Brigadoon Village Medical Team
Our Medical Team comprises a variety of medical professionals, including RNs, LPNs, Nurse Practitioners, Doctors, Respiratory Therapists, and Child Life Specialists. They help us to manage our campers’ ongoing conditions, administer medications, and provide first aid and treatment for conditions/circumstances which come up during the camp week. Our Medical Team helps to keep our campers safe and well-cared-for so that they can focus on what’s really important – having fun!
Summer Camp Opportunities:
Our full-time Camp Nurses join us all summer, usually as new grads. These nurses help ensure that our medical centre is a well-oiled machine, that campers get consistent care from our medical team, and help set our weekly medical staff up for success!
They are joined each week by our weekly medical staff, who join us for a single session and are often experienced in the specific condition that the camp session supports. This role is an excellent opportunity to grow leadership skills and confidence, get a crash course in various conditions, learn from a wide range of more experienced health professionals, and see patients outside the hospital setting. It’s also an excellent opportunity to see your work’s impact in creating joyful experiences for campers that help them go home as better versions of themselves.
Due to our partnership with the IWK, we can sometimes negotiate a later start date for those who successfully obtain IWK positions to allow new grads to spend the summer with us before moving on to careers with the IWK.
Week-Long Opportunities:
We also have a team of medical professionals who join us for our week-long camp sessions. They help us manage our campers’ ongoing conditions, administer medications, and provide first aid and treatment for conditions/circumstances during the camp week. Our Medical Team helps keep our campers safe and well cared for so they can focus on what’s important – having fun!
These folks join us from Sunday to Friday and are assigned to a specific group of campers they’ll get to know over the week of camp.
The Application Process:
- Interested applicants should complete our online application.
- A member of our team will contact you to set up an interview.
- If selected, you will receive a confirmation e-mail confirming which week(s) you can join us.
- Before your arrival, we’ll need proof of a valid license within the province of Nova Scotia, a clear Criminal Record Check (including a Vulnerable Sector Check), and proof of Immunization History to ensure we can keep our campers safe!
- You’ll receive a Medical Team Manual with all the necessary information!
- You will receive a thorough orientation process before campers arrive during your designated week.
Why Get Involved?
While working with us, you will be part of a team of passionate change-makers who are among the kindest, silliest, most energetic and most enthusiastic people you will ever meet. You’ll also meet a hugely diverse group of amazing kids who will have just as much to teach you. You’ll have the incredible privilege of sending these brave kids home as better versions of themselves. You’ll laugh and smile more than you ever thought possible, even while falling into your bed exhausted every night.
Current Opportunities
Applications for Medical Staff positions for 2025 will be open from January 2nd – June 1st.
Medical Staff FAQs
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Who are our campers?
Our campers join us because they are diagnosed with a health condition or have a specific life challenge we serve that week. They are aged 7-18 and come from the Atlantic Provinces. All of our campers are reviewed medically by the relevant clinic of the IWK Health Centre to ensure that they fit the mandate of that week of camp and that they can come to camp safely and participate in most camp programs. This means that many of the campers who join us are those whose conditions are stable and well-managed to make sure that we can keep them safe at camp!
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What kinds of things do campers come to the medical centre for?
Most of what we see in the medical centre is quite simple! Campers feel tired from full days of camp and need a break, a headache or stomach ache, a band-aid, etc. Depending on the week, we’ll see other symptoms related to the condition we’re supporting – needing painkillers or an icepack during our arthritis week, help with their ostomy during our IBD week, etc.
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Who would I be working with?
We have two Camp Nurses who we hire for the entirety of the summer camp season. Those Camp Nurses are our Brigadoon policies and procedures experts and help ensure that our medical centre runs consistently and smoothly each week. We are joined by other healthcare professionals each week, including someone we identify as the Medical Team Lead. This person is often an expert in the condition we are supporting and has experience supporting the condition at camp, so maybe someone you are paired with, as appropriate.
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What if something comes up that we can’t necessarily manage at camp?
These kinds of things certainly come up! If something more complex or serious comes up while a camper is at camp, we are frequently in touch with the relevant physician on-call at the IWK, and when in doubt, we will take them to Valley Regional Hospital to be assessed. Of course, in the case of an emergency, it takes about 20 minutes for an ambulance to reach us.
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What kind of training is provided?
We’ll provide you with our Medical Centre policies and procedures and a Medical Staff Handbook, which will be reviewed before your week of camp. When you arrive, we’ll do a more thorough orientation process on Sunday morning before campers arrive. Of course, the training process is ongoing, and our Camp Nurses will be there to guide us on how to handle different situations as they come up and give reminders on our best practices.
At Brigadoon, any opportunity to provide care for our campers can also help them build skills like resilience, confidence, and independence. We’ll ensure that you understand our program and medical philosophy strongly so that each interaction with our campers can be as impactful as possible.
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What does a day look like as a Medical Staff at Brigadoon?
A day might look something like this:
7:00 Wake Up 7:30 Med Administration 8:00 Breakfast / Med Admin 9:00-12:30 Med Centre Duty 12:30 Lunch – Med Admin 1:30 Time Off 2:30 Cabin Inspection 3:30-5:30 Free Time 5:30 Dinner – Med Admin 6:30 Evening Program 7:30 Campfire 8:30 Bedtime – Med Admin Overnight Radio On-Call -
When is medication administered?
Often, first thing in the morning, at mealtimes, and before bedtime, our med staff administer medications to the campers to whom they’re assigned. Of course, depending on their campers and the week of camp, campers will also have scheduled med times at other times of the day.
We’re committed to ensuring that our campers don’t need to miss out on the fun and impact of the camp experience to meet their medical needs. For this reason, we bring medications to them so they can return to their camp experience!
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How are duties assigned?
Medical staff are assigned to different shifts throughout the day, which they spend in the med centre and responding to radio calls. When campers or staff have acute concerns throughout the day, they’ll drop by the med centre or call for assistance on the radio; we always have several people on duty throughout the day. This might also mean helping our Camp Nurses with cleaning and admin of the med center.
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What does 'on-call' mean at Brigadoon?
Once bedtime meds are done for the day, our medical staff also rotate overnight on-call duty. This means that whichever medical staff member is on-call for the night goes to sleep but with the radio nearby so that they can respond if there are any medical concerns overnight. Of course, there are always many other people around who can help troubleshoot concerns and help if it’s more complicated!
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How is time off managed?
There is time off allocated to each member of the medical staff team each day, which means it could be spent going for a swim, having a nap or a shower break, calling home, or reading a book outside in the sun.
Outside of the hours on duty in the medical centre, we encourage our Medical Staff to get involved in what’s happening at camp! Head to archery with a group of campers, play our evening program game alongside our campers, and you won’t want to miss our campfires and talent show!