Medication Organization

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What Members Are Saying (AI-Generated Summary)

Members are discussing how they organize and handle medications during fire drills at their school. Some members use labeled plastic boxes or drawers for daily and PRN medications, while others have a designated bag or cart to quickly grab essential medications. The discussion also touches on the challenges of managing multiple medications for different students and the importance of being prepared for emergencies.

Help needed! I currently have my students' PRN meds organized on shelves (has a sliding plexiglass that I am able to lock), alphabetized. It is driving me crazy because it is impossible to prevent it from looking like a disaster area. I am looking for a creative way to keep these meds organized neatly. Any ideas are welcome, thank you!

We use a file cabinet. All meds are kept in 5X10 manila envelopes with their name on a label on the front. We just find it easiest to keep them like this since some of the kids have more than one med, we can fit one, two, or three med bottles in each bag.

Daily meds and epi pens are kept in the top drawer. The next 2 drawers have the prn's organized by last name. We keep all of the MAR's in a binder on the top of the file cabinet.

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Specializes in kids.

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I have all my epi/glucagon/MDIs in a shoe bag with clear plastic pockets hanging on the wall. There is room for a copy of their EHP, emergency permission form etc. I put a piece of paper in front of any identifiers and use last name and expiration date.

Makes it easily identifiable for anyone I send fo.r it

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Specializes in School nurse.
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I have all my epi/glucagon/MDIs in a shoe bag with clear plastic pockets hanging on the wall. There is room for a copy of their EHP, emergency permission form etc. I put a piece of paper in front of any identifiers and use last name and expiration date.

Makes it easily identifiable for anyone I send fo.r it

This sounds great! Do you bring these meds out during fire drills? We have to and it takes 2 people to get everything outside.

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Specializes in Pediatrics Retired.
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I have all my epi/glucagon/MDIs in a shoe bag with clear plastic pockets hanging on the wall. There is room for a copy of their EHP, emergency permission form etc. I put a piece of paper in front of any identifiers and use last name and expiration date.

Makes it easily identifiable for anyone I send fo.r it

That's really a good idea...smarty pants

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Just commiserating that my meds are a mess (and I don't even have that many!). Next year is my year to get organized! I love some of the ideas here though.

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Specializes in kids.
This sounds great! Do you bring these meds out during fire drills? We have to and it takes 2 people to get everything outside.

Not during a regular fire drill but will for an anticipated extended evac. I do grab my jump bag, but FD stands by with ambulance on all FD

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! Do you bring these meds out during fire drills? We have to and it takes 2 people to get everything outside.

with our scheduled fire drills I do not grab meds only my "go bag". With The few times our fire alarm has gone off unexpectedly I have what I call an old lady shopping cart - I grab that and swoop all the inhalers & Epi pens into it and pull that with my Go bag. It is awkward to pull the the shopping cart and my Go Bag but I manage - usually there are others exiting the same way I am and they will grab the cart or bag to help. I don't stress to much about grabbing the meds - those few times our fire alarm has gone off we have had 2-3 fire trucks, a couple of ambulances etc show up - so I am pretty sure we would have plenty of help if the need arises.....hopefully, lol.

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Specializes in School nursing.
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I have all my epi/glucagon/MDIs in a shoe bag with clear plastic pockets hanging on the wall. There is room for a copy of their EHP, emergency permission form etc. I put a piece of paper in front of any identifiers and use last name and expiration date.

Makes it easily identifiable for anyone I send fo.r it

I do the same, except that I have a shelf for my students with diabetes - each one of those student has a plastic box with all their need-to-grab stuff. Box is well labeled.

I have drawer in a locked filing cabinet for my PRNs and Daily meds. For Daily meds, I actually use weekly pill boxes that I fill every Friday afternoon. Each box has student's name, DOB, advisory, med names, dosage, time. Makes it very easy during lunch when most of the meds are dispensed and easy for me to see if a student hasn't come down for their dose. (Also lets me give parents a good heads up when I am low as when I get down to being able to fill the box only once, I send refill notices.) I use the boxes as teaching tools as well as I talk with the HS seniors about transitioning how to manage taking afternoon/daily meds at college.

PRNs (non-Epi or Non-inhaler, those are on the wall) remain in original bottles/package, but I do put a handy guide taped to the back or the drawer just in case. I also leave a detailed med list for any sub, but if I am out in a pinch, the drawer can be unlocked and the handy guide read :).

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Specializes in kids.

Lucky me I have only one scheduled daily med!!! Probably should not have printed that...:blink:

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Specializes in Home Health,Dialysis, MDS, School Nurse.
Lucky me I have only one scheduled daily med!!! Probably should not have printed that...:blink:

Wow, I have 23 dailys plus a diabetic.

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My Epi Pens, Benadryl and daily meds are well organized. But the PRN's? Not so much. :bugeyes:

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I use two of these inside a locked cabinet - each drawer is designated for a student who brings in meds (scheduled or PRN). I print labels for the front that lists the student's name, grade, teacher, medication, dose, time, etc, etc. The labels for scheduled meds are white and the PRN labels are orange/yellow color. This is my first year using this system and LOVE it! The only thing that did not fit was the parent that brought in a 500 count bottle of ibuprofen. That sits in my locked desk drawer.

2Q==

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