Managing Camp Health Services
Health services refers to the scope of services and assistance provided by a camp to support campers and staff wellness. This swings focus from what only goes on in the Health Center to a broader and camp-specific context that touches components such as staff and parent policies, hiring practices and the scope of care provided by the camp. Coordinating and responding to the three functional areas is the job of he health services manager. Often a camp director is in the role of managing camp health services.
Managing health services starts with understanding the camp’s mission. Everything about camp should support and strive towards accomplishing that mission, a quest that must include health services.
Resources for Directors and Administrators
Scope of Practice: Healthcare Personnel: MD | NP | RN | EMT
The Scope of Practice for healthcare personnel depends upon their license or credential, their experience and the state and federal laws governing healthcare at camp.
- Scope of Practice Chart (Who can do what at camp) PDF Erceg
- Association of Camp Nurses. Nursing Delegation to Unlicensed Assistive Personnel in Day and Resident Camps: www.ACAcamps.org/sites/default/files/images/Delegation-PG-Dec-2013.pdf
- Health Care Providers: Who’s Best for My Camp? Erceg American Camp Association September 2008
- Nursing Practice Decision Making Framework Erceg American Camp Association July 2017
Nurse Licensure
Nurses must hold a current license in the state where they practice (the state the camp is located in.)
Many states are part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, you can find more information about states and details in the link below.
- Nursing Licensure Compact States
- The Nursing Licensure Compact (NLC) is an agreement between states that allows nurses to have one license but the ability to practice in other states that are part of the agreement
- Nursing Licensure Compact FAQ’s
- Additional information about the Nurse Licensure Compact Before, During and After COVID. (From the Brookings Institute)
Hiring and Orienting Camp Healthcare Staff
- Hiring and Retaining a Happy Camp Nurse (Nerderman, D. 2012. CompassPoint)
- Orienting Your Camp Nurse (Erceg, L., March 2018 Camping Magazine)
- Want to be a camp nurse? Ten basics to get you out there! (Nursing 2017)
- EMT’s and Paramedics: Their Role At Camp
- ACN Delegation Practice Guideline
- Camp Healthcare Providers: A Comparison of Selected Characteristics
- Camp Nurse Interview Tool PDF Erceg
Building a New Camp Health Center
Lean on the experience of other camps when considering a new or remodeled health center.
Additional Resources
- ACA Healthcare Policies Checklist Example PDF
- When Concussions Occur at Summer Camp PDF
- Assessing Disaster Preparedness at Camp PDF Chang, Sielaff, Braden, Walker, Ambrose, Hashikawa
- Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Connection Team
Explore Clinical Areas of Camp Health
Trying to sort through what healthcare providers can fill which roles at camp? This chart provides a comparison of selected characteristics of various healthcare credentials
Current issues impacting camp health
More resources in the ACN camp nurse store!