When Dr. Raquel Harrison and her husband first considered volunteering at Young Life’s Saranac Village in Upstate New York, they were simply looking for a way to serve. Her husband, a Young Life alumnus who found the ministry formative to his faith journey, was passionate about Young Life in their town. Though Raquel hadn’t grown up with Young Life herself, she had developed deep respect for the ministry by watching its impact from a distance through her husband’s involvement. As she worked on obtaining her New York medical license, COVID-19 shut down camps across the country, temporarily delaying their plans.
But when Lake Champion (also in New York) reopened after the pandemic, the Harrisons finally got their chance. Within the first 24 hours on camp property, Raquel discovered something unexpected: the role of camp doctor offered a remarkably unique position in Young Life ministry, one that bridged medical care with relational discipleship in ways she had never imagined.
A Different Kind of Medical Practice
The daily rhythm of a Young Life camp doctor bears little resemblance to a typical clinical practice. Camp doctors find themselves right in the mix of camp life. Most Young Life camps in the United States staff two EMTs who rotate day and night shifts, handling medication distribution and serving as first responders.
“You can be as engaged as you want to be,” Raquel explains. Some doctors choose to be fully immersed in camp activities, while others take a more consultative approach. What remains constant is the radio clipped to their belt, a reminder that they’re always on call, ready to respond when needed. While there is a standard needed in the role, we’ve been encouraged to find creative ways to get more medical professionals involved to help make sure camp happens.
The relationships that develop through this model prove surprisingly meaningful. Kids who come regularly for medications, those needing extra attention for various reasons, and campers facing the challenges of being away from home all create natural touchpoints for connection. In this environment, medical care becomes a gateway to genuine relationship, and relationship becomes a pathway to spiritual impact.
Post-COVID Realities
The landscape of camp medicine shifted dramatically after COVID-19. That first summer when camps reopened, Raquel found herself constantly engaged in triage and difficult decisions about who could stay at camp and who needed to go home. The stakes felt higher, the decisions more complex, and the need for experienced medical presence more critical than ever.
This new reality has reinforced an important truth: in our post-pandemic world, having a physician who knows and loves Young Life on camp property matters more than it did before. These doctors don’t just treat physical ailments; they provide a reassuring presence that helps anxious campers, concerned parents, and camp staff navigate health concerns with wisdom and confidence.
Keeping Kids at the Feet of Jesus
Perhaps the most profound aspect of the camp doctor’s role is how medical care directly serves Young Life’s mission. When a homesick seventh-grader has a stomachache, the camp doctor has an opportunity to provide not just medical assessment but emotional support that helps the child stay at camp long enough to hear the gospel message. When an anxious high schooler needs someone to talk through their worries, the camp doctor can be a trusted adult offering both clinical expertise and spiritual encouragement.
“It’s a unique opportunity to use your medical training to help kids in a very practical way that allows them to be at the feet of Jesus,” Raquel notes. This perspective transforms routine medical care into ministry: each bandage, each medication, each reassuring conversation becomes part of keeping kids engaged in camp long enough for their lives to be changed.
Building the Network
Recognizing the critical importance of medical presence at camps, Young Life has a medical advisory board that lays the groundwork for creative staffing solutions. The organization uses a tier system for camps based on factors like response times for local medical care and how quickly ambulances can reach camp property. This assessment determines how various camps can be staffed with registered nurses, telehealth physicians, retired physicians, or nurses serving as official medical care with a doctor present on property in a leader or guest capacity.
This flexible framework opens doors for diverse medical professionals to serve. Retired physicians, doctors as camp attendees or volunteer leaders on property, and even medical residents can fill critical roles. The key is building networks of medical professionals who love Young Life and understand its mission. If we know someone meets certain medical credentials and can be available for specific situations or prescriptions, it can open up possibilities for other folks to serve in the official roles as camp doctor.
The Next Generation of Camp Doctors
Dr. Jeremiah Gress exemplifies the potential of this network approach. As a medical resident supervised by Raquel at camp, he demonstrated exceptional relational savvy in caring for campers. His commitment to Young Life ran so deep that he chose to pursue his medical training at Brown University, specifically because he felt called to stay involved with the ministry. During residency, he served as a Young Life leader, refusing to let his medical training separate him from kids.
Remarkably, Gress secured approval from his residency program to count his time as a camp physician as part of his clinical rotations (under appropriate supervision). After completing his training, he even chose to remain at Brown specifically to stay near his Young Life kids, demonstrating how deeply this ministry can capture the hearts of medical professionals.
An Invitation to Serve
Young Life’s need for medical professionals extends far beyond summer camps. Doctors who know and love Young Life can become powerful advocates in their local communities, helping build networks of medical support and opening doors for the ministry to flourish.
For physicians looking for meaningful ways to invest their skills, the role of Young Life camp doctor offers something rare: the chance to practice medicine in service of eternal impact, where every prescription and every bandage potentially helps a teenager encounter the transforming love of Jesus Christ. In Raquel Harrison’s experience, few opportunities allow medical professionals to see their training serve Kingdom purposes quite so directly, or quite so joyfully!
Learn more about volunteering at camp as a doctor or in other capacities here.
