Diabetes Camp

This past week of the dietetic internship provided one of the most exhausting and entertaining experiences of the last 6 months. I was fortunate enough to spend the week at the Kentucky Diabetes Camp for Children, and despite the significant lack of sleep I came away with one of the most rewarding experiences of my lifetime.

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Due to camp policy in regards to social media, I am unable to disclose the actual name of the camp in this blog. However, I will affectionately refer to the camp as "diabetes camp," and will attempt to capture the week's events as succinctly as possible.

This year was the largest camp in history, with approximately 130 campers attending, about 70 volunteers and a multitude of executive staff. In its entirety, the camp totaled around 230 people. 

The campers were divided into groups based on age, and each group was named for a different woodland creature. The youngest campers were adorably named the Chipmunks, and the oldest campers were named the Eagles, which is symbolic of their camp chiefdom. I was assigned to be an adult counselor with the Eagles, who are 16 and 17 years of age. Initially, I had mixed feelings about working with teenagers, but in hindsight I am so very glad for the opportunity to get to know these young individuals on a personal level.

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Daily Routine

For the most part, our days followed a regular schedule. We had 3 meals and 3 snacks every day which occurred at the same times. Meal scheduling was very important for these children, seeing as management of blood sugar is dependent upon consistent intake of carbohydrates. 

There were generally two activities scheduled for every morning and every afternoon, and an All-Camp activity was provided after dinner each night. All-Camp activities were particularly fun, because it allowed all of the campers to interact with one another.

As a counselor and dietetic intern, my duties included helping with 2 AM rounds, and helping with at least two meal shifts in the cafeteria. I was also responsible for assisting the kids with calculating their carbohydrate intake during each meal and snack time.

During meal shifts in the cafeteria, the main responsibility of the dietetic interns was to calculate the carbohydrates in each item offered during that meal period. This was quite a challenge, but was interesting nonetheless.

It was really fun to have a job that was specifically related to our profession. Even more so, it was fun to have such an important job, because the children and counselors used these numbers to calculate insulin dosage after each meal. 

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Camp Activities

As the schedule depicted in the first photo of this post, we had a great many activities scheduled throughout the week. Sadly, almost all of them were cancelled due to severe thunderstorms that plagued the Commonwealth. Our area of Kentucky took on nearly 7 inches of water, and we were under a Flash Flood Warning for a majority of the week. That put quite a damper on our schedule, but we were able to fit in a few really cool things.

A few awesome things we were able to do while at camp included the rock climbing wall, archery, hiking, canoeing, fishing, and midnight ziplining. You read it right, ziplining at midnight!! I had never been ziplining before, so it was really amazing to try it out for the first time in the middle of the night. They gave us all glowsticks and we turned out all of the flashlights before jumping out into the darkness.

We were also to do a ton of team building exercises. These activities really helped our team bond together, and I feel like I got to know the kids on a much deeper level through these exercises. It encouraged the kids to all listen to one another, trust each other and themselves, and to celebrate their success as a group.

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Highs and Lows

At the end of our week at camp, our den leader called us all together at 2 AM for what he called "The Talk." As a play on words, he asked each of us to describe the highs and lows of our week.

​It was truly incredible to hear how camp impacted each camper on a personal level, and how they felt so much stronger after spending time with peers who live with the same disease as them. These kids are much stronger and wiser than anyone their age should have to be, and they are beyond inspiring.

When given a chance to share, I confided my fears about putting my knowledge into practice at the risk of others. I described my weekly low as being unsure of myself at the beginning of the week, and described my weekly high as the confidence I had gained with their encouragement. By the end of the week the campers were asking me to come back next year, and I cannot begin to describe how happy that made me feel.

This week made me realize how passionate I am about youth development. As a counselor to 16 and 17 year old campers, a lot of the conversation trended towards future goals and plans for college. I have felt the pull towards pursuing a career in academics for a while now, and this experience helped me realize how much I enjoy counseling students as much as teaching them. Our youth is our future.

This post does not come close to scratching the surface of all that diabetes camp taught me on a personal and professional level. The people I encountered at this camp, from the campers to the medical staff to the executive staff, all touched my life in one way or another. I have a better understanding of type 1 diabetes, but at the same time I realize that I will never really understand what it is like to live with this disease. My contribution to individuals who suffer from this disease can be to continue working and volunteering with organizations that provide these great opportunities, as well as supporting the search for a cure. 

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Competencies:​
CRD 1.2 Apply evidence-based guidelines, systematic reviews and scientific literature (such as the Academy’s Evidence Analysis Library and Evidence-based Nutrition Practice Guidelines, the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, National Guideline Clearinghouse Web sites) in the nutrition care process and model and other areas of dietetics practice.
CRD 1.4 Evaluate emerging research for application in dietetics practice.
CRD 2.1 Practice in compliance with current federal regulations and state statutes and rules, as applicable and in accordance with accreditation standards and the Scope of Dietetics Practice and Code of Ethics for the Profession of Dietetics.
CRD 2.3 Design, implement and evaluate presentations to a target audience. (Tip:  A quality presentation considers life experiences, cultural diversity and educational background of the target audience.)
CRD 2.4 Use effective education and counseling skills to facilitate behavior change.
CRD 2.5 Demonstrate active participation, teamwork and contributions in group settings.
CRD 2.7 Refer clients and patients to other professionals and services when needs are beyond individual scope of practice.
CRD 2.8 Apply leadership principles to achieve desired outcomes.
CRD 2.9 Participate in professional and community organizations.
CRD 2.10 Establish collaborative relationships with other health professionals and support personnel to deliver effective nutrition services. (Tip:  Other health professionals include physicians, nurses, pharmacists, diabetes educators, health educators, etc.)
CRD 2.11 Demonstrate professional attributes within various organizational cultures. (Tip:  Professional attributes include showing initiative and proactively developing solutions, advocacy, customer focus, risk taking, critical thinking, flexibility, time management, work prioritization and work ethic.)
CRD 3.3 Develop and deliver products, programs or services that promote consumer health, wellness and lifestyle management. (Tip:  Students/Interns should consider health messages and interventions that integrate the consumer’s desire for taste, convenience and economy with the need for nutrition and food safety.)
CRD 3.4 Deliver respectful, science-based answers to consumer questions concerning emerging trends. (Tip:  Students/Interns should demonstrate and promote responsible use of resources including employees, money, time, water, energy, food and disposable goods.)