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Nurse Your Child's Summertime Boredom

All year long children everywhere anxiously await their summer vacation. But once school is out, it doesn't take long for them to run out of things to do. Parents are then faced with the dilemma of how to keep their kids entertained for the next eight weeks.

Don't fret too much. There is hope. There's an option that can end your child's summer blues, help him/her better understand the job that you do, and ultimately contribute to eliminating the nation's nursing shortage. It's camp... for future nurses.

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That's right. Across the country colleges, healthcare facilities and organizations are developing camps that will let students get a hands-on feel of what nursing is all about. Programs being offered are of various lengths and open to a range of age groups. The Palm Healthcare Foundation, Inc. and The Mary and Robert Pew Public Education Fund in Palm Beach County, Florida offer one such program, called the "Explore Nursing Summer Camp". This is a five-week program and is open to a limited number of elementary students. It is completely free and teaches children about health, nursing, vital signs, body systems, CPR/first aid, microscopes, germs and bacteria.

The Medical University of South Carolina along with the Charleston County School District has been offering a summer nursing camp for the past four years. Opened to the area's ninth graders, the camp allows students to shadow nurses in various specialties including oncology, radiology and pediatrics. Lehman College in New York offers a similar program to high school juniors and seniors. Milwaukee School of Engineering offers a sleep-away camp that focuses on nursing and is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors. Even the Johnson and Johnson Campaign for Nursing's Future has teamed up with St. Vincent Charity Hospital and created the Young Cleveland Nurses Camp.

Many nurses and healthcare professionals working with these camps are as excited as the students themselves. They see new interest in a field that desperately needs the attention. Girls and boys are able to plan beforehand academically and choose the right courses and participate in activities that would lead them towards college and nursing school. Yvonne Martin, RN, Medical Oncology/BMT, a 28-year nursing veteran and participant in the Medical University of South Carolina's camp program says the she hopes that the experience will be helpful to inspire students towards narrowing their career choices and possibly a future in nursing. Theses camps will no doubt help students learn new skills and at the same time build character and self-confidence.

So if you're looking for a great option for your children this summer, or next, consider nursing camp. As you know, it's a career choice that can have a very bright and inspiring future.