The wolf has often been characterized in children's literature as a big, bad, symbol of danger and fear. To students at Camp Howard, it's just the opposite. Peggy "Wolf" Sedlak represents safety and comfort.

She does, however, share some of the behavioral traits of the Canis lupus. She is loyal to her pack, concentrates on keeping youngster's out of harm's way, can adapt to varied surroundings, and is able to quickly read facial expressions and body language.

"Wolf is the best nurse I have had the experience of working with in 22 sessions of Outdoor School," said Joe "Puttly" Parvankin, Camp Howard Site Supervisor.

Wolf's call to medicine began in her early teens after witnessing a "huge" accident in front of her house in Wisconsin. "Ever since 14 I've wanted to become a nurse," said Wolf.

Following high school, Wolf came to Oregon to visit a sister. She's lived here ever since with the exception of several years in Africa. She attained her dream of a nursing certificate by graduating from the Linfield College School of Nursing. She then added true "field experience" by serving in the Peace Corps as a health education specialist in Gambia (see flag lower left).

"I loved it and met great people," said Wolf of her experience in Africa. "I want to go back to visit."

Her service in Africa illustrated her passion for healthcare and ability to positively communicate with and help people in need. Her assignment was in a village assisting women and their families during child birth. She arrived, as the only Peace Corps volunteer, following a quick ten weeks of training and orientation. Unfortunately, the language she learned in training was not the language spoken in her asssigned village. Despite this initial obstacle, Wolf was able to gain the trust of those she served and participate in the birth and care of their children.

After returning from Africa, Wolf took a seasonal position assisting elderly participants of a camp in Maine. From there, she moved on to the Outdoor School program. She had heard good reviews of the program and was anxious to return to Oregon. "I had friends who had kids that went to Outdoor School," said Wolf.

Outdoor School nurses provide comprehensive health care to students and staff while observing the regulations of nursing practice, and complying with policies established by the Outdoor School and School Health Services programs. Nurses remain on-site and on-call for 24-hours a day during Outdoor School operations.

Their work begins long before students reach the site. Site nurses review student health history forms and coordinate doctors orders, medication, and dietary restrictions with Chuck "Bearclaw" Fike, Environmental Education Registered Nurse. Together, they contact the children's parents and medical caregivers.

Each Sunday Wolf meets the busloads of students when they arrive, coordinates students' medications, double checks medications with their health history forms, and addresses dietary restrictions with cooks. During the week she may be faced with a wide variety of health issues. These range from simple scrapes and sprains, to nausea and cold symptoms, to kids falling out of their bunk. Past memorable events include a tree branch falling on a student's shoulder and a diabetic teacher who didn't adjust his insulin dosage to correspond to his increased activity. Both individuals received immediate treatment and fully recovered.

Very few illnesses mandate exclusion from Outdoor School. Students are sent home if illness prevents the student from participation in activities, they require more care than the staff can provide, or they have a communicable disease. Symptoms such as fever, vomiting, diarrhea, and difficulty breathing also require students to return home. Parents are contacted immediately if any of these symptoms occur. Arrangements are then made with the parents to transport the child home or to other health care providers.

"Often times people think that a camp nurse sits in the nurse office handing out bandaids and sending sick kids home," said Sara Perkins, Registered Nurse supervisor, Outdoor School. "This is not a reality. Peggy (Wolf) manages significant medical issues with children as well as emergencies which require EMS response. She is the only staff person who does not leave site, and there are many nights where she is up providing medical support to ill or injured children."

Wolf's concern extends to the camp staff. She has worked for six sessions (3 years) at Outdoor School - five at Camp Howard. "It's really cool having the same people up here each session," said Wolf. "Camp Howard has a really strong staff. It's also great to watch the student leaders grow from sophomores to seniors."

"I thought I would end up working in a hospital," said Wolf. "Now I don't think I could work in a hospital. It's just so nice being able to be out in the environment."

Outdoor School offers several other advantages over a hospital setting. Wolf said she is able to work with a mix of kids from all different areas, provides care and observes a student for an entire week, and is able to set up her own office. It's also a workplace where staff get to choose their own nicknames.

Wolf chose her name during an orientation with Bearclaw. She had no idea what he was talking about when asked what her Outdoor School name was. After some brief explanation, she chose "Wolf" to honor her favorite animal.

Her office definitely does not resemble one found in a hospital. While it does have the requisite bed, medicine cabinet, and first aid supplies, it does not contain fancy diagnostic computers and equipment, x-ray machines, or even old magazines. This has occasionally proven a challenge to visiting or substitute nurses used to a clinical setting. Techniques of diagnosis can be a little different. Wolf told a story of a visiting nurse who was surpised to see her correctly state a childs temperature at 100 degrees by touching their forehead.

Every attempt is made to satisfactorily treat students on-site. Wolf uses her acute observational skills to quickly assess each child's condition. "I like to joke around with the kids," said Wolf. "Their facial expressions tell a lot about their condition or level of pain." Wolf's unique bedside manner also helps to calm the situation and put the patient at ease.

Wolf works as a substitiute school nurse in Multnomah County during Outdoor School's off-season. She plans to continue working at Outdoor School for at least a few more years. Then she may choose to expand her territory. "Eventually I want to go international," she says.

Her valuable skills, warm personality, and calming sense of humor will be appreciated by Outdoor School as long as she chooses to stay.

"Currently, there is a national shortage of nurses," said Perkins. "Each year we have more and more challenges finding nurses to manage our sites. I never have to worry about Peggy or her ability to provide nursing services at Howard. She has become such an integral part of the staff, and her experiences as a camp nurse back east and as a nurse in the Peace Corps have made her a very calm, capable nurse. "

--Scott Welch

Editors Note-Cover photo taken during Halloween week.