The Role Of The Camp Nurse

Linda and Myra used their combined years of experience and professionalism to create a quick-reference, easy-to-use handbook that can help any health care professional get up and running immediately. Issues covered include: role of the camp nurse and how she/he fits into camp, regulations to keep in mind, things to talk over with the camp director, clinical things to know before going to camp, setting up the health center, orienting staff, reviewing the camp's health services, record systems, communicable disease management, the screening process, medication management, the camp nurse walk-around, injury-illness surveillance, summary reports, responding to emergencies, interface with tripping programs, and more. New to this edition is expanded content in every chapter, more sample forms, and incorporation of the growing body of camp nursing literature. Produced in cooperation with the American Camp Association (ACA).

This book provides an organized, systematic overview of the basic aspects of health program management, nursing practice, and human relations issues in camp nursing. A foremost assumption is that health care in most camps needs improvement. Good health is dependent upon interventions involving social, environmental, and lifestyle factors that impact health more than health care services alone. Professional registered nurses are the best prepared health care providers for most camps. Management skills, community health preparation, broad-based general education background, and emphasis on prevention and health promotion are integral parts of the baccalaureate degree in nursing. Each camp is a small community, and camp nurses must know the nature, characteristics, and informal politics of said community. Health care should be a collaborative effort among its members. A needs assessment survey by the Dean's Fund of the Intercollegiate Center for Nursing Education in Spokane, Washington was the basis for the information included in this book. Chapters cover traditional issues such as developing a health program, first aid, records, communicable diseases, and injury prevention; as well as more challenging community and professional issues of ethical behavior, violence, substance abuse, and sexuality. Appendices outline American Camping Association standards, staff and camper training in prevention and health promotion, procedures for analyzing accidents, OSHA regulations on occupational exposure to pathogens, and relevant developmental characteristics of young adults; provide sample checklists and recordkeeping forms; and list additional resources. Contains an index. (JAT)

The bestselling, critically acclaimed author of A Nurse’s Story and The Making of a Nurse is back to describe her experiences as a summer camp nurse. After years of working in intensive care units caring for critically ill people, nurse Tilda Shalof now turns her attention to healthy patients—the kids at summer camp. In this reminiscence of six summers at a variety of camps, Shalof opens a window into the world that is a utopia for the vast majority of children, the proverbial “happy campers,” but sometimes also a place of intense misery for a few. Throughout the summers, as kids troop through the infirmary with a variety of ordinary—as well as some quite extraordinary—complaints, Shalof describes how she assesses, diagnoses, and treats them all, from pesky lice infestations and scratchy bug bites, to broken arms and severe accidents. But Shalof finds that more often than not, she is treating the psychological maladies. She befriends kids from families going through bitter divorces, girls with eating disorders, a camper who attempts suicide in a desperate plea to be sent home, a teenager grieving the recent death of his father. Whatever the problem or concern, it is to the camp nurse that kids—and counsellors—go for help. These anecdotes are told in a light-hearted tone, full of good humour and lots of laughs. Shalof’s stories are wildly entertaining and will satisfy the twinges of nostalgia every parent feels when sending their kids away to camp.

Nurses are the largest population of healthcare providers practicing in both urban and remote areas across the globe. Currently, the nursing profession is in the midst of a significant shortage as aging baby boomers retire and a nursing faculty shortage forces many colleges and universities to turn away qualified applicants. As healthcare needs of the population become more complex and technologies advance, our world needs nurses now more than at any other time in history. This book provides the reader with a wide overview of the many vast roles within the nursing profession, showing that the responsibilities are complex, challenging and rewarding. It will allow the reader to understand the current job market for nurses and perhaps even persuade some to choose this rewarding profession.