AM meds at school

[NurseMMJ]

Hello school nurse friends! I am curious if you all are seeing a significant increase of ADHD meds given at school. Especially in the mornings? The increase at my school is so significant that I have ran out of locked drawer space. The administration and social workers who initiate the med administration at school always say something like "the parents aren't giving it at home, at least we know they will get it here!". One social worker just told me "I am attempting to help them be successful parents". My concern is that taking the responsibility off the the parents and giving it to the school, is not helping them to be successful but rather enabling them.

Im not exactly sure how to fix this or improve this. Any thoughts or ideas?

[Nurse2Kids]

I do give ADHD med prior to school. The buses start their routes so early that the med was wearing off before the end of the day, so caused struggling and difficulty focusing in the last two periods. I give as soon as student unloads off bus. Schedule was changed to PE for first period, instead of a core class, and this has helped the student so much!

[guest464345]

With proper orders and paperwork per our policy, I happily give them. Many of our kids spend more than an hour on the bus, getting picked up around 6AM, and they don't eat at home beforehand. Given the GI upset that can happen on an empty stomach, administration with breakfast at school seems like the best solution.

I actively encourage parents who report med compliance problems at home to set up administration with me at school. At school I can offer education, elicit information about any side effects so I can advocate with doctors if needed, I can offer incentives for showing up for meds without a reminder, and I can call parents with "good news" reports when kids are taking meds consistently... increasing parents' confidence that YES, the kid actually can and eventually will learn to self-manage. I make kids learn the name, the dose, and why they take it. I make it a positive experience to see me and encourage their questions. I really try to engage them in their own care.

Med pass is a chore, and I do kinda roll my eyes about doing all these cartwheels to get 17 year olds doing such a simple task, but if it gives them better odds of success, I'll do it!