This past summer, four pediatric nurses put their education into practice at Camp Young Judaea, an overnight camp in Amherst, N.H.
After passing medication calculation tests, Cecilia Keddy ’24, Claire Kuipers ’24, Katie Mahan ’24, and Caitlyn McCabe ’24 spent two weeks working at Camp Young Judaea. They assisted the camp’s registered nurses with safe medication passes, assisting with the operation of the camp health center, assessing and triaging campers under the direction of registered nurses and doctors, responding to medical emergencies, and providing general nursing support to campers. While at the camp, they also worked on their own coursework, looking at various diagnoses seen by the campers, and building a growth and development module.
According to McCabe, “This experience allowed me to explore a different side of nursing that I didn't think existed prior to this and reinforced my love for this profession.” She added that this experience helped her in her focus towards pediatrics, given that she was working with children on a regular basis.
Keddy found this experience helpful in becoming more confident in her communication skills while under the guidance of experienced nurses. “Learning from those with experiences have been my favorite avenue of nursing school and these 10 days allowed me to better understand how I learn best: by watching and doing.”
Working at a summer camp differs from a hospital, not only because of the obvious difference in setting, but also because of the availability of resources and intensity. At the camp, students did not have a surplus of medicine, snacks, or supplies, so they had to allocate resources in a careful and strategic way to ensure that all kids could be cared for.
McCabe added “I think the idea of something that isn't solely bedside nursing is amazing. In nursing, you can go wherever you want, into any population, but many keep this close-minded to the perspective of a hospital.”
The group agreed that this work in the field greatly impacted on how they look at their future careers in nursing. “Up until this point I had my mind set on working in a hospital after graduation, but now I am very open to a job like camp nursing,” said Keddy.
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