Certified Legal Nurse Consultants – Are You Ready for Camp? Camp Buck-Up That Is!

With the COVID-19 pandemic many parents are fantasizing about sending their children and spouses off to camp for the duration of the pandemic. I myself am thinking about starting a new camp and I’m calling it Camp Buck-Up! This camp will be for all the people out there who have to be told to “buck-up” on a regular basis. This includes more than just the people who continually forget their responsibilities (I forgot the attorney needed the report yesterday), the whiners (You really need that report Monday?) and the complainers (Writing this report was a pain).

What’s the point of this camp? It’s to get people to do their jobs, without complaining and to act like adults while they do their jobs. I’m sure you all know a couple of candidates for Camp Buck-Up (I can think of several already) and to tell you the truth, I need the occasional visit to Camp Buck-Up myself.

At Camp Buck-Up, we’ll start the day with healthy green tea followed by PE drills such as shouldering and carrying a heavy load of responsibilities, pulling your own weight in meetings, running an obstacle course of objections when completing a project and walking a tightrope of responsibility, all without complaining. Easy activities like fire-walking are for those feel-good camps – not Camp Buck-Up. At Camp Buck-Up, everyone will spend one socially distanced, mask-wearing week without complaining about anything or anybody. It’s easier to complain, or to moan and groan than it is to put our noses to the grindstone but we’ll straighten that out. If someone is heard complaining, they’ll get a second week at Camp Buck-Up at no additional charge.

At Camp Buck-Up, there won’t be any gossip about any issues other than why there’s no gossip. There won’t be any second guessing or criticism without offering an alternative and we won’t talk about someone if they’re not there to defend themselves.

At Camp Buck-Up, we’ll learn that the best way to eat a whale is one bite at a time. We’ll learn to plan projects, set goals and timetables and stick to them. Sometimes getting started is the hardest part of a project so we’ll all practice taking that first step. Our legal nurse consulting businesses will never be the same after Camp Buck-Up.

At mealtime at Camp Buck-Up, you won’t find any processed or fast foods. We’ll learn to eat cruciferous vegetables and plenty of Omega-3s and how to make the healthy choice over the fun choice (Goodbye fried oyster po-boys, hello salmon and broccoli!). We’ll each do a tour of KP (kitchen patrol) so we can practice prepping and cooking fast, healthy meals. And we’ll learn to teach our families how to clean up after themselves too.

At Camp Buck-Up, all nurses will eat meals sitting down and be forced to take a 30-minute lunch break. They’ll also be forced to give up their catheters and go to the bathroom on a regular basis. We’ll drink 8 or more glasses of water (not soda) daily to help this process.

At Camp Buck-Up, everyone will be forced to have at least one good belly laugh each day and it won’t be from schadenfreude, it’ll be from the genuine pleasure of people having fun working and laughing together. Don’t ask about the thread count on the sheets, just be happy we won’t have bunk beds!

At the end of every day at Camp Buck-Up, we’ll have a sundowner of healthy red wine and thank our lucky stars we’re at Camp Buck-Up before we drink it.

I haven’t started mandatory Camp Buck-Up yet, but I’m thinking about it. I’ve already filled the guest list for my first Camp Buck-Up with people I think need it most (And yes, you may be on that list). If you know someone you want to sign up for Camp Buck-Up, I’ll be happy to put them on the waiting list, just let me know. See you at Camp.

Success Is Yours,

Vickie L. Milazzo, RN, MSN, JD

P.S. Please comment and share any activities you’d like me to add to Camp Buck-Up. I’ll be happy to consider them 😊.