Taking care of sick kids at summer camp

Posted June 23, 2015,

I love being a pediatrician. I get to practice medicine while spending the day with adorable, silly children. I help them feel better, watch them grow up and guide their parents through each stage of development.

But, once a year I give that all up in order to go into the mountains and volunteer as a camp doctor. Why, you may ask, would anyone choose to work during vacation time? Partly I do it for my children. I get to watch them make friends, conquer the ropes course, and dance on their chairs during mealtime. They gain independence and grow up just a little bit more each summer. The other reason that I do it is because it reminds me of how much I loved camp when I was growing up. Besides actually working, I get to go on hikes, enjoy the mountain air and catch up on my reading.

My main job though is to be the doctor. But let’s face it; camp medicine is not like real medicine. I go to work each day wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I have even taken care of campers while wearing a bathing suit and once while in my pajamas! Sometimes, my dog Luna comes with me to be my sidekick, helping homesick kids feel better in between chasing squirrels and lizards. During sick call, the majority of complaints that I hear are things normally fielded by mom and dad; tummy aches, sore throats and stuffy noses. Our hottest commodity from the med room is definitely cough drops. I also take out splinters, wrap sprained ankles and ice injuries. Sometimes I actually diagnose and treat strep throat, ear infections and sinus infections. The health center is also a place for exhausted and dehydrated campers to rest and get some Gatorade before rejoining their friends. We even keep kids over night that need to be isolated due to a contagious illness. Of course, it’s also a place to come and sit, get out of the heat, and gossip a little. By the end of the week, all 200 campers become my kids. I eat meals with them, watch them at their activities and fix what ails them.

So, if you send your kids to summer camp, don’t worry because Dr. Mom (or Dad) is there with them.

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CPMG, cpmgsandiego, pediatrician, sick kids, summer camp

Jaime Friedman, M.D., F.A.A.P.

Dr. Friedman has been practicing pediatrics in San Diego for over ten years, initially working at Rady Children’s Hospital in its Urgent Care and then moving to Children’s Primary Care Medical Group in 2004. She is now the lead physician of the new CPCMG 4S Ranch office. Dr. Friedman is Board Certified and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She has been one of San Diego Magazine’s Top Docs for the past 8 years and was elected Best Doctor in East County by The Californian in 2011. Dr. Friedman went to medical school in Baltimore, Maryland, where she grew up, and did her pediatric residency in Portland, Oregon, at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. She is still a very loyal Baltimore Ravens fan and loves football. On a professional level, Dr. Friedman’s interests include literacy, breastfeeding, and fitness. While at the CPCMG El Cajon office, she started a new Reach Out and Read location,, and is working on providing books for patients at all CPCMG locations. She also plans to organize regular kid-friendly hikes for the 4S Ranch community. Personally, she has walked in three Breast Cancer 3-Day walks, volunteers at her children’s school, and has been active on the PTA. She also volunteers as the camp doctor every summer at Camp Mountain Chai. When she isn’t working, Dr. Friedman enjoys every minute she can with her husband and two children. Together, they love to ride bikes, spend time with friends, and play with their 2 Australian Shepherds, Luna and Lucy.

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