self medication in school...help!

mneville · Jul 20, 2009

Aidan has been swallowing pills since 15 months old and currently swallows 6 Creon independently before eating. We have always encouraged him to be responsible and independent with his Creon.In preschool, the nurse insisted she give him the Creon so she came to his class each day at school.

Next year he will be in full day kindergarten and I want him to self medicate (which the school allows) right before he eats. The nurse thinks he is too young and the other children may be harmed. There will be an aide in the class to watch over Aidan so she can make sure the other kids don't get it. I am quite adamant about this. In the past, the nurse was unavailable at times and aidan was unable to get access to his Creon and there was also a time when a substitute nurse almost gave Aidan 5 pills of another student's medication that would have killed Aidan. It was Aidan who stopped her! We have yet another meeting to discuss this issue this week.

Aidan's CF doctor talked to the school doctor about how exceptional Aidan is with his meds and intelligence. the doctors are both okay with it, it is the nurse who is having trouble with it. Any ideas??

mneville · Jul 20, 2009

Aidan has been swallowing pills since 15 months old and currently swallows 6 Creon independently before eating. We have always encouraged him to be responsible and independent with his Creon.In preschool, the nurse insisted she give him the Creon so she came to his class each day at school.

Next year he will be in full day kindergarten and I want him to self medicate (which the school allows) right before he eats. The nurse thinks he is too young and the other children may be harmed. There will be an aide in the class to watch over Aidan so she can make sure the other kids don't get it. I am quite adamant about this. In the past, the nurse was unavailable at times and aidan was unable to get access to his Creon and there was also a time when a substitute nurse almost gave Aidan 5 pills of another student's medication that would have killed Aidan. It was Aidan who stopped her! We have yet another meeting to discuss this issue this week.

Aidan's CF doctor talked to the school doctor about how exceptional Aidan is with his meds and intelligence. the doctors are both okay with it, it is the nurse who is having trouble with it. Any ideas??

mneville · Jul 20, 2009

Aidan has been swallowing pills since 15 months old and currently swallows 6 Creon independently before eating. We have always encouraged him to be responsible and independent with his Creon.In preschool, the nurse insisted she give him the Creon so she came to his class each day at school.

Next year he will be in full day kindergarten and I want him to self medicate (which the school allows) right before he eats. The nurse thinks he is too young and the other children may be harmed. There will be an aide in the class to watch over Aidan so she can make sure the other kids don't get it. I am quite adamant about this. In the past, the nurse was unavailable at times and aidan was unable to get access to his Creon and there was also a time when a substitute nurse almost gave Aidan 5 pills of another student's medication that would have killed Aidan. It was Aidan who stopped her! We have yet another meeting to discuss this issue this week.

Aidan's CF doctor talked to the school doctor about how exceptional Aidan is with his meds and intelligence. the doctors are both okay with it, it is the nurse who is having trouble with it. Any ideas??

mneville · Jul 20, 2009

Aidan has been swallowing pills since 15 months old and currently swallows 6 Creon independently before eating. We have always encouraged him to be responsible and independent with his Creon.In preschool, the nurse insisted she give him the Creon so she came to his class each day at school.

Next year he will be in full day kindergarten and I want him to self medicate (which the school allows) right before he eats. The nurse thinks he is too young and the other children may be harmed. There will be an aide in the class to watch over Aidan so she can make sure the other kids don't get it. I am quite adamant about this. In the past, the nurse was unavailable at times and aidan was unable to get access to his Creon and there was also a time when a substitute nurse almost gave Aidan 5 pills of another student's medication that would have killed Aidan. It was Aidan who stopped her! We have yet another meeting to discuss this issue this week.

Aidan's CF doctor talked to the school doctor about how exceptional Aidan is with his meds and intelligence. the doctors are both okay with it, it is the nurse who is having trouble with it. Any ideas??

mneville · Jul 20, 2009

Aidan has been swallowing pills since 15 months old and currently swallows 6 Creon independently before eating. We have always encouraged him to be responsible and independent with his Creon.In preschool, the nurse insisted she give him the Creon so she came to his class each day at school.
 
 Next year he will be in full day kindergarten and I want him to self medicate (which the school allows) right before he eats. The nurse thinks he is too young and the other children may be harmed. There will be an aide in the class to watch over Aidan so she can make sure the other kids don't get it. I am quite adamant about this. In the past, the nurse was unavailable at times and aidan was unable to get access to his Creon and there was also a time when a substitute nurse almost gave Aidan 5 pills of another student's medication that would have killed Aidan. It was Aidan who stopped her! We have yet another meeting to discuss this issue this week.
 
 Aidan's CF doctor talked to the school doctor about how exceptional Aidan is with his meds and intelligence. the doctors are both okay with it, it is the nurse who is having trouble with it. Any ideas??

Mommafirst · Jul 20, 2009

Stick to your guns. Have the doctors write a note showing how the enzymes wouldn't harm any child who accidentally took them and make a deal that if he ever abuses this privledge, you'll agree to do it their way. Since you know that he will not abuse it, you know he will be responsible with his meds, then it will never come to that.

I'm glad to hear your school allows self medicating. Our school don't. Plus our nurse isn't in the school full time. I don't know what we are going to do at all. I look forward to following your experience so I have some guidance when it is time for Alyssa to go to Kindergarten.

Mommafirst · Jul 20, 2009

Stick to your guns. Have the doctors write a note showing how the enzymes wouldn't harm any child who accidentally took them and make a deal that if he ever abuses this privledge, you'll agree to do it their way. Since you know that he will not abuse it, you know he will be responsible with his meds, then it will never come to that.

I'm glad to hear your school allows self medicating. Our school don't. Plus our nurse isn't in the school full time. I don't know what we are going to do at all. I look forward to following your experience so I have some guidance when it is time for Alyssa to go to Kindergarten.

Mommafirst · Jul 20, 2009

Stick to your guns. Have the doctors write a note showing how the enzymes wouldn't harm any child who accidentally took them and make a deal that if he ever abuses this privledge, you'll agree to do it their way. Since you know that he will not abuse it, you know he will be responsible with his meds, then it will never come to that.

I'm glad to hear your school allows self medicating. Our school don't. Plus our nurse isn't in the school full time. I don't know what we are going to do at all. I look forward to following your experience so I have some guidance when it is time for Alyssa to go to Kindergarten.

Mommafirst · Jul 20, 2009

Stick to your guns. Have the doctors write a note showing how the enzymes wouldn't harm any child who accidentally took them and make a deal that if he ever abuses this privledge, you'll agree to do it their way. Since you know that he will not abuse it, you know he will be responsible with his meds, then it will never come to that.

I'm glad to hear your school allows self medicating. Our school don't. Plus our nurse isn't in the school full time. I don't know what we are going to do at all. I look forward to following your experience so I have some guidance when it is time for Alyssa to go to Kindergarten.

Mommafirst · Jul 20, 2009

Stick to your guns. Have the doctors write a note showing how the enzymes wouldn't harm any child who accidentally took them and make a deal that if he ever abuses this privledge, you'll agree to do it their way. Since you know that he will not abuse it, you know he will be responsible with his meds, then it will never come to that.
 
 I'm glad to hear your school allows self medicating. Our school don't. Plus our nurse isn't in the school full time. I don't know what we are going to do at all. I look forward to following your experience so I have some guidance when it is time for Alyssa to go to Kindergarten.

hmw · Jul 20, 2009

In many cases it has nothing to do with how intelligent our kids are or even how our kids' individual teachers (or doctors) might individually feel about it; there are very specific laws that govern how medications can be dispensed at school- whether or not kids can self-medicate, who can dispense medication at school, etc, and this varies widely from place to place. I'm glad your district allows self-medication; but before assuming your school does I would want to ask someone at the board of education for your district, since the laws are so specific... and can vary by age, etc (but are NOT based on the 'comfort level' of the nurse, so I wouldn't ask someone at his school- I'd go right over their heads. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> )

If *legally* a child in your district is indeed allowed to self-medicate, then find out exactly what you have to do to make that happen (i.e. send in his pre-measured dose daily with his lunch and snacks, send in the bottle to keep somewhere safe (as in, locked up) in the classroom to access daily before lunch, etc.) We wanted Emily to be able to take hers in the classroom but it's not an option legally in our state; all meds must be dispensed by the nurse in her office/whoever is standing in for the nurse if she is unavailable at a given time that a student needs medication, no exceptions. (With the exception of certain emergency medications, like insulin or seizure medication, which she hand-carries to a student in distress.)

Once you know exactly what you have to do to make this happen for Aidan, you'll be better able to deal with the nurse- laws are laws; if the policy is on your side, and you have a plan for this that shows you are informed and know how to do this safely for him, there really isn't anything she'll be able to do about it. You can often find a copy of all district policy online in .pdf format as well, at your school district's website. Hopefully you'll be able to make this happen for him! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

I'm so sorry you had such a scary near-miss with Aidan last yr. Good for him for paying attention to what they were giving him and for saying NO to something that was not his!! Emily does well with keeping track of her meds/knowing what she takes and gives ANYTHING new the hairy eyeball until we explain a dozen times what it's for... it makes me more comfortable about her taking meds at school since I think she would notice right away if someone ever tried to accidentally give her the wrong thing, too. Our kids are wise before their time when it comes to taking meds, etc... it might not be what the nurses are *accustomed to* seeing compared to the general school population, but there are times they certainly may need to look past the age of the child and consider their capabilities when policy allows them to do so.

eta: I really like Heather's idea of including a note from Aidan's dr. stating that his enzymes are not toxic to other people in the quantity that he takes before each meal (unlike the dose of X medication that the NURSE TRIED TO GIVE HIM ON SUCH AND SUCH DATE LAST YEAR, which I'd consider adding, as an extremely relevant comparison...)

hmw · Jul 20, 2009

In many cases it has nothing to do with how intelligent our kids are or even how our kids' individual teachers (or doctors) might individually feel about it; there are very specific laws that govern how medications can be dispensed at school- whether or not kids can self-medicate, who can dispense medication at school, etc, and this varies widely from place to place. I'm glad your district allows self-medication; but before assuming your school does I would want to ask someone at the board of education for your district, since the laws are so specific... and can vary by age, etc (but are NOT based on the 'comfort level' of the nurse, so I wouldn't ask someone at his school- I'd go right over their heads. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> )

If *legally* a child in your district is indeed allowed to self-medicate, then find out exactly what you have to do to make that happen (i.e. send in his pre-measured dose daily with his lunch and snacks, send in the bottle to keep somewhere safe (as in, locked up) in the classroom to access daily before lunch, etc.) We wanted Emily to be able to take hers in the classroom but it's not an option legally in our state; all meds must be dispensed by the nurse in her office/whoever is standing in for the nurse if she is unavailable at a given time that a student needs medication, no exceptions. (With the exception of certain emergency medications, like insulin or seizure medication, which she hand-carries to a student in distress.)

Once you know exactly what you have to do to make this happen for Aidan, you'll be better able to deal with the nurse- laws are laws; if the policy is on your side, and you have a plan for this that shows you are informed and know how to do this safely for him, there really isn't anything she'll be able to do about it. You can often find a copy of all district policy online in .pdf format as well, at your school district's website. Hopefully you'll be able to make this happen for him! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

I'm so sorry you had such a scary near-miss with Aidan last yr. Good for him for paying attention to what they were giving him and for saying NO to something that was not his!! Emily does well with keeping track of her meds/knowing what she takes and gives ANYTHING new the hairy eyeball until we explain a dozen times what it's for... it makes me more comfortable about her taking meds at school since I think she would notice right away if someone ever tried to accidentally give her the wrong thing, too. Our kids are wise before their time when it comes to taking meds, etc... it might not be what the nurses are *accustomed to* seeing compared to the general school population, but there are times they certainly may need to look past the age of the child and consider their capabilities when policy allows them to do so.

eta: I really like Heather's idea of including a note from Aidan's dr. stating that his enzymes are not toxic to other people in the quantity that he takes before each meal (unlike the dose of X medication that the NURSE TRIED TO GIVE HIM ON SUCH AND SUCH DATE LAST YEAR, which I'd consider adding, as an extremely relevant comparison...)

hmw · Jul 20, 2009

In many cases it has nothing to do with how intelligent our kids are or even how our kids' individual teachers (or doctors) might individually feel about it; there are very specific laws that govern how medications can be dispensed at school- whether or not kids can self-medicate, who can dispense medication at school, etc, and this varies widely from place to place. I'm glad your district allows self-medication; but before assuming your school does I would want to ask someone at the board of education for your district, since the laws are so specific... and can vary by age, etc (but are NOT based on the 'comfort level' of the nurse, so I wouldn't ask someone at his school- I'd go right over their heads. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> )

If *legally* a child in your district is indeed allowed to self-medicate, then find out exactly what you have to do to make that happen (i.e. send in his pre-measured dose daily with his lunch and snacks, send in the bottle to keep somewhere safe (as in, locked up) in the classroom to access daily before lunch, etc.) We wanted Emily to be able to take hers in the classroom but it's not an option legally in our state; all meds must be dispensed by the nurse in her office/whoever is standing in for the nurse if she is unavailable at a given time that a student needs medication, no exceptions. (With the exception of certain emergency medications, like insulin or seizure medication, which she hand-carries to a student in distress.)

Once you know exactly what you have to do to make this happen for Aidan, you'll be better able to deal with the nurse- laws are laws; if the policy is on your side, and you have a plan for this that shows you are informed and know how to do this safely for him, there really isn't anything she'll be able to do about it. You can often find a copy of all district policy online in .pdf format as well, at your school district's website. Hopefully you'll be able to make this happen for him! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

I'm so sorry you had such a scary near-miss with Aidan last yr. Good for him for paying attention to what they were giving him and for saying NO to something that was not his!! Emily does well with keeping track of her meds/knowing what she takes and gives ANYTHING new the hairy eyeball until we explain a dozen times what it's for... it makes me more comfortable about her taking meds at school since I think she would notice right away if someone ever tried to accidentally give her the wrong thing, too. Our kids are wise before their time when it comes to taking meds, etc... it might not be what the nurses are *accustomed to* seeing compared to the general school population, but there are times they certainly may need to look past the age of the child and consider their capabilities when policy allows them to do so.

eta: I really like Heather's idea of including a note from Aidan's dr. stating that his enzymes are not toxic to other people in the quantity that he takes before each meal (unlike the dose of X medication that the NURSE TRIED TO GIVE HIM ON SUCH AND SUCH DATE LAST YEAR, which I'd consider adding, as an extremely relevant comparison...)

hmw · Jul 20, 2009

In many cases it has nothing to do with how intelligent our kids are or even how our kids' individual teachers (or doctors) might individually feel about it; there are very specific laws that govern how medications can be dispensed at school- whether or not kids can self-medicate, who can dispense medication at school, etc, and this varies widely from place to place. I'm glad your district allows self-medication; but before assuming your school does I would want to ask someone at the board of education for your district, since the laws are so specific... and can vary by age, etc (but are NOT based on the 'comfort level' of the nurse, so I wouldn't ask someone at his school- I'd go right over their heads. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> )

If *legally* a child in your district is indeed allowed to self-medicate, then find out exactly what you have to do to make that happen (i.e. send in his pre-measured dose daily with his lunch and snacks, send in the bottle to keep somewhere safe (as in, locked up) in the classroom to access daily before lunch, etc.) We wanted Emily to be able to take hers in the classroom but it's not an option legally in our state; all meds must be dispensed by the nurse in her office/whoever is standing in for the nurse if she is unavailable at a given time that a student needs medication, no exceptions. (With the exception of certain emergency medications, like insulin or seizure medication, which she hand-carries to a student in distress.)

Once you know exactly what you have to do to make this happen for Aidan, you'll be better able to deal with the nurse- laws are laws; if the policy is on your side, and you have a plan for this that shows you are informed and know how to do this safely for him, there really isn't anything she'll be able to do about it. You can often find a copy of all district policy online in .pdf format as well, at your school district's website. Hopefully you'll be able to make this happen for him! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">

I'm so sorry you had such a scary near-miss with Aidan last yr. Good for him for paying attention to what they were giving him and for saying NO to something that was not his!! Emily does well with keeping track of her meds/knowing what she takes and gives ANYTHING new the hairy eyeball until we explain a dozen times what it's for... it makes me more comfortable about her taking meds at school since I think she would notice right away if someone ever tried to accidentally give her the wrong thing, too. Our kids are wise before their time when it comes to taking meds, etc... it might not be what the nurses are *accustomed to* seeing compared to the general school population, but there are times they certainly may need to look past the age of the child and consider their capabilities when policy allows them to do so.

eta: I really like Heather's idea of including a note from Aidan's dr. stating that his enzymes are not toxic to other people in the quantity that he takes before each meal (unlike the dose of X medication that the NURSE TRIED TO GIVE HIM ON SUCH AND SUCH DATE LAST YEAR, which I'd consider adding, as an extremely relevant comparison...)

hmw · Jul 20, 2009

In many cases it has nothing to do with how intelligent our kids are or even how our kids' individual teachers (or doctors) might individually feel about it; there are very specific laws that govern how medications can be dispensed at school- whether or not kids can self-medicate, who can dispense medication at school, etc, and this varies widely from place to place. I'm glad your district allows self-medication; but before assuming your school does I would want to ask someone at the board of education for your district, since the laws are so specific... and can vary by age, etc (but are NOT based on the 'comfort level' of the nurse, so I wouldn't ask someone at his school- I'd go right over their heads. <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-wink.gif" border="0"> )
 
 If *legally* a child in your district is indeed allowed to self-medicate, then find out exactly what you have to do to make that happen (i.e. send in his pre-measured dose daily with his lunch and snacks, send in the bottle to keep somewhere safe (as in, locked up) in the classroom to access daily before lunch, etc.) We wanted Emily to be able to take hers in the classroom but it's not an option legally in our state; all meds must be dispensed by the nurse in her office/whoever is standing in for the nurse if she is unavailable at a given time that a student needs medication, no exceptions. (With the exception of certain emergency medications, like insulin or seizure medication, which she hand-carries to a student in distress.)
 
 Once you know exactly what you have to do to make this happen for Aidan, you'll be better able to deal with the nurse- laws are laws; if the policy is on your side, and you have a plan for this that shows you are informed and know how to do this safely for him, there really isn't anything she'll be able to do about it. You can often find a copy of all district policy online in .pdf format as well, at your school district's website. Hopefully you'll be able to make this happen for him! <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif" border="0">
 
 I'm so sorry you had such a scary near-miss with Aidan last yr. Good for him for paying attention to what they were giving him and for saying NO to something that was not his!! Emily does well with keeping track of her meds/knowing what she takes and gives ANYTHING new the hairy eyeball until we explain a dozen times what it's for... it makes me more comfortable about her taking meds at school since I think she would notice right away if someone ever tried to accidentally give her the wrong thing, too. Our kids are wise before their time when it comes to taking meds, etc... it might not be what the nurses are *accustomed to* seeing compared to the general school population, but there are times they certainly may need to look past the age of the child and consider their capabilities when policy allows them to do so.
 
 eta: I really like Heather's idea of including a note from Aidan's dr. stating that his enzymes are not toxic to other people in the quantity that he takes before each meal (unlike the dose of X medication that the NURSE TRIED TO GIVE HIM ON SUCH AND SUCH DATE LAST YEAR, which I'd consider adding, as an extremely relevant comparison...)

nicolemarie2010 · Jul 20, 2009