The shining light that is CAMP

Kayla Haase is a second-year PharmD candidate at the University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy.

“CAMP is for the campers.” This is a statement with no true meaning or depth until The Children’s Association for Maximum Potential (CAMP) is experienced in its fullest capacity.

CAMP—located in Center Point, TX—serves children and adults with varying levels of behavioral challenges and disabilities, including profound intellectual disabilities, mild to severe autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, traumatic brain injuries, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, seizure disorders, and visual and hearing impairment diagnoses.

During the summer camp program, trained counselors and medical professionals—including pharmacists, nurse practitioners, physicians, nurses, and respiratory therapists—provide 24/7 support and care for campers. CAMP fosters an environment of independence for campers, who typically are supervised by parents or relatives, and provides the campers’ families with a week of respite. Additionally, there are very few programs for the disabled population that accept older individuals, and that provide opportunities for socialization and enrichment activities such as horseback riding, swimming, and canoeing. At CAMP, campers are always given the opportunity to participate fully in every activity.

Irreplaceable hands-on experience

In January 2023, I was extended an internship opportunity as a health care assistant to spend the summer months of May through July at CAMP. The position was pitched as an enriching experience filled with laughs, long days, unforgettable moments, and the opportunity to better myself as a future medical professional. As I’m interested in pediatric pharmacy, I quickly accepted the internship, not knowing how I would ultimately be changed as a person by the end of the summer.

Upon arriving at CAMP, I realized the health care assistant’s duties would be a large undertaking. My daily responsibilities included assisting the head nurse, Dee Evans, MSN, APRN, FNP-C, with providing first aid to campers, responding to emergency medication requests, administering daily medications to campers, housekeeping tasks, building interprofessional relationships, and spending time with campers. As a student pharmacist, I had limited hands-on patient care experience outside the capacity of administering immunizations, performing blood glucose tests, and checking BP. However, CAMP provided me with extensive and irreplaceable hands-on experiences that enhanced my communication, detail-orientation, and patient skills.

Most campers are prescribed an extensive list of medications, and as a member of the health care staff it was one of my duties to go through each of the campers’ medications one by one with their guardians during the check-in process. The medication check-in process included filling out the camper’s medication administration record, writing a description of each medication, noting the administration time, and discussing seizure history if applicable. Then, each day, four times a day, camper medications would be administered. During the entirety of the summer program, the medical staff administered a total of 28,000 medication doses.

Administering rescue medications

At CAMP, seizures and behavioral challenges are a regular occurrence, and administering rescue medications is a vital component of keeping campers safe. I administered rescue medications such as rectal Diazepam gel, Clonazepam, Midazolam nasal spray, Clonidine, and Ativan. Without this experience, I likely would never have had the opportunity to experience administering rescue seizure medications or caring for patients before and after seizures.

Providing personalized patient-centered care is ingrained in us as students at the University of the Incarnate Word Feik School of Pharmacy. However, I didn’t fully understand the gravity and meaning of providing patient-centered care until I was at CAMP. Providing that extra level of care by supporting the patient, by serving as a shoulder to cry on, by being a compassionate friend and a person to listen to their concerns truly shows the patient they can trust you as a medical professional.

Forming a loving bond

At CAMP, campers are able to form lifelong friendships and bonds with other campers and staff members. I had the unique opportunity of serving as a medical professional and as a friend to campers. Simply supporting the campers through their seizures, moments of pure joy, homesickness, and silence built lifelong friendships between the campers, their counselors, and me. Also, the love and exceptional level of care the counselors, staff, and medical staff provided to the campers was a shining example of the importance of building interprofessional relationships as a future pharmacist.

As a student pharmacist, the positive interprofessional relationships and experiences of working with residents, nurses, and respiratory therapists taught me the importance of recognizing the abilities and knowledge of others, and that working as a team is critical to provide the best patient care. At school, the importance of building interprofessional relationships is stressed, and we’re given opportunities to create these relationships through health fairs and immunization clinics. However, it was an inspiring and exceptional moment as a student pharmacist to practice building healthy interprofessional relationships in a real-life setting.

The spunky, unique, quirky, vivacious, and loving campers of all ages and backgrounds taught me the importance of providing the highest level of patient care and how genuine care for your patient makes a difference in the experience the patient has. Additionally, I learned firsthand how gratifying it is as a future pharmacist and medical professional to see the difference you can make in a patient’s life.

CAMP serves as a shining light that allows campers to not feel alone; for families to have a moment of rest; and for staff members, medical professionals, and counselors to be truly selfless. As a future pharmacist, I’ll take all the skills and experiences CAMP provided and apply them to my future practice. The beauty and light that shines from each camper has a special place in my heart that will help guide and remind me that each of my future patients is unique and requires their own special form of care.

So, what is the meaning of “CAMP is for the camper?” It means acting selflessly to give our campers, who are our friends, who become our family, and our guiding light, the best week out of their year. To CAMP, my last day was not a goodbye, but a see you next summer.

For more information about CAMP, go to https://campcamp.org.

I would like to thank Christian Goeke (University of Texas at San Antonio) for providing his perspective on the value of CAMP for our campers. Over his 8 years with CAMP, Christian has volunteered and worked as a staff member. His love, knowledge, and enthusiasm for CAMP are an inspiration for new and returning volunteers.