Camp Boggy Creek - Pediatric Nursing Volunteers

I was thumbing around on the website today and found an excellent little camp that I thought I should share to you. Have you ever heard of Camp Boggy Creek? Well if you haven’t, it’s an excellent example of what happens when you gather people together who really want to make a difference in the world and in someone else’s life.

Here is one of the opening lines from their About Us page - “A camp where children with serious illnesses and their families can forget the word “no” for a little while and embrace the promise of “yes”.

Camp Boggy Creek has been around since 1996. It was originally founded by Paul Newman and General H. Norman Schwarzkopf. This camp is huge! And it is in one of the best places to visit on earth, especially when it is winter everywhere else. The camp located just outside of Orlando Florida on a 232-acre camp. The camp serves children ages 7-16 who've been diagnosed with a chronic or life-threatening condition.

Are you interested now? Well if you are there are many times and many ways you can volunteer or donate to help. Since Camp Boggy Creek is open year around, their need for volunteers and donations are large. The camp utilizes 1800 volunteers annually to provide a safe, free and medically sound camp environment for these children.

To look at their list of volunteer needs please click HERE

Here is a basic list of their current needs:

Special events, airport transportation ambassador, housekeeping, dining hall/kitchen, maintenance, quilts, afghans, Boggy Bears, Office support, service projects, woodworking. 

During the summer, medical professionals are needed at their summer camps.  These volunteers are nursing or physicians who specialize in the illness they will be serving during that summer camp session. Some summer camp sessions require other medical volunteers, such as pharmacists, EMT/Paramedics and respiratory therapists. Medical and nursing students are also encouraged to volunteer as cabin counselors!

If donation is something you have in mind, here is a direct link to their donation page. Thank you!

We hope you take a moment to read about this wonderful camp and take the opportunity to either donate or take the next step towards volunteering your time there!

Thanks!

Pediatric Surgery in Ecuador

by: Deborah Skovron

Within the clearly apparent physical outcomes of a pediatric reconstructive surgical mission lies an outcome that may not present itself quite as immediately to the volunteer nurse.  While this less physical outcome does not reveal itself in as dramatic a way that surgical intervention does, it is as significant, as permanent, and as enduring as any physical reconstructive outcome.  I was fortunate to realize this outcome while on a surgical mission to Ecuador last week.  I hope that by sharing this story, other volunteer nurses will realize the impact their contribution has in the lives of their patients well after they part ways.   
This mission was not my first surgical mission to this tiny South American country; I've been fortunate to return often as a volunteer PACU nurse in various Ecuadorian hospitals.
In 2012 I volunteered in a small public hospital's PACU in Salinas, Ecuador.  I returned this February to the same city but to a different hospital.  
On "triage" day I was responsible for patient intake information, weights, heights, etc. for prospective patients.
The day was moving along at a quick pace; families with kids were filling the hallways and spilling over to the outside.  
I had triaged around 90 kids, had had lunch, and was digging in for more patients when the exam-room door opened, a family entered and in an instant there was a young boy wrapping his arms around my waist with all of his might. A huge, happy surprise for each of us!!!!!  I was elated to see this young boy, this smiling face; to see him well, to see he had remembered me. The hug endured. Happy greetings were all around; young boy, parents, and nurse!
(I had recovered this young boy last year following the repair of a congenital anomaly. He had a great deal of discomfort, had difficulty ambulating, his parents were distraught, he had numerous surgical drains, incisions, and dressings. I spent hours with him, managing his pain, helping him to cough and deep breath, encouraging him to ambulate, reassuring his parents that all would be well. And indeed, all did go well; he was soon discharged.)  He had returned now, unexpectedly, for the second of four surgical interventions.

With that show of affection I realized, in an instant, that I had played a very significant role in this young boy's life last year; more than I had imagined. I had been placed in his mind as a GOOD memory, a thing with which he had a connection.  Along with a positive surgical outcome there had been an incredible consequential outcome; the creation of vital human bond between a young boy and an older woman, an Ecuadorian and an American, a patient and a nurse, a disadvantaged citizen and a citizen of means (relative term.). This was such a stark, impressive realization; quite significant for me. Now, at home, I feel even more a part of this global community; what a gain!! And not a "pat on the back" kind of a gain but a quiet, internal, satisfied gain.  

He did have his second reconstructive surgery last week; I was able to care for him again post operatively. He recovered quickly, he's speaking some English, he's a whiz at jig-saw puzzles, and he's a fan of chocolate Ensure.

I was once again able to practice the art of nursing; human to human caring.  I was not restricted, nor was my care defined by the rush, scripted, often routine approach to patient care in a large institutional care center that I often find associated with my job in the states.

While nursing theory, medical science, and evidence-based practice has advanced the profession of nursing, to be one with another in a time of need is the hallmark of nursing......and there in lies the charm and the appeal of humanitarian nursing.  

Unique Opportunity - Dominican Republic

Foundation of International Medical Relief of Children (FIMRC) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization that is dedicated to improving pediatric and maternal health in developing countries. Their network of outpatient clinics and partnerships enable FIMR to assert a multidimensional strategy of services, extensive community outreach efforts and health education programs.
The program engages 700 individuals annually who volunteer their time abroad and make a contribution in exchange for the experience FIMRC provides. Over 90% of FIMRC's revenue is derived from their volunteer program. 
The program was founded in 2002, and is incorporated in Washington DC with its headquarters in Philadelphia, PA. The team includes over 3000 dedicated staff and volunteers worldwide who provide leadership and support necessary to achieve their mission of improving access to health care in under-served communities. 
Currently the program is establishing a project site in the Dominican Republic and has an amazing and unique opportunity for any nurses interested in community health. In the upcoming months, FIMRC will be conducting a meticulous community diagnostic and establishing the entire framework for the program. 

This opportunity is for nurses who may be interested in contributing to the overall health of a community in a way that is very "outside the clinic" states Meredith Mick, FIMRC CEO.

After visiting the website Foundation for International Medical Relief of Children, I found some very useful and FAQ's which may be helpful when determining if this project is something that is interesting to you. 

From the website, information can be obtained regarding housing, transportation costs and what FIMRC will provide. Mission trips with FIMRC generally are for longer periods which can be from one to three weeks and will accommodate longer-term placements if necessary. 

Also listed on the FAQ page was a 5 step process describing the steps necessary to initiate planing a medical trip:

1. Click the "Where We Work" tab to browse available locations.

2. Decide when you would like to travel. Spaces tend to fill up during peak seasons, so try and book 2 months in advance. 

3. Read all applicable sections of the Volunteer Program page.

4. Get in touch with the Officer of Volunteer Programs to discuss your options. Fill out the Inquiry Form and/or contact missions@firmc.org with the following details:

            Preferred volunteering location

            Preferred trip dates (please be specific)

            Length of Stay

5. Feel free to ask plenty of questions! And call if need by- 888-211-8575 Option 1.

Nurses who travel to their sites participate in the management of children with acute health issues as well as conduct well child visits and prenatal care. In addition to seeing the children in the clinics, health professionals can travel into the community to provide care as needed.  FIMRC relies on their volunteers to act as investigators and advise the foundation on areas for improvement, welcoming suggestions and comments when you return from your trip. 

We hope you find this information helpful and that there is a nurse out there who is willing to jump at this opportunity!  Remember we still have scholarships available to assist those who may need extra help with funding. 

Cheers-

ONAAT CREW