Florida students self carrying own otcs

Eleven011 · Jan 19, 2017

My problem with this is that its hard to enforce/monitor. Are HS kids searched every morning to see if they have OTC's? And then who spends the time checking to see if every kid who has an OTC has a permission slip? I have much more important things to do than to be the bootleg motrin monitor.

BeckyESRN · Jan 19, 2017

Are they required to carry these meds in the original bottle? I think that allowing students to carry unlabeled meds in their pockets/backpack is a bad idea. Who is checking these meds? They have a permission slip to carry tylenol, but norco/diet pills can looks awfully similar. I think having a blanket permission form for OTCs that are kept in the nurse's office are a great idea for HS students, but, to quote the article, that is not "a step in the right direction"

OyWithThePoodles, RN · Jan 19, 2017

Agree with Becky, they may bring their Adderall or mom's Xanax in that Tylenol bottle.

I don't like the idea of kids self carrying OTC's, of course that's what I did in HS, brought my own Ibuprofen in case of a headache since there wasn't a school nurse. And likely a lot of HS students are already bringing their own OTC's and taking them when they want. Only a few follow the rules.

Side note... I had a teacher bring in a kindergartner and his second grade sister. Mom had sent K's home am dose of Ritilan in a baggy for 2nd grader to give him. Teacher saw what was about to go down and brought them to me. Mom was surprised that this couldn't happen.

Me: "Ma'am, that medicine could've easily have been lost and taken by another student, which could be dangerous."

Mom: "Ohhh, I never thought of that". Obviously.

JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2017

My problem with this is that its hard to enforce/monitor. Are HS kids searched every morning to see if they have OTC's? And then who spends the time checking to see if every kid who has an OTC has a permission slip? I have much more important things to do than to be the bootleg motrin monitor.

Bootleg motrin monitor. Hehe.

But seriously, you can put anything into an OTC bottle. Not to mention, what happens when the HS kid with a "super giant headache" takes like 6 Motrin at once from the stash in their locker?

OldDude · Jan 19, 2017

Bad idea.

Cattz, ADN · Jan 19, 2017

Nooooo...on so many levels.

Jedrnurse, BSN, RN · Jan 19, 2017

Ironic, since almost every region of the country is dealing with an exploding issue with oxyies and such...

Do we really want kids walking around with pills?

Flare, ASN, BSN · Jan 19, 2017

I wholeheartedly agree. I think this plan is shortsighted and probably comes on the heels of someone whining and wanting some sort of accommodations, but the suits that make these type of decisions not asking the boots on the ground what the real ramifications would really be - we all know this dance - it plays out again and again in so many scenarios and policies getting rammed down our throats.

I'm not even so concerned with the hard stuff - It's when the first od from acetaminophen happens and some 15 year old kid has destroyed their liver that the finger pointing will begin and the law suits will fly along with the shoulda coulda wouldas.

KKEGS, MSN, RN · Jan 19, 2017

How about the kid who gives out his/her own stash of Motrin to his/her friend with a headache? And now we've got who knows what medications being shared with who knows which kids who have a contraindication to take who knows what meds?

cooties_are_real · Jan 19, 2017

Well, I don't like the idea. Have had a couple of instances where students have given other students meds. One time student #1 gave student #2 like 14 aleve. Student #2 took 4-7 here at school at one time. We don't check to see if students have meds on them everyday, but if I find out or they tell me about them, I take them up. I will return them at the end of the day (if the student comes gets them) and remind them of the OTC policy.

it'snotatumor · Jan 19, 2017

Thanks for posting this article, it was eye-opening for me. I work at a jr. high (grades 7 & 8 currently, approx. 600 students) in rural MO and students grades 7-12 can ALL carry OTC and non-controlled prescription medication in its original packaging with signed permission from their parents. Even more surprisingly, I have standing Dr.'s orders to administer Acetaminophen, Ibuprofen, Albuterol, Epi-pens, Caladryl, Neosporin, and cough drops. Metered-dose inhalers require an additional JHC permission form, for reasons that I don't fully understand, but I digress. I obtain the parent's permission in their health record packet at the beginning of the year and keep it in binders alphabetically. I have not had any issues this year. I have had 3 incidents all year where a teacher has seen a student taking medication and questioned it; it was no big effort on my part to double-check that they were allowed to do so.

Of course, I see how students could bring inappropriate medication or dispense it improperly, but these occurrences truly can happen anywhere and that is a separate issue than carrying medication at school. I'm solely here to address the direct issue at hand-should students be allowed to carry medications at school?

Let's say for example that a student taking or receiving narcotics were to have respiratory depression at school, for example, sure it would be helpful to know the type and dose of medication, but I can only give supportive care in my setting and scope as it stands. The same student could have taken a massive dose of something before he even got to school; how can I ever really know what a student does, at school or other-wise? I see this issue pragmatically and not callously; I live in an area where drug abuse, prescription and otherwise, is a huge problem. Inappropriate medication use can't be easily monitored-if I was going to take a bunch of non-prescribed Adderall, would I do it in front of school administrators or sneak it in the bathroom stall? We don't go through student's belongings and anyone seeming to be under the influence of anything is sent to me for a sobriety check. If a student is not able to carry responsibly, they don't get the privilege...and policy for anything typically doesn't make a difference to the abusers anyway.

I have seen benefits to student medication self-administration. My antibiotic administration alone would be a full-time job if I had to administer every TID dose that my kids take throughout the year. Parents and students can absolutely choose to have me administer those doses, and I'm happy to do so, BUT having self-administration as an option is helpful. Additionally, I have had a student who was carrying her own Benadryl mitigate her allergic reaction to shrimp because she took a dose from her bag the second she felt her throat tingle. I can not administer Benadryl, and the majority of my student's parents live 30 + minutes away, many without transportation, so I cannot rely on them being able to bring medication as it is needed (Yes, they admittedly can however obtain a Dr's note for OTC's to be given in my office and make this a non-issue, but my point is made). Finally, I feel that self-administration is a way to hold students accountable to their bodies; learning how to navigate being sick is a life skill. Medication administration IS potentially dangerous, but so are a lot of things, and proper usage must be taught.

I understand the concerns presented with student self-medication, but my argument is that it is not a one-sided issue.