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When School of Nursing<\/a> associate professor Max Veltman first heard about the gig in 2008, he was quick to fill one of the 16 slots. He was looking for a place to serve in the community, and has been working with the camp ever since.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now a member of the camp\u2019s advisory board, Veltman has also been the interim medical director since 2020. That same year, he was awarded Volunteer of the Year for his work with the camp during the pandemic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But Veltman\u2019s impact doesn\u2019t stop with his own efforts. Throughout his time with the Y, he has relentlessly recruited other camp nurses. Early on in his involvement, he encouraged his pediatric nursing class to volunteer and routinely brought it up at School of Nursing faculty meetings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But he rarely does that anymore; at this point, most recruited faculty are recruiting other faculty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI got involved because Max Veltman had been involved,\u201d said associate professor Kelley Connor, who first signed up in 2012 and volunteered for several years. \u201cA lot of nurses working in pediatrics don’t have the ability to take a week off in the summer like we do,\u201d she said. \u201cSo I feel like it’s a good way to connect and give back.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Connor is also the reason clinical assistant professor Veronica McDuffee heard about the opportunity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cVolunteering has always been a pretty core part of my life,\u201d McDuffee said. \u201cBut this [summer] will be my first time with the Y.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n During his recruitment efforts, it didn\u2019t take long for Veltman to see that parents make great camp nurses. The YMCA compensates volunteer nurses with one week of free tuition, meaning many parents can send their own children to camp if they work for the week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI can be a camp nurse and a part time mom at the same time,\u201d McDuffee said. \u201cSo it\u2019s a win-win!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Additionally, parents are rarely \u201crattled by anything the kids do,\u201d Veltman said, and many of the responsibilities are already familiar.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s basically first aid,\u201d said McDuffee. \u201cWhich as a mom you do, and obviously as a nurse you\u2019re trained to do.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n But most parents aren\u2019t responsible for the first aid of 250 people at once.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Beginning in June, the Y Camp at Horsethief Reservoir hosts close to 200 kids ages 7-12 each week, plus camp counselors and staff.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the two nurses on duty primarily monitor medication distribution, they also tend to \u201cbumps and bruises, stomach aches, headaches, allergies, and that sort of thing,\u201d said associate professor Sarah Llewellyn. 2022 will be her second summer volunteering.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Meal times are the busiest for nurses, since kids often stop by before or after to take their medicine. But they are on call at all hours, Connor said. \u201cYou might have somebody knock on your door at three o\u2019clock in the morning because a kid fell out of the bunk bed,\u201d she said, \u201cSo you just have to manage that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For most of the Boise State faculty, these skills differ greatly from their \u201cday jobs.\u201d McDuffee also works in an intensive care unit at Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center<\/a>. She doesn\u2019t anticipate facing any real challenges at camp, but \u201cit\u2019s still outside of my comfort zone in the sense that I\u2019m used to critically ill patients,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Last year, Llewellyn benefitted from working outside of her typical area of expertise. She doesn\u2019t often work with pediatric medications, so in her free time at camp, she looked up dosages and learned more about the kinds of medicines campers were taking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt broadened my pediatrics knowledge,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n One of the reasons Veltman loves Y camp is that \u201ca lot of kids are stuck at home and don\u2019t have the ability to get outside, so it\u2019s about trying to nurture kids\u2019 outdoor experience,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s not an epic survival week, but [campers] are outside and interacting with other kids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is demanding for children\u2019s social development, and often the most challenging task nurses face is not a major medical emergency; it\u2019s differentiating between kids who need medical attention and those who are homesick or anxious.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s easy for them to get negative if they\u2019re trying something new,\u201d Veltman said. So it\u2019s the nurse\u2019s job to establish rapport with kids \u2013 just like they would with any other patient \u2013 and \u201cchannel them back to the fun of camp.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou might get some 7-year-old who is homesick and nervous and it gives them a stomach ache,\u201d Connor said. \u201cWe try to help them transition so that they find the camp fun.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For Veltman, one of the most satisfying parts of volunteering is being able to see kids who had previously struggled return to camp; it\u2019s evidence they\u2019ve grown and that he\u2019s made a difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s so awesome to see them come back,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n More than anything else, Y Camp fosters a mutually beneficial relationship between the community and the entire School of Nursing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cNurses impact the individual campers each week with connections and physical help,\u201d said McLain. \u201cBut there\u2019s something greater than that \u2014 the help and intentionality they provide to each camper is an investment into our community\u2019s future.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n\n\n\n Veltman enjoys working with Boise State student volunteers since Horsethief Reservoir provides an atmosphere where \u201cI\u2019m not teaching them, but mentoring them and letting them take the lead with opportunities,\u201d he said. He empowers them to build relationships with kids and take initiative when problems arise. \u201cThat\u2019s the part I really like,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Both Connor and Llewellyn appreciate how Boise State faculty are able to interact with the community in a less-traditional way.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYou start to see what kind of issues kids in our community are facing,\u201d Connor said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Llewellyn noticed just how comfortable kids are when they come in to take their meds together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cJudgment is low,\u201d she said. \u201cIt gives me a good view for the future: people are okay taking what they need to be their healthiest self.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For nurses interested in volunteering, Veltman encourages them to check out opportunities with the Treasure Valley YMCA<\/a>, talk to him or \u201cJust do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n For more information, email maximilianveltman@boisestate.edu<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\nA recruitment chain<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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A day in the life<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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The hurdle of homesickness<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Work with a wide impact<\/h2>\n\n\n\n