A Day in the Life of an Explorer Camp Nurse
Let’s imagine what a typical day as a camp nurse at summer camp may be like.
Mornings
Is that giggling you hear? Yep. It’s the Discoverers, Explorer Camp’s youngest campers. They’re ‘trying’ to contain their excitement about another day on camp. The little ones are always the first to wake, so you know …
Off to the dining hall for a bite to eat to get ready for a day of action ahead of you. What will it be today? Scrambled eggs? Pancakes? Best to go healthy and go for some yoghurt and muesli, and don’t forget to take some fresh apples for a snack.
Guess it’s time to go back and wake up the campers… all 40 of them … but maybe it’s an idea to check in on the Medical Centre to ensure everything’s prepared for the long day ahead. 1st Aid kits? Check. Bandages packed away? Check. AED machine readily available? Check. Oh … don’t forget to read through the medical records again to see which campers need their morning medication.
Next duty comes sick call, where you help out the Camp Director to assess any strep throats, rashes, stomach aches, etc. Most importantly, you’re touching base with every camper to assess how they feel, measuring their temperature and ensuring everyone’s in the best possible health. The last thing we want is for illnesses to spread to other campers.
The morning is pretty low key with the groups going off to their activities whether it be SUPing, rafting, river tubing. Are you scheduled to join them today? YES! You’re actually going to be joining in on the Adventure Park in the trees. Hope you’re not scared of heights! Always drive though, as you never know when you’ll be needed back at base camp.
Afternoons
It’s lunchtime already and today there’s a three-course meal all using locally grown produce. Yummy! Before you go though, check in on campers returning from their summer activities to see if there are any issues. A scrape here. A bruise there. Nothing your loving attention can’t help as it’s extremely rare to get anything more serious than that. Just make sure you document everything so we can all learn from any incidents.
As the day continues, you see you’re running a ‘1st Aid Course’ for a group of teenagers in the afternoon. Time to get the CPR manikins ready, and to run through the topics for that day. CPR. Spinal Injuries. Shock. The Trailblazers will love this. What you teach your campers today, could help save a life tomorrow. Don’t ever forget that!
Evenings
After dinner (again, in the dining hall. Still no cooking or washing dishes for you this summer! and still awesome and tasty options), you head back to the Medical Centre to pack everything away and to complete all the documentation. It’s also possible that campers stop by if they take bed-time meds, but most likely you’ll be going to their rooms. You know how forgetful kids camp be when they’re having so much fine.
In the end you find yourself chatting to campers … again! It’s an amazing feeling talking to all of these children from around the world as they’ve got so many stories to tell and they love that you’re so interested in their lives. Remember the rules of 3. Never in a room alone with a child.
Onto the evening activities which are a blast. Just be careful when doing the minute-to-win-it challenges with our Pioneers … lose out to them and who knows what awful ingredients they’ll put in your milkshake to drink. Sardines and milk really aren’t a good mix.
Time for bed? Nah, not yet. First you need to fill in your daily reflection sheet so we can keep our moto of “continual improvement” going, so share your thoughts honestly. And its movie night for the staff so make yourself comfortable and enjoy the popcorn! You’ve got another amazing day ahead of you tomorrow at summer camp.
