Provider Portal: Camp Goodtimes
Each year, we need to recruit between 2-15 providers (dependent on their availability) to staff our camp’s MedShed. We look to confirm volunteer commitments as early as possible, around the February/March time frame, to get the opportunity on your calendar and our schedule. Please read more about the possibility and see if you’d be a good fit. Then, submit an application with your availability and await contact from Goodtimes to confirm whether our need and your availability align. (Submitting an application does not equate to being hired.)
ideal candidates
Love caring for kids? Do what you love and get a new perspective of what being sick can look like. Camp Goodtimes, a week-long sleep-over camp on Vashon Island for pediatric oncology patients and their siblings, is looking for licensed MDs and NPs to join in the fun.
Ideal candidates:
Will volunteer for a minimum of one 24-hour shift
Are energetic and can embrace the planned chaos that is camp
Can live in shared accommodation in a camp environment, and work well with others they've just met
Want to help create a safe and hopeful atmosphere for campers
Have availability during either of our camp sessions: click to see camp dates
Are a licensed MD or NP in the state of WA
Have clinical hours (in a clinic/hospital setting) within the last 24 months
volunteer commitment
Camper health and safety is our number one concern. Therefore, in addition to the nursing staff we have onsite, we hire a volunteer provider for overnight emergencies, script writing (if necessary), and consults.
We need one provider for each 24-hour shift, and ideally this person is able to stay for more than one shift to add continuity to camper care. The minimum time commitment however is one 24-hour shift (from 7:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m.).
Nurses are on shift from approximately 8:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m., while the provider takes the on-call overnight shift from 10:00 p.m.-8:00 a.m. During the day, providers are welcome and encouraged to attend the camp activities and join in the fun!
All prospective providers need to submit an application that includes background information and availability. Goodtimes will use that information to confirm whether our need and your availability align. If they do, Goodtimes will connect regarding next steps.
Provider application link (for providers only; other volunteer applicants need to submit our standard camp application)
how to apply
Camp Goodtimes is held on Vashon Island, WA and utilizes the facilities of Camp Burton. Because camp is on an island, providers will need to ferry over (from Fauntleroy, Pt. Defiance, or Southworth). On-island drive-time from the north-end ferry dock is about 25 minutes, and from the southern ferry dock about 15. Ferry lines can be long during the summer, so plan ahead.
Address: 9326 SW Bayview Dr, Vashon, WA 98070
Parking: once on site, please park in a vacant spot in Camp Burton’s primary parking lot or alongside the road
camp location information
Each provider’s 24-hour shift runs from 7:00 p.m.-7:00 p.m., unless communicated and cleared with camp’s Medical Lead. We need a provider onsite to operate camp so we have an official process for checking in and shifting between one provider to the next.
Please have made arrival plans with the Medical Lead on where to meet up once at camp. Once you’ve been greeted, and you get a name tag, they’ll help you get settled and put you to work. If you are running late, please contact the Medical Lead by phone or text.
shift change
For overnight stays, please come prepared with your own toiletries, bedding (sheets/sleeping bag and pillow), and towels. All staff accommodations are in communal sleeping spaces in somewhat rustic, though clean and comfortable, cabins.
We will supply the medical supplies you might need (bandaids, gloves, medicines, etc.), but we recommend you bring your own stethoscope.
what to pack
This is camp, so keep it casual. T-shirts, jeans, and shorts are all good choices. Shoes don’t need to be closed-toed unless you will be on the Boata cruise, in which case you do need them (generally on the Tuesday of camp). Costumes, funny hats/head gear, and theme-related items are all welcomed. The evenings can get cool so we recommend a sweatshirt or light jacket to keep the chill away.
what to wear
Though you’re volunteering to help keep campers safe and healthy, that doesn’t mean we can’t have some fun while you’re there! We appreciate goofiness, smiles, and laughter. Also feel free to join in on the camp theme for the year.
If you’re a first-time Camp Goodtimes volunteer, you’ll also need to choose a camp name. It cannot be a name that is already in use, so check out the name list ahead of your volunteer shift.