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COUNSELOR

We are pleased that you are considering a counselor job for the summer. Our camp is a private, co-ed summer camp with children from ages 6 to 15. This camp is part of our 500 acre working ranch that operates year round. We are located on the western slope of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California, about 45 miles east of Delano on Hwy. 155. We are surrounded on three sides by the Sequoia National Forest. Lake Isabella and Kernville are over Greenhorn Summit about 20 miles away. The elevation here is 4600 ft. which means a warm, usually dry summer. We are an accredited camp through the American Camping Association and the Western Association of Independent Camps. Most of our business comes from returning campers and word of mouth referrals.

The main emphasis of our camp is to connect children to life on a ranch. From animal care, gardening, and building projects to all kinds of outdoor activities like horseback riding, sailing, and rock climbing, campers participate in the activities of their choice. We give children the opportunity for growth through play, close associations with others, and skill development. Our aim is for campers to have fun as well as to gain a sense of satisfaction through accomplishment. Both campers and staff are involved with the working operations of the ranch. We do not hire maintenance staff so counselors do the cleaning (yes, the outhouses), the gardening (we grow lots of vegetables), and the dish washing (we wash by hand & the water is heated by a wood stove that also bakes our bread)!

We select our staff from college students and former campers throughout the United States and abroad. We are seeking mature people who have skills and/or talent and the ability to share that talent with children. Our counselors must enjoy living outdoors in a rustic mountain setting and enjoy a strong sense of community which is dictated by our isolation from usual city environments. We need strong, sensitive people who are willing to give of themselves and conform to the needs of the children and the ranch. Our counselors must be good "role models" for children and exemplify positive character and values. On the job informaton page, some of our customs and policies are outlined to emphasize the importance we place on role modeling to children. A criminal background check and clean drivers license will be required to work here. You will also be subject to random drug testing during your employment. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome people of all creeds and ethnic backgrounds.

Being a camp counselor is an intense living experience in that you are working and relating to people 24 hours a day. Our days start early (as the sun comes up) and campers head toward bed as the sun goes down. You will get one day off per week. The living arrangements are outdoor cots for each child and counselor. The children are grouped around a particular counselor for supervision and daily needs. There are outhouses and cold running water in the sleeping areas with no need for electricity, radio, or TV. Two central group showers with hot water serve the boy’s and girl’s areas. We dine buffet style with counselors serving as host or hostesses to a group of 5 to 7 campers. The food is largely home-grown and prepared par excellence. We have daily mail service and a telephone for the staff.

CAMP NURSE

The nurse at JRC needs to be ready at all times to do anything that is necessary. It's a thrilling challenge to be a camp nurse and work independently with children in a wide variety of health related conditions. The health and safety of our camp is the most important job here! Without good health, the counselors and campers cannot reap the joy and benefit of being at camp. So we are guardians of health and safety with much to do. The nurses do a health check-in with each family upon arrival at camp. Thehealth form and emergency numbers are verified. Medications are collected at this check-in. A head check is done and if evidence of lice is found, treatment is initiated.

The physical format and framework of the health care facility are the foundation of the health care. The camp nurse has 2 rooms and a bathroom in the ranch house where campers can arrive in need of medical care or 1st aid. The small room, usually used for 1st aid, is the health room and the larger room for isolation is the annex. All the medical supplies, medications, 1st aid kits and beds are in these rooms. The camp nurse is on call 24 hours a day, no kidding. The nurse rises with all the staff at 6:15 am and is on duty by 6:30 am. There are certain times during the day when specified tasks are performed. At breakfast, lunch and dinner, medications are passed to campers who bring medicine to camp, and at bedtime there is medical call for kids who need it.

During activity periods the nurse is either available around the ranch house or, if away from the house, available by radio. Make sure you always have a radio when you leave the ranch house/sleeping areas. The nurse will not have sweep and mop duties (although help is always welcome), but will help with dishes unless there are campers in the health room that need attention.

The nurse is responsible for passing medications and vitamins at meals, recording, checking overnight lists for medications, and sending medicine on the overnight when needed. The campers are constantly monitored for side effects or problems surrounding their medicine. It works well to ring the bell for meds when the kitchen staff is serving 3rds in the dining hall. Have campers line up outside the health room and enter one at a time to take their medicine.

The camp nurse is responsible for administering 1st aid when campers come to the health room. The assessment and intervention are entered in the medical log with date, time and initials. If follow-up is needed, make sure the camper knows when to return for further treatment. Remember to check up on campers, they may forget that they are supposed to come back. If there are several campers needing to be seen, it works well to have them wait in the Blue Room and call them in one or two at a time. When a child comes into the health room with complaints, a thorough assessment needs to be done. It seems best ,with children, to start with light interventions, i.e. tea for a tummy ache or rest and hydration for a headache. Make sure everything is recorded, including vital signs if indicated. If a child requires isolation, there are two beds in the health room annex. They can rest, sleep, and recuperate. Visitors generally are allowed only to come to the doorway. This is strictly enforced if there is a danger of communicability.

For any incident, illness or injury requiring medical treatment in Bakersfield, an incident form must be completed.

If a child is febrile for 36-48 hours, the parents are called and a plan of action determined. We have a camp pediatrician in Bakersfield and several urgent care centers that can be utilized. It's good to consult with the camper's own pediatrician, if possible, and avoid a trip to Bakersfield for the child. We keep prescription samples on hand to initiate treatment when possible. As long as there is a child staying in the health room, the nurse needs to stay close. Debby Jameson will help cover duty when needed so the nurse gets some time away. Good judgment is always the best when attending to sick youngsters.

The nurse is also responsible for health care of our staff, but to a slightly less degree. All interventions with staff are charted in a medical log marked for staff. They are paramount to camp and we must assist them in maintaining excellent health. We are not able to furnish them with medications, they can easily obtain their own. All sick time for staff must be recorded. If a staff person is not able to work, the nurse may make that decision. In the kitchen, if the staff person has a communicable illness the nurse needs to notify the person that he/she may not work. Sometimes masks can be worn and the person can continue working. Sometimes counselors want to keep going when they shouldn't because they receive a bonus for not getting sick all summer.

The 1st aid kits are stored in the chest in the health room. The nurse stocks the kits and makes sure they are in working order, ready for hike day and overnights. Keep a current supply list of items needed. The nurse keeps epidemiology in mind when observing dining hall and kitchen procedures. In case of an outbreak of an infectious disease, the nurse helps assess the vectors and determine strategies. Debby Jameson will take report every day and be always available for consultation. If time allows, the nurse can be given a break and go on a horse ride or hike or something other than the usual . The crafts barn is close and can always use a helping hand. Doing something with a small group of children like a walk, jog, hike, game, chat, etc... refreshes the spirit and enlivens the soul. An afternoon in a program area is rejuvenating! PLEASE always keep communication open, current, fun and fresh! Let's have the healthiest and safest summer in the history of camping!!!!!