Where/how to store emergency meds

[blisssyl]

I am an RN who serves 3 different elementary schools. I'm trying to determine the best way to store emergency meds (epipens, diastat, inhalers, etc.) so that they are protected but still easily accessible and easy to locate considering the teacher will most likely be the one assisting in their use since I am not at each school every day. Currently, these meds are kept in the classroom in whatever location the teacher chooses and I provide training to each teacher at the beginning of the year. I don't keep emergency meds in the clinic because I'm only at each school a max of 2 days per week. Therefore, teachers/staff must be equipped and trained to quickly handle their students particular health concerns, and running to the clinic to get an epipen/inhaler/diastat is not an option. My concern is that if both myself and the teacher are unavailable when/if an emergency happens, precious time will be lost fumbling about trying to locate the meds. (We do have stock epipens in each school office.) I have seen some classrooms in other schools where meds are kept in pencil-type pouches, individually labeled with the students name along with a copy of their Action Plan, hanging on the wall by the door. All you need to know is which classroom to go to and there you'll find the med hanging by the door, but this would not be appropriate with a med like diastat. Any perfect solutions out there??

[Thimbalina]

What about putting them in tool boxes with locks that all have the same combination so everyone knows it and can access it when needed… put the tool boxes in the classrooms.

[Jolie, BSN]

Check with your school's policy and state requirements.

The locked tool box may not meet standards. Many jurisdictions require drugs, especially controlled substances to be locked in a cabinet that is fixed to a wall or countertop.

This prevents the box from being stolen or misplaced. In our school the locked medicine cabinet is located in the main office, which is immediately adjacent to the nurse's office.

Special Ed students' meds are kept in a locked cabinet in the SPED hall only if they remain in that area of the building all day. The SPED students who are mainstreamed for part of the day have their meds in the main office.

[Thimbalina]

You could screw the boxes to the walls for security.

[OldDude]

I have attached boxes to classroom walls and "locked" them with plastic seals that can be broken by hand; similar to the seals on fire extinguishers or the plastic locks on crash carts. I'm not sure there is a perfect solution for this on a school campus.