GW Nursing Magazine Fall 2016

GW Nursing
at Home and Around the World
GW NURSING STUDENTS GO TO CAMP
BY ERIN JULIUS
George Washington School of Nursing
BSN students dove right into life as
nurses at Camp Dogwood in Madison, Va.
Through a GW SON partnership with
Camp Dogwood, each day students helped
some two dozen summer campers deal
with tummy aches, asthma, homesickness
and taking their medication while at camp.
“It’s a wonderful experience for the
students,” said Karen Dawn, an assistant
clinical professor at GW SON. “In a
hospital, they might only give medication
to one patient. Here they’re seeing the
campers every morning.”
Working under the close guidance of
Dr. Dawn and another faculty member—
who each spend a week at camp with
different groups of students over the
course of the summer—students took
their responsibilities seriously. “We have
to be extra cautious giving out medications
because we don’t have electronic health
records,” said Allen Bigornia, a
VBSN student.
The students’ time at camp was
structured similarly to what they will
encounter in professional settings. They
took turns at being the charge nurse for a
day and handing out assignments and being
on call to tend to campers who have health
issues overnight. Each morning, they had
prepared a quick lesson for the campers,
for example, teaching them to stay wellhydrated
during the hot summer months
and how to look for ticks after hikes. One
morning, the students missed breakfast
because each was dealing with different
campers’ injuries and illnesses.
“They’re really practicing being nurses,”
Dr. Dawn said.
Camp Dogwood is run by the
AnBryce Foundation, providing
educational opportunities for children
and young adults who otherwise could
not participate in camping and other
enrichment experiences.
For more photos from
Camp Dogwood, visit the
GW SON Facebook page
(facebook.com/GWnursing)
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