Hi everyone,
My name is Brittany and I am a
rising third year pharmacy student at PCSP. This summer I was given the
opportunity to volunteer at a children’s diabetic summer camp held at the YMCA
in Greenwood, SC. It was scheduled for a week for about 7 hours a day; however
I was only able to attend one day. Each day the campers completed different
activities. The medical staff consisted of pharmacists, student pharmacists,
nurses and also student nurses. I really enjoyed how were able to collaborate
with each other to help the children manage their diabetes.
We were split up into two different
teams. Each team consisted of a combination of the medical staff and a variety
of the campers (age, sex, type of diabetes). There were charts for each child
to have a record of what went on throughout the day when their blood glucose
was checked. The first activity we did consisted
of games. One team painted with arts and crafts and the other played bingo.
Bingo consisted of diabetic terminology to enhance their knowledge about the
disease state. I must add they did extremely well at this game! During each
physical activity, we had to monitor each child to make sure they didn't become
hypoglycemic (low blood glucose). Signs we looked for included lightheaded-ness,
dizziness and perspiration. If a child seemed to be hypoglycemic, we would
take them to the side and check their blood glucose. It is was low, we would
give them something to help increase it such as a glucose powder pack or a
snack. We would also monitor their hydration. Before and after lunch, they had
to check their blood glucose. Most of the children wanted to check their own.
They were champs! Prior to eating, they had to count their carbs. Each child
got a slip of paper with the different meal options. Once they added up the
amount of carbs they wanted to eat, they verified it with one of the health
care professionals. Based on their blood glucose reading and how many carbs
they were going to eat, we would determine if they needed an injection before
or after they ate if they were insulin dependent. The campers would calculate
the dose of insulin that was needed and verify it with the medical staff prior
to injection. If they were unsure of the
dose, we would help them calculate it. After lunch, the children engaged in
other physical activities.
This
week long camp provided the children opportunities to engage in fun activities
and also allowed them to enhance their knowledge about how to manage their
condition. The campers were able to make new friends with
others who also had diabetes. I gained a lot out of this experience. From
learning about this disease state hands on to working with other health care
professionals, I hope to be able to volunteer at this camp again next year.
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