Why One Nurse Calls Campfire Circle ‘Life-Changing’

For Armita, nursing has been more than a career – it’s a way to care for others through some of life’s hardest moments.

Armita began her nursing career almost seven years ago on the medical oncology and palliative care unit at Credit Valley Hospital before moving into infusion care for patients with autoimmune diseases through McKesson Canada’s INVIVA clinics.
Since joining the INVIVA team, Armita trades hospital hallways for camp cabins every summer as a volunteer nurse with Campfire Circle’s teen program.

“My favourite part about being a camp nurse is supporting kids in just being kids,” says Armita. “The Med Shed becomes a safe place for campers, whether they are feeling a little unwell, missing home, or just want some quiet time.”

While nursing duties at camp still revolve around medication schedules, treatments, and medical support, the environment couldn’t feel more different. “There’s no beautiful lake outside my typical work environment!” she says.

At Campfire Circle, healing happens in moments both big and small and sometimes over endless rounds of UNO.

“One camper, who loved playing UNO, was in the Med Shed for a blood transfusion,” says Armita. “A few nurses and I spent the afternoon during the transfusion playing round after round together. What would have been a long and stressful day for the camper turned into something really fun.”

That spirit of “healing through happiness” is something she now carries into her nursing practice beyond camp, too.

“Campfire Circle reminds me how important small moments of joy and connection can be for patients and families going through difficult experiences,” she says. “I try to create a supportive and positive environment for my patients every day.”

And for nurses considering volunteering at camp for the first time, her advice is simple:

“Do it! I was nervous before my first week at camp since I did not have much paediatric experience, but the nursing team is incredibly supportive, helpful, and approachable. Campfire Circle is such a special and magical environment, and it’s something you truly have to experience for yourself to understand.”

When asked to describe being a camp nurse in one word, her answer came easily: life-changing.

This National Nursing Week, we’re grateful for every Campfire Circle nurse who helps campers feel safe, supported, and free to experience the joy of childhood. Thank you for bringing care and compassion to camp and for helping make healing through happiness possible.