Watch for murder mystery titled 'Camp Nurse' based on my weird experience

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I was signed up to do two sessions, but just sent the woman who hired me this letter (the names in the letter have been changed). This letter was couched in politically and spiritually correct language, naturally. :rolleyes:

The director and her assistants were all in their 20s, I was the oldest person there by almost 30 years. They strongly resembled the nasty girl clique from Jr High. It was really fun to be talked down by them for a week as if I were one of the campers. ;) :clown: Add to that the total lack of collaberative communication, an epidemic of a flu-like illness amongst the counselors which I ended up getting, a total lack of sanitation at the shower/bathroom I shared with other staff, a drug bust that I was not informed about except by the dishwasher that included meth and pot.

The list goes on and on. Let me just say that some positives came out of this which were that my kids had fun at horse camp, I know what questions to ask if I do this again, and I got a whole cast of characters and setting for the murder mystery that I've always wanted to write!!!:up:

Dear Jill,

After some thought and prayer, and after discussion with my daughters, I'm sorry that I won't be able to be the camp nurse at Camp Bososkvia for 6th session. They will not be attending session 6 at Camp Hamatonika.

The reasons for this decision are:

1) Camp Directors were immature and disrespectful in some of their communications with both myself, and the counselors (as heard continually on the nurse radio).

2) Infection control poor at the camp contributing to illness of many staff, including myself. Any suggestions from me seemed to fall on deaf ears. Specifically there was: no soap in staff bathroom dispenser for duration of my stay, filthy curtains in bathroom stalls, floor unmopped, toilets and sink surfaces dirty, and backed up plumbing. No cleaning supplies were in sight. When sanitation problems brought to the attention of assistant director (Marian), the response was hostile and defensive.

3) Apparent drug use amongst some of the counselors as evidenced by drugs found this session. Also, as I previously mentioned in our phone conversation, counselor staff indicate that they are not getting enough rest with only one day between sessions, and some of them are taking caffiene pills to keep going. Several of them stated to me that they are constantly told that they are "expendable" and can be fired at any time.

4) Lack of important supplies in Health Hut and request for even some pens was met with hostility and disrespect by Marian. Health Hut needs enough sheets to change in between patients for proper infection control, plus pillows and pillow cases. There were no sheets, pillows or pillow cases in Health Hut. No cleaning supplies in Health Hut evident other than baby wipes and hand sanitizer.

5) Isolation of me by the directors as evidenced by the fact that I was not notified of two phone calls I received, one from the session 2 nurse Mary, and one from Colleen Anderson. I had called both of these nurses to consult regarding some questions and concerns I had. Even though I carried a radio at all times, I was never notified of these two phone calls. I find that unprofessional and inconsiderate, and this led to an increasing sense of isolation and alienation on my part.

I just want to say, there are many positives to your program. Some of the counselors are commited young Christians and were an inspiration to me. The camp seems to be fairly well organized, and interactions with the kids fairly positive. However, my participation in it was a huge disappointment due to the problems I listed above.

God bless you and your important ministry.

Sincerely Yours,

jlsRN

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

What are you referring to? Sorry, I've been up almost 24 hours and nothing is making sense...

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.

I posted this in the camp nurse section...

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Specializes in Camp/LTC/School/Hospital.

Your letter was really good and to the point. It was good that you got out of there when you did, staying any longer could jeaprodize your license. At least the kids had some fun at the horse riding. Chalk it off as experience!

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
Your letter was really good and to the point. It was good that you got out of there when you did, staying any longer could jeaprodize your license. At least the kids had some fun at the horse riding. Chalk it off as experience!

Thanks. Interestly, I haven't received a reply to my letter. Basically, I smell a cover up. I'm actually considering calling the health dept for that county to inform them of the outbreak there and lack of compliance with health codes.

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Specializes in Staff nurse.
Thanks. Interestly, I haven't received a reply to my letter. Basically, I smell a cover up. I'm actually considering calling the health dept for that county to inform them of the outbreak there and lack of compliance with health codes.

Have you considered sending a copy of the letter again with a cover letter asking "Did you receive this original letter?" via certified mail? As well as a copy to the health dept. Better for a paper trail. If the camp hadn't received the first letter or it got "lost", the second, certified, which needs to be signed for, will be no excuse. Let us know what happens!

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Specializes in Camp/LTC/School/Hospital.

The meth lab at camp bothers me a lot. Those campers, some of them may be pre-teen age look up to the counselors, they don't need that kind of example. It probably is some kind of cover up! They just hope if they ignore you, you will forget about everything. My experience with many camps I worked at is that Camp is a DIRTY place. Floors and bathrooms, and other common areas are dirty. That is just part of camp. However, there should be cleaning items for the health lodge. The drug problem would be the biggest concern. As Psalm stated, send the next letter cerified, then if no response- you need to make a decision on if you should report it, and to what agency.

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Specializes in Staff nurse.

One year my sons came back from Christian camp knowing all the slang terms for genitilia, they were in 3rd and 5th grades. Another time there was a camper who showed them how to masturbate...when the kids reported it to the counselor it was, "well he really needs the Lord, pray for him". Yes, we all need the Lord, but when someone is doing something wrong and nothing is done about it, you wonder what the point is...

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Specializes in ER.
The meth lab at camp bothers me a lot. Those campers, some of them may be pre-teen age look up to the counselors, they don't need that kind of example. It probably is some kind of cover up! They just hope if they ignore you, you will forget about everything. My experience with many camps I worked at is that Camp is a DIRTY place. Floors and bathrooms, and other common areas are dirty. That is just part of camp. However, there should be cleaning items for the health lodge. The drug problem would be the biggest concern. As Psalm stated, send the next letter cerified, then if no response- you need to make a decision on if you should report it, and to what agency.

where did it say there was a "Meth lab" in OP? I read "drug use" but nothing about cooking up meth....

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Specializes in LTC, Med/Surg, Peds, ICU, Tele.
where did it say there was a "Meth lab" in OP? I read "drug use" but nothing about cooking up meth....

But, there will be a meth lab in my book's plot. :smokin:

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Specializes in Camp/LTC/School/Hospital.

LOL. I just read the original letter again. I mistook the line " meth and pot" for "meth in a pot" I'm kinda of stupid when it comes to illegal drugs!

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