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by Nancy S. McMillan
Camp counselors are wonderful organizers, great playmates,
and creative thinkers, but usually the domain of taking responsibility
for their camper’s wellness is one in which they have limited experience.
Yet, the expectation is that counselors are responsible for their campers’
well-being. Fortunately, the health care staff can offer much-needed support
for counselors. Through precamp and in-service training, the health care
staff can alert counselors to problems and support them in providing a
positive, healthy environment for campers.
Some areas that the health care staff can assist with
include:
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daily hygiene issues of young children
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basic understanding of common chronic illnesses that
their campers may have, such as asthma or epilepsy
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observational skills to detect illnesses in their
campers
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some elementary public health tutoring to keep their
cabin group as healthy as possible
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a review of OSHA medical standards
Counselor Challenges
Taking responsibility for campers’ health requires counselors
to carefully observe the subtle changes that take place in their campers
as they interact with them on a daily basis. This level of observation
requires listening to the intuitive part of the brain that says something
is not quite right, let’s get a second opinion.
Consider where counselors are in their own developmental
growth. Many counselors have never had to take care of anyone but themselves.
They are working toward individuating themselves from their family of
origin and trying to be as different from their parents as they can. The
thought of being responsible for someone besides themselves can be daunting.
To that, add the dramatic change in the type of campers
who arrive at camp these days. Medical advances now allow children who
twenty years ago would have been essentially home bound to fully participate
in camp activity. Campers are also coming from a more global cultural
mix, which adds another dimension to the complexity of today’s campers.
Parent expectations
Parents also present their own expectations for their campers. Many times
full information about a camper’s medical condition is not given, possibly
because parents are trying to normalize their child for fear that they
will be prejudged and not given a fair chance in a cabin. Parents also
bring different expectations of how health issues should be handled. In
some families, colds and other viruses are rarely treated with anything
more than chicken soup, while other families bring out over-the-counter
medications at the first sign of a sniffle.
You are asking counselors to be responsible for their
campers’ health and safety, but are you giving them enough information
and support for this complex task? Recently, much emphasis has been placed
on the safety aspect of counselor training. Now is the time to include
basic health education given by a health care professional.
The focus of health education should be toward giving
enough information so counselors understand their campers’ situations,
understand their piece in helping campers stay healthy, and recognize
the changes that may require another level of intervention.
Planning Counselor Training
So, what is the best way to incorporate your health center
professionals in supporting the counseling staff? The first place to start
is including the health professionals in the planning of both precamp
and in-service staff training. An outline of topics that need to be addressed
by the nursing staff can be worked through to compliment other areas of
staff training. Suggested areas should include:
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Signs and symptoms of common camp illnesses, awareness
in change in status, visual inspections of the campers, listening
to their concerns.
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Basic OSHA blood-borne pathogen orientation.
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Information about how to keep campers healthy, including
sleep needs, hydration, daily hygiene, and elimination habits.
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Eating habits, both good and bad.
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Where, when, and how to access health care on camp.
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Discussion of medications and who can medicate a
camper.
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Counselors’ responsibility in an emergency.
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A discussion of the resource information available
from the medical staff.
Once planning and outline are in place, presenting the
information to the counselors in an engaging open dialog form that is
understandable as well as inclusive sets up the atmosphere for future
interactions. A great opening line to catch their attention would be,
“This information could save your life.” Time should be allowed for questions
and answers from staff.
Other training ideas
The health staff can also be a resource to counselors and staff members
in several other ways.
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By education, the health center personnel bring a
maturity and intuitive thinking critical to providing a unique perspective
to problems.
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In chart review, the health care staff identify campers
with chronic illnesses and pass this information on to the cabin counselor,
with basic education and cautionary information if needed.
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In helping with challenging campers, the nursing
staff can address the intimate mind/body connection of the camper.
The nursing staff should keep careful documentation of active plans
to help a challenged camper.
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The health center should be documenting accidents
around camp and suggesting interventions, if needed.
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Staff training should include the health center staff
addressing basic hygiene needs, such as clean fingernails and hand
washing, and emphasize public health issues, such as health dangers
of sharing of personal items. A large portion of camp “viruses” can
be stopped by the simple action of hand washing before each meal.
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The health staff can provide a safe haven for counselors
with adjustment problems or stresses outside the camp community.
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The health center is an extra set of supervising
eyes during the daytime.
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In conjunction with the counselor, the health center
staff can be a conduit to parents for information concerning camper
well-being.
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Health center staff can help counselors remain safe
by supporting and instructing them in OSHA standards for body fluid
exposure and cleanup.
Health Care Staff as a Resource
Another area the nursing staff can support the counselors
is during their medical chart review. Medical information that is critical
to help campers enjoy positive camp experiences may be gleaned from their
charts. Campers with special needs, chronic illnesses, or idiosyncrasies
such as sleepwalking or bed-wetting should be brought to the attention
of the head counselor and cabin counselors along with pertinent information
to guide them in supporting these campers.
As the need arises, the nursing staff could explain a
camper’s chronic illness and the extra support or preventative measures
that might be required. For example, preparing counselors for a camper
with epilipsy and the possibility of seizure, though an unlikely occurrence,
would reassure counselors of their capabilities and help them support
the rest of the cabin. This also helps demystify a camper’s condition
and helps the counselors feel some level of control and support.
The nursing staff, by virtue of their job, also keeps
careful watch of emerging illness patterns on camp. If a particular cabin
is experiencing more illness than the rest of camp, the health center
will collaborate with the counselors to try and solve the contagious outbreak
and make recommendations for change if indicated. In the larger picture,
the health center looks for camp-wide patterns in accidents and illness
with the same goal of making camp a safe and healthy place for all involved.
The benefits to both the counselor and nursing staff
to have a cooperative relationship is well worth the extra effort and
time it takes. The nursing staff will sense that the counselors who spend
the most time with the campers are being vigilant, looking for the subtle
changes that may indicate a change in physical status.
In addition, counselors feel empowered and find a new
advocate and support system for their challenging job of being surrogate
parent, teacher, friend, and guide. By helping campers learn health responsibility,
they will have a fuller camp experience and parents will have the reassurance
that their campers were well cared for. Counselors want to be successful
in their responsibility and the added support system already in place
can make a difference in how they view their success.
Originally published in the 2001 July/August
issue of Camping Magazine. |
