Staff lecture

Romy87 · Jun 7, 2015

I'm very curious to see what other, more experienced camp nurses have to say about this. I'm starting my first summer in the role in 3 weeks. So far I have a list of topics I'd like to cover but no details on how I'll keep the presentation interesting and not too long-winded.

Topics:

Hand hygiene

Hydration/nutrition

Sun safety

Asthma

Allergies /anaphylaxis

How to use epipen and allerject (I have a few demo models)

Review of ABCs in emergencies (what to do until RN gets there)

When, where and what to come to see me for (to help explain I'm going to use the "6 Big Bs" I read about in a camp nursing book: burns, blood, bones, barf' bites, breathing)

I want to touch really briefly on relationship and sex safety for staff (I have a background in reproductive health and can't ignore the risk factors at camp!) but need to talk with the camp director about my boundaries there first

Resources: I got a few posters from the asthma clinic at my hospital and I got free posters and demo stuff from Anaphylaxis Canada

For the rest of the info, I'm using the Canadian Pediatric Society website ("Caring for Kids") and a couple camp nurse books.

wanderlustnurse88, RN · Jun 7, 2015

At the camp I worked at, all staff were required to have first aid and CPR. I would give them a scenario (such as choking or broken bone) and have the staff come up with short skits yo demonstrate their knowledge. I usually pass around the practice epipens for them to see.

My camp ran on one week sessions so the first day everyone gets a lice check and I have to rely on other staff to help with then lice checks so I get them to practice on each other (plus it gets all the staff checked at the same time). I also emphasize for staff to pull me over to double check if they think it might be lice (most of the time it is just dandruff).

I know that the health care talk is one of the more boring sessions that they have at camp, so I just try to give them all the info they need in the shortest amount of time :)

Twofastdogs · Jun 7, 2015

Thanks guys. I agree, it's the boring one nobody cares about until they have to care. I like the 6 B 's I will try that. I never consider the sex Ed part, last year it was all females, including staff. Though I shouldn't assume anything!

Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B · Jun 8, 2015

The trick is to keep it short. We cover hydration, when to see the nurse, first aid like a big brother or sister, activating the emergency response plan, anaphylaxis and epi pen use, and ticks/ Lyme. If it takes more than 35 minutes you loose them,name I would rather have a longer Q&A session to get them thinking.

I like the 6 B's though...might use that.

BonnieSc · Jun 12, 2015

I have also used the six Bs (I think it was from The Basics of Camp Nursing) and it went over well. Actually, some of the staff put on a skit about it for me, demonstrating each B, and it was really funny. I connect with the camp director to make sure I'm not going over things that have already been done to death. I talk about each item in the first aid kits, what to use it and when and how. I emphasize that kids are at camp to be at camp, not to wait at the health center. I also talk about self-care and "put on your own oxygen mask first". Before I was the nurse, back when I was a counselor, I remember how often we rolled our eyes at nurses/doctors who didn't know camp and who we thought were overstepping. Yes, we know about homesickness. We know about toothbrushing. We know about sunscreen. That's why I try to limit what I talk about to health center and first aid procedures. Most other things are covered in the rest of staff training.

I don't talk about specific conditions, really--I read the health forms and talk to the counselors about any of their kids with special health needs as the kids arrive.

cjx00 · Jul 2, 2016

This is my first summer riding solo as the camp nurse at my camp...during training I did a brief overview of what counselors would have with them that I would provide (zip-loc baggies that contain bandaids, hand sanitizer, ointment, alcohol wipes, sting swabs, gloves) so that kids didn't have to come to me for each and every scrape. Of course I told them to document everything and to tell me when they could.

My camp wanted me to go over anaphylaxis symptoms, as well as asthma, so I basically told them when to bring in a child to me to check. Demo'd epi pen too. Went over what to do when a child has an accident, bringing each and every head injury in immediately, etc.

I definitely didn't want to make it longer than 15 minutes and didn't want to jump around too much, as the counselors were already enduring a long day of training. I wanted to portray myself as being completely approachable and friendly so no one would feel like they couldn't come to me. It was all new staff, so they didn't know that this is my first summer as sole Health Director and not the sub. :)