Camp nursing: rewards and challenges

Every summer, millions of children attend summer camp, bringing with them flashlights, sleeping bags, bug spray, and a wide array of acute and chronic medical conditions. Registered nurses provide care to these children in an environment that is fun-filled, rewarding, and challenging. Familiarity with camp settings, as well as with expectations of the nurse at camp, are important because the demands are quite different from traditional nursing practice. Due to the challenges that are inherent in the camp nursing role, nurses considering this area of practice must be knowledgeable about the various camp settings, camp nurse responsibilities, practice issues for camp nursing, implications for education and research, and resources for the nurse contemplating a camp nursing position.
Every summer, approximately 10 million children attend summer camp (American Academy of Pediatrics, 2005). Registered nurses throughout the United States care for these children in unique and challenging camp settings, [...]