Hi everyone! Hard to believe we’re coming up on the summer in a few short months. The three of us from New Haven thought we would fill you in on what we’ve been up to when we’re not handing out Band-Aids, staffing the Med Shed and bartering with campers for freeze-pops.
Liz: this September was the start of the last year of my masters nursing program at Yale—I’ll graduate in May and sit for my pediatric nurse practitioner boards right after that! I’ve spent a good chunk of the winter so far starting the job hunt, studying, doing clinical rotations and eating lots of New Haven pizza. Currently I’m at a pediatric specialty clinic in cardiology, where we see infants and toddlers up through adolescents with complex congenital heart disease. I’ve got tiny 6-weekers with ventricular septal defects, 5-monthers with pacemakers, teens with cardiomyopathy and everything in between!
The highlight of my year so far has been going to visit my little brother in Utah for a week and getting to rock climb and rappel in some pretty massive canyons down in Moab. We also had a visit from Lynne and Todd, who conveniently came to Yale on parent’s weekend and spent the day touring campus as our “parents”.
The very best part of camp is the contagious, hilarious joy that the kids, counselors, staff (and dogs!) exude—it’s truly a special place to work and play–I’m looking forward to seeing everyone back at camp this summer!
Britt: I can’t believe it’s been almost 6 months since camp ended! I don’t know about you guys, but I’m PUMPED for this summer and I’m excited to be joining the Manitou team for a second year. These past 6 months have absolutely flown by and have been filled with traveling, lots of Netflix, and Pilates practice. I’m in my final year of my masters nursing program at Yale and have just started preparing my resume and many cover letters to start applying to jobs and fellowships. I’m hoping to land a job specializing in dermatology in southern California or get accepted into a residency program in Hawaii. I’ve had enough of these New England winters- my body is craving some good old vitamin D! (obviously lathering myself in SPF 50 at all times!) Right now, I spend 4 days of the week rotating through three different clinical sites, one in medical and surgical dermatology, one in primary care for underserved communities, and one working with an elderly population that needs end of life care. Although, I do love working with the adult and geriatric population, I’m ready to work with some pediatric patients again. Bring on the Band-Aids, hydrocortisone cream, and lots of TLC!
MG: Since leaving camp I’ve entered my final year of school! Like Liz and Britt, I’ll graduate from Yale in May. After graduation I’ll sit for the boards to officially become a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner. I spend my weeks in New Haven going to class, clinical and work. I have two different clinicals this year. One is at a pediatric primary care office where lately I’ve been diagnosing a lot of flu and reassuring people that they do not have the coronavirus. My other clinical is at a pediatric GI clinic. I spend my days there embarrassing kids by asking about their bathroom habits. When I’m not at clinical I have the pleasure of working with Liz at a cardiology office doing research (I hope she’s not sick of me yet).
Some highlights of my year so far have been traveling to Costa Rica over my winter break. It was a much appreciated escape from the New England winter. Most recently, I became an aunt to an adorable baby girl! I just can’t get enough of her.
I can’t wait to get back to Camp this summer and see all the kids and staff who made me laugh on a daily basis.
Resources
Audrey Monke’s Sunshine Parenting is a helpful contributor in the camp community because she offers parenting advice through a Camp Director’s lens. Check out her blog post, 7 Ways to Help Kids Through Their Teen Years. How does Manitou support our oldest campers (and youngest staff members)? Send us ideas on how we can do better.
The ACA continues to promote the values of working at camp! Recently, ACA’s Project Real Job challenged camp counselors to produce videos about their experiences working at camp. Below is a compilation of the winning videos.