La la la la... I can't hear you

[kidzcare]

I belong to a local mom's group on Facebook and sometimes there are questions about school district policies that I can answer.

Recently, someone asked about medication policy for their student who had a sprained ankle and wanted to have their high schooler take ibuprofen at school. Several people commented about the policy to have a dr RX and have a parent drop it off with the nurse and SO MANY parents commented something like "Whatever, it's such a pain. My kid just carries their meds and I tell them to take it in the bathroom. Easy."

Ug.

[brillohead, ADN, RN]

I don't see the big problem with OTC meds and older kids.

I used to self-carry OTC meds back in high school (in the 80s) all the time. I was driving a car, working a job, and I paid for them at the store with my own money. I didn't give them to anyone else, but even if I had, I would have said, "it's Tylenol" or "it's Motrin".... one would expect a high schooler with a known allergy would have known what they can and cannot take.

Incidentally, Michigan doesn't have school nurses typically, and we don't have standing orders for OTC meds. It's very much a fend-for-yourself environment for school kids here.

(I totally agree with not administering even an OTC without an order, though -- that's the same as at the hospital.)

[kidzcare]

I don't see the big problem with OTC meds and older kids.

I used to self-carry OTC meds back in high school (in the 80s) all the time. I was driving a car, working a job, and I paid for them at the store with my own money. I didn't give them to anyone else, but even if I had, I would have said, "it's Tylenol" or "it's Motrin".... one would expect a high schooler with a known allergy would have known what they can and cannot take.

Incidentally, Michigan doesn't have school nurses typically, and we don't have standing orders for OTC meds. It's very much a fend-for-yourself environment for school kids here.

(I totally agree with not administering even an OTC without an order, though -- that's the same as at the hospital.)

A big part of it is not being able to verify what is in the medication bottle. Anyone can put Adderall or ecstasy in a Tylenol bottle and waltz into the school. That's why the health office requires a new, unopened bottle and RX bottles have the description of the pill written on them.

[Farawyn]

I belong to a local mom's group on Facebook and sometimes there are questions about school district policies that I can answer.

Recently, someone asked about medication policy for their student who had a sprained ankle and wanted to have their high schooler take ibuprofen at school. Several people commented about the policy to have a dr RX and have a parent drop it off with the nurse and SO MANY parents commented something like "Whatever, it's such a pain. My kid just carries their meds and I tell them to take it in the bathroom. Easy."

Ug.

That local FB group thing is rough sometimes.

[JenTheSchoolRN, BSN, RN]

one would expect a high schooler with a known allergy would have known what they can and cannot take.

One would, but I've learned one shouldn't. I've had a 16 year old that was well versed in their allergies still eat a cookies with known tree nuts in it. Student was allergic to tree nuts and Epi-pen it was.

Also, I have learned that students don't always remember specifics of their medication allergies, even high schoolers tell me, "Oh some medicine I took when I was sick give me hives" without having any clue what some medicine was. I'm trying to teach them more about learning their own medical histories in my senior College Health 101 lectures after I ran into this way too many times that I'd wished I did.

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

I don't see the big problem with OTC meds and older kids.

I used to self-carry OTC meds back in high school (in the 80s) all the time. I was driving a car, working a job, and I paid for them at the store with my own money. I didn't give them to anyone else, but even if I had, I would have said, "it's Tylenol" or "it's Motrin".... one would expect a high schooler with a known allergy would have known what they can and cannot take.

Incidentally, Michigan doesn't have school nurses typically, and we don't have standing orders for OTC meds. It's very much a fend-for-yourself environment for school kids here.

(I totally agree with not administering even an OTC without an order, though -- that's the same as at the hospital.)

One would expect that students wouldn't take something they know nothing about. Have you ever heard of a pharm party? Yup, lots of whatever gets dumped into a bowl and kids pick and choose. Some kids will take something, anything ...JUST BECAUSE IT IS THERE

[Amethya]

One would expect that students wouldn't take something they know nothing about. Have you ever heard of a pharm party? Yup, lots of whatever gets dumped into a bowl and kids pick and choose. Some kids will take something, anything ...JUST BECAUSE IT IS THERE

What?! I never heard of this! That's horrible!

[NutmeggeRN, BSN]

What?! I never heard of this! That's horrible!

True story