but I am very excited to have a potential network of fellow camp nurses. This will be my 4th season as a camp nurse at a girls camp in Maine. I absolutley love it! Just wondering if everyone is available on-line during the summer season. It would be great to have a forum to access with questions for other nurses who are at camps. Sometimes being at camp where you are the only nurse can get lonely. I would love to have a network of other nurses to bounce ideas off of. Just curious, how do you all deal with lice screening and if lice are found during camp. My camp is a 7 week sleepover camp and in most cases it is not feasible to send campers home if lice are found. Thanks for any input.

:welcome: I am sure glad you have found us.

We had head checks of the Campers and Staff before they went to their bunks. It never came up beyond that but I was in a "rich kids" camp. There are several solutions you can purchase; you might need to stock up on those.

nightingale, RN · May 21, 2006

I will be the camp charge nurse (for the first time) at new image camp in the Poconos. I will have my laptop with me, so I can check in.
Thanks,
Kathryn

I purchased the Verizon Wireless service for me to use on my Laptop. I travel frequently and was tired of paying really high fees and occasionally not having service. I am in and do travel withing Verizon servie areas; I think it can get pricey without a Verizon Tower in the area.

BonnieSc · May 21, 2006

:
We had head checks of the Campers and Staff before they went to their bunks. It never came up beyond that but I was in a "rich kids" camp.

Well, lice don't discriminate between rich kids and poor kids, but if ANY camp does the check before campers go to the bunks, I don't see why it would come up again!

jogmom · May 21, 2006

Thanks for all the response! To be honest, I don't WANT to treat lice. I really don't want to be nit-picking all summer. Last summer, somehow, a girl got by our initial check and by the time we found her, towards the end of camp she had already spread the lice into at least two cabins. Her head was full of active lice and plenty of nits. It was thought that she came from home with it and had to have had them for awhile judging by the amount we found on her head. It just kind of irked me that the parents might have known and just decided to let us "deal" with the problem. I can make all the suggestions I want, but in the end it's up to the directors how they want to outline the protocol. Our camp is "pricey" , lice are a potential anywhere. I just recently attended a seminar for camp nurses and was told a great "natural" treatment. Vaseline the childs head and put them under a shower cap for 4 hours, shampoo with Prell shampoo, rinse with vinegar then comb out ALL the nits. The commercial lice preparations are just too toxic, I won't use them anymore. Hey, thanks again for responding. I'll try and write back with some more ideas and thoughts about camp nursing. Thanks!:wink2:

nurse_wannabe · May 22, 2006

I have been promised a computer with internet access in the health lodge in case I need to do any research. But, I'll believe it when I see it! LOL. If that promise comes to fruition, I will definitely be here checking in!

vampiregirl, BSN, RN · Jul 15, 2006

Hello- I'm still a nursing student, but as I was surfing through the threads, I chuckled as I came across this thread. Years ago I was a camp counselor, and one summer we had an outbreak of lice (over 30 staff and campers were affected). It was quickly brought under control, but the camp nurse wanted to keep on top of things to prevent another outbreak. She didn't want to cause panic among the new campers (some campers stayed for several weeks, so for just one week), so she instituted daily checks for "ticks" for all campers. The counselors were all responsible for these checks. It worked great. I think only one or two new cases of lice were found, but they were handled quickly and quietly- no panic and no embarassment for the camper. However, several ticks were also found. I don't remember a lot about this camp nurse, but now especially as a nursing student, I can really appreciate the way she handled this situation. Thanks for letting me share a camp memory:)