Vernon John "VJ" Gibbins, RN

PRESIDENT AND BOARD CHAIR

After graduating from the University of Alberta, VJ launched his nursing career at Camp Cedar, Casco, ME. He wanted to be a camp nurse after reading an editorial in his "History of Nursing" class that piqued his interest, an interest that remains strong today. Still working at Camp Cedar as their Head Nurse, VJ has continued to enjoy the day-to-day challenges of camp nursing while also seeking to improve his camp's injury-illness outcomes through his camp-based research. He's admittedly "progressed from reactionary clinic nurse toward promoting health and understanding the health patterns of my campers and staff."

This interest triggered an expanded role for VJ, one where he now speaks at camp conferences and continues to champion research-based camp nursing interventions. His contributions include:

• "Pst-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Campers & Staff post 9-11." Camp Nurse Symposium, April 2002.
• "So You have All New Nurses Coming to Camp This Summer?" New England ACA Conference, Manchester, March 2004.
• "Review of Factors Influencing Fracture-Causing Events in the Camp Health Setting." Camp Nurse Symposium, April 2005.
• New England Camp Nurse Workshop, Camp Cedar, 2003 - current. Program initiator, lead presenter; CEs available.

"I feel that I have come to a point in my camp nursing career where I am better able to take on a leadership role in the development of policy and the road mapping of camp nursing... As a member of ACN, I have contributed to the Association by attending the Symposiums... I have presented material on two occasions and have been an advocate for the Association at other ACA and camping events. However, on reflection, I feel that much of my prior involvement has been with an emphasis on my personal growth and development. I have been fortunate to grow and learn... My desire to improve and shape the understanding of camp health is too big for just Camp Cedar... I desire to help our organization improve health at camps across both Canada and the USA!"

CONTACT INFORMATION

Vernon John "VJ" Gibbins, RN

617-697-2616 (cell)

hi_vj@hotmail.com