Medication

Many students receive medication during school hours. Winthrop follows the Five Rights of medication administration:

• Right Patient
• Right Medication
• Right Dose
• Right Time
• Right Route

In order to ensure these rights, the following policies and procedures are in place:

Medication Order. All medication, including over-the-counter meds such as Tylenol, Motrin or Advil, must have a signed order from a licensed prescriber. This order must include the student's name as well as the name, dosage, administration time, and administration route (i.e. oral, inhaled, etc.) of the medication. A medication order form is available online or from the Health Room; alternatively, prescribers may use their own orders so long as they include all the required information. In the case of short-term medication, such as antibiotics, to be taken for ten days or less, the prescription label may be accepted in lieu of a medication order. The physician consent form may be downloaded here and is available at all schools.

Consent. All medication must have a signed consent from a parent or legal guardian. The parent consent form may be downloaded here and is available at all schools.

Containers. All medication must be in a container with a pharmacy or manufacturer's label. The Health Room cannot accept medication in baggies or hand-labeled containers. Most pharmacies will supply a second labeled container for school upon request.

Delivery. All medication must be delivered BY an adult TO an adult at the school, either to the school nurse or to the receptionist if the nurse is unavailable. Students should not deliver medication.

Storage. Students are not allowed to carry medication on their persons, with some exceptions by prior arrangement. Those exceptions are: Asthma inhalers, epinephrine auto-injectors (EpiPens and other similar devices), cystic fibrosis enzymes, and insulin via pump. All other medication must be stored in the health room. Controlled substances and most other medication are kept in a locked cabinet. Epinephrine auto-injectors and Asthma inhalers are not locked, and instead are kept in clearly marked areas for easy access in an emergency.

Disposal. All medication will be disposed of on its expiration date. Unused or discontinued medication may be held until it can be picked up, otherwise it will be disposed of.

Ipswich Public Schools Policy Manual: Administering Medication to Students