Medication Administration

RLAS 116 STANDARD OPERATING PROCEDURES

Student Services

Procedure:

Effective Date:

7/23/2025

Revised Date:

Type of Process:

☐ Internal Procedure

☒ District Procedure

Authority

Executive Director of Student Services

Purpose

To establish a consistent and reliable process for the administration of medication to students.

Description

This procedure is designed to maintain consistent procedures for the administration of student medication.

Steps

Medication Administration

Who’s Responsible

Daily Medication (ADHD medication, pain reliever, etc.) must be locked in a cabinet or drawer.

A medication cabinet key will be kept in the Main Office.

Nurse/Building Administration

Emergency/Preventative Medication (Albuterol, Epinephrine, Antiseizure, etc.) must be secured but accessible at all times, e.g., in a location such as a cabinet that is free from student access.

Medications should be organized in a manner where student names are clearly visible, alphabetized, and quickly accessible.
Label the cabinet with a brightly colored label indicating in bold and clear writing that emergency medication is stored within that space.
Ensure administrators and office staff are aware of the location of emergency medication in the event that the Nurse is not available.

Nurse/Building Administration

Emergency Medication Guidelines:

Emergency medications will be organized alphabetically by the student’s last name.
Each student will have a separate container that holds their emergency medication(s).
The outside of the container will indicate the student’s name (last name and first initial is acceptable), grade, and homeroom teacher (elementary levels)
The container will include:
- The medication (preferably with attached pharmacy label)
- Copy of the Individualized Health Plan
- Copy of the Emergency Action Plan
- Copy of the Medication Administration Form

Nurse/Building Administration

Student Medication Disposition Record:

A Student Student Medication Disposition Record should be filled out for EVERY medication you have in the medication cabinet.
- This includes medication found, unknown owner, and all epipens and inhalers.
Please make sure you document and date communication attempts with parents/guardians to retrieve medication.

Nurse/Building Administration

Receiving Medication:

Mediation must be brought in by a parent or guardian accompanied by a Medication Authorization Form signed by their prescribing provider and parent/guardian.
The Medication Receipt Form must be filled out and signed by parent/guardian and Nurse or Administrator.
Medication must be counted and documented on the form in front of the parents.
Medication must be in a properly labeled medication bottle.
Parent/Guardian should complete a Release of Information form to allow the School Health Office to communicate with the prescribing provider should questions arise. Release of Information

Nurse/Building Administration

General Medication Administration:

Students may not reach into their containers within the medication storage system.
Students may not handle their own medication until the nurse (or administrator) has performed the 5 Rights to Medication Check.
All students' medications must be stored within a separate container.
If a student has been prescribed multiple medications, they can be kept within the same container.
If a student has prescribed non-emergency and emergency medication, they should be stored in separate containers.
- The outside of the container will indicate the student’s name (last name and first initial is acceptable), grade, and homeroom teacher (elementary levels).

Nurse/Building Administration

Medication Administration:

Documentation must be completed for each school day for daily medication.
- This includes the days that students are absent or refuse to take medication. This documentation shows/tracks that you assessed the medication needed each day.
Daily Medication administration must include the 5 Rights of Medication Administration:
Recommendations to Follow for the 5 Rights of Medication Administration:
- Right Patient: (student): the most accurate way to identify a student is to ask them their name, especially if you are unfamiliar with the student. Ask them to state their name instead of asking them “Are you Bobby Smith?”
- Right Medication: Double check with the medication administration order and the pharmacy label. Ask them “is this your pill?” Encourage them to take ownership of identifying what their medication looks like.
- Right Dose: Double check the dose of the medication with the medication administration order and the pharmacy label. Check the DOSE (typically in mg), not the amount of tablets-sometimes we give a half of a tablet or 2 tablets to make an accurate dosage.
- Right Route: 99.9% of times in the school setting, it will be orally, but there are some medications that can be administered topically, nasally or via injection.
- Right Time: double check the time the medication needs to be administered against the Medication Order. Is this supposed to be given at lunch time, at the start of the day, end of the day? Sometimes orders will state “after lunch” and that’s acceptable. If a specific time is noted, we have an hour leeway of 1 hour before and after that time in order for the medication to be considered given on time.

Nurse/Building Administration

Disposal of Medication- Parent Pick-up or End of the Year Disposal:

Unless a student has paperwork that allows them to self-carry an epi pen or inhaler, no medication may be given to the student to transport home at any time.

Nurse/Building Administration