Camp Nurses: 5 Tips for Getting a Nursing Job at Camp

Nurses, are the calls from the wilds calling you? Do you love the outdoors? Do you dream of camp fires and marshmallow roasts? Do you enjoy camping? If so, you could be the perfect candidate to be a camp nurse.

As with any nursing position, the most important tip in finding a position that is right for you is locating one in which your style of practice and philosophy of nursing melds with that of the health care the facility. Just as there are many types of clinics, hospitals, public health and school nursing positions, so too are there many different camps and camp directors, notes Linda Ebner Erceg RN the executive director of the Association of Camp Nurses (ACN). As diversified as the camps are, the campers that attend them are just as diversified.

Camps are available in a broad array of venues from day camps, to over nights, to summer long events. Some camps are seasonal; others run year run. Camping programs cater to a variety clientele, from young children to older citizens. Some camps focus on a specific activity, for example: soccer camp, white-water rafting camp, basketball camp. Others specialty camps take care of special need persons or those with challenging chronic or life threatening illnesses. Examples of these types of camps include: spina bifida, cancer, autism, attention deficit disorder camp.

Because of the nation wide nursing shortage, there exists a plethora of camp nursing positions. This allows the nurse to be somewhat choosy when seeking a position. However, the best camp jobs remain highly competitive.

Those hiring camp nurses have an ideal candidate in mind. Most camps are looking for the registered nurse whose skills and competencies meet the needs of their campers best. A basic requirement, besides a license, is certification in Basic Life Support (BLS). Experience in the emergency room or trauma department is always a plus.

Additional certifications such as Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support (ACLS), and Wilderness First Responder (WFR) are advantageous to those looking for nurse camp jobs. Another tip to obtain your dream camp job is membership in the Association of Camp Nurses; it another avenue that shows that you have a serious commitment to camp nursing and are not looking for a cheap vacation, or free or reduced camping for your children in a tight economy. Conversely, camps that are accredited also take the health and safety of their campers seriously. You may wish to consider this when looking at job possibilities.

Travel nurse agencies and the Association of Camp Nurses are fine places to commence your quest for employment as a camp nurse. If planning on an out-of-state job, the travel nurse agency can help with the legalities for that state (license, malpractice insurance...).

Once you have settled on a position that you desire to apply for, approach the application process as you would with other nursing jobs:

- Assess the types of clients that will be using the facility, in order to anticipate health concerns.

- Obtain a copy of the facility's health plan.

- Acquire a copy of the job description and any unwritten expectations (i.e. attendance at all meals...)

- Assess emergency preparedness (i.e. nearest hospital, emergency equipment, access to attending physician)

- Assess the job responsibilities.

- Establish the nurses' role in the case of disasters, communicable disease outbreaks, or other emergencies.

- Determine the documentation requirements.

- Identify the chain of command.

- Obtain the benefit, salary package, and the perks, including housing arrangements and work hours.

- Visit the facility when at all possible.

Best of luck, camper.

Source:
http://www.acn.org/jobs/tips.html
http://www.minoritynurse.com/camp-nursing/send-your-career-camp