Camp Medical Care
By Melanie Maxwell
The Basics:
Assess your unit through the day as well as at the beginning of each day
AND the first time you greet each person. Adults as well as children.
To recognize an emergency – Use your senses: Hearing, Sight and Smell
Listen for unusual noises:
Call for help, sudden loud voices, yelling, moans…
Loud sounds like breaking glass, objects falling, screeching tires…
Look for unusual appearance or behavior:
Appearance – red spots, clutching the throat, rolling or shaking on the ground….
Behavior – difficulty breathing, confusion, slurred speech…
Obvious sights – smoke, fire, broken glass, overturned chair, group standing still…
Smell (look) for unusual odors:
Smell of smoke, gas, unrecognizable odors (sweet smelling breath), soiled clothes…
Unit Medical Care
Most unit medical needs will require simple first aid care such as minor injuries: bumps, cuts and bug bites, inadequate food and water and over exertion. When minor, these can be treated in the units and do not need to be sent to the medical station. Extreme injuries or situations should require medical intervention. All non-minor injuries or situations will require the individual being sent to the medical station, few will require on-site intervention. Remember, there may be a situation in which the best response is not to move the patient, send for help.
Ointment and Band-Aids
Rationale (Why): There will be minor injuries at every unit, use you First Aid Kits, “If this was your family member would you send them to the medical station”?
Symptoms: minor cuts, scrapes, or bumps; minor bug bites – reaction less than the size of a dime.
Action: Observe and evaluate the injury. If minor, please clean first with soap and water at the site or unit, apply ointment or spray and band-aid if needed. Always use gloves to protect yourself with blood, no matter how small or minor the bleed.
Hydration and Food
Rationale (Why): Temperatures will be in the 90’s and with the heat index and humidity factor the temperature could feel as if it is in the 100’s or above.
Symptoms: Abdominal cramps, headache, irritability, nausea and eventually vomiting, are signs and symptoms of dehydration and/or lack of food.
Action: Avoid the sun.
Each person should carry a water bottle at all times, everywhere.
Monitor each person to make sure they are drinking multiple times a day.
Use trips to an activity, meals and snacks, and unit group times to say…
“Lets all take a water break”, “Time for water”, or “What time is it? It’s water break time”.
Monitor each person to make sure they eat some, if not all, their lunch.
Contact the nurses station for anyone who did not bring a lunch.
All the children seen last year for dehydration at the Medical Station were given water and rest and were returned to the unit within 30 minutes.
Rest
Rationale (Why): Many of the children will be excited and want to be involved most everything.
Over exertion is more prevalent in heat. Monitor for fatigue and exhaustion.
Symptoms: Irritability, headache, stomach ache/nausea to hyperactivity or acting out of control.
Action: Please schedule and take frequent 2 minute rest breaks through the day.
Medication
Rationale (Why): Most children will forget to take their medication on time, the medicine may get lost, or could be taken by another child.
Symptoms: Vary depending on the diagnosis for the prescription.
Action: Any medication brought to camp, prescription or over the counter, should be sent to the Medical Station .
Missing Children – Always, always, always, always use the buddy system.
EPI-PENS: Some children require epi-pens for major reactions to bug bites, stings or food. The epi-pen will need to be retained with the councilor at all times for immediate use in the event of an anaphylactic reaction. If you have a child requiring an epi-pen you will need a hip pouch to carry the pen and One-On-One Education with the Camp Nurse can be provided at the beginning of the week with that councilor.
Medical Station Medical Care
Any Medical Need that does not meet the above descriptions. And, including but not limited to any one of the below…
Sudden Illness:
Difficulty Breathing or NO Breathing – Need I say more? You may be called on to provide First Air or CPR if you have been certified.
Chest Pain – Any Chest Pain!
Loss of Orientation or Consciousness, Seizures – any head or abdomen injury, any obvious confusion, any individual who appears to be sleeping.
Sudden Injuries: This is not in order of severity, but frequency
Severe Cuts, Scrapes, and Bruises – Please do not send minor injuries to the Nurses Station.
Excessive Bleeding – Sever Cuts, Lacerations, scrapes, bumps, bruises, bites, etc. on or near the sire that does not stop bleeding within 1 minute.
Burns – Do not wash burns, even if minor – send to the Nurses Station.
Injuries to Muscles, Bones, and Joints: Look for extreme pain.
Obvious Swelling – Obvious as compared to the opposite side of the body. Bug bites that are greater than a dime.
Severe Pain – usually severe enough that they can’t move the affected area without obvious pain, This includes severe itching.
Other Illness and Injuries:
Head Aches – If not severe try water and Rest!
Stomach Aches, Nausea and Vomiting – Of not severe try water and rest!
Fever – If you suspect a fever please send to the Nurses Station.
Chronics Complaints –
Look for Bruises on the body.
No breakfast prior to camp or not bringing lunch.
Inappropriate dress or same clothes each day.
Disruptive behavior or the inability to interact with the other children in the unit.
Don’t forget the Tick Check and Water breaks!