staff medications

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  • #42279
    Janet Rose
    Participant

    I have been asking staff to place their meds privately into an opaque bag which we keep locked with camper meds until they need access. I am being asked what I think about having them carry their own meds in a small lock box. in their backpack (not leaving them in the cabin). Our state regulations say: ensure that all staff member or volunteer meds are maintained in a secure manner at all times.
    Does anyone have thoughts? How do you ensure they are secure? I would like some options to suggest. thank you!

    • This topic was modified 3 years, 10 months ago by Janet Rose.
    #42281
    Susan Schwartzman
    Participant

    For about the past 17 years, we have used sets of small lockers that are in the health center, available to staff to keep their meds locked up for the summer. They get a key and lock ( we keep the extra key) for the summer and are responsible for keeping all medications in the locker. This way, the meds are locked up, we do not have meds in bunks or being toted around camp all summer. Staff have access to their locker 24/7. It has worked great. We have had to purchase more lockers over the years, so many staff have medications, but it is much better than the health center staff being responsible for the staff meds. We had a situation in the early 2000’s where a staff member accused us of losing or taking their controlled medication that was being kept in a bag in our locked medication room. It was also a hassle to stop what we were doing to retrieve their bags of medication.
    We recently were able to move the lockers to their own locker room in a different part of the health center, to minimize the traffic in our main health center space.

    #42302
    Stacy Dorian
    Participant

    We put in small lockers outside each bath house for staff to access. Each staff member gets a lock and picks which location is best for them. They are responsible to manage their own medications, but they must be kept locked up. If someone has meds that need to be refrigerated then we keep it at the Health Center in our locked fridge. I ask that they not come to access between 9am and 7am so HC staff can hopefully get sleep.

    #42303
    Maryellen McCone
    Participant

    We have given staff members small lock boxes so they keep their meds in their rooms under lock and key. Counselors have their own rooms, we don’t have communal cabins as we operate on a school campus in a dorm setting.
    We’ve been doing this for many years and have never had an issue.

    #42344
    Anonymous
    Inactive

    We have done the same as Maryellen. Our staff are given locked boxes that they keep in their room that must be locked at all times. If they request it, we will store their medication in the Wellness Centre but this is usually just back up doses. We give the staff the choice of where to have it stored – in their cabins or in the Wellness Centre (as long as it’s locked).
    I really like the idea of lockers though!
    It certainly has made things easier in the Wellness Centre to allow staff to manage their own medication. This was most certainly a pain when we stored everything in the Wellness Centre.

    #42744
    Robyn Janloo
    Participant

    I am a new camp nurse this summer and have found this thread very helpful. I am curious, though, if the RN needs to take into account a staffers age. We have counselors who are minors. Does this change how you store their meds?

    #42745
    Matthew Hecht
    Participant

    Robyn,

    Yes, absolutely, they are talking about adult staff. Minor staff and campers are basically the same in my state, probably yours as well.

    #42746
    Robyn Janloo
    Participant

    Hi Matthew,

    Thanks for your reply. So I’m assuming then that staff who are minors need their medications kept with the RN as a general rule. Do you accept any orders from an MD/authorization from a parent stating the minor staff can keep and self administer their non-controlled medications ?

    #42747

    Great conversation friends. I think you all have hit on the key points:

    1. Medications must be kept “secured” or locked except when being taken by the individual. They should not be kept anywhere (cabin, backpack) where campers could access those medications. That is not considered secure.
    2. If staff are minors, they usually are treated just as camper medications. You want to be sure they are secured and administered in a safe way. Authorization for an under age person to manage their own medications would not come from a physician as they do not have that authority to make a decision about someone’s child. The parents would likely have to provide that consent but please be sure that the consent you use provides coverage for the camp in the event something goes wrong.

    Take care
    Tracey Gaslin

    #42750
    Matthew Hecht
    Participant

    Robyn,

    We do not accept parental consent as I do not think its particularly useful. That’s because when things go well, everyone’s happy, but when their child doesn’t take it properly/misuses/etc. the Health Center will hear about it. I’m all for promoting independence, but it’s very different in a camp setting without individual parental oversight.

    For example, we’ve all heard “They’re great at remembering to take it…” but that may be at home with the bottle on the kitchen table, facing the child. Who knows how that will be at camp. I see kids forget their shirts and sneakers places. 😉

    #42757
    Robyn Janloo
    Participant

    Thank you all!

    I am currently figuring out out best strategy here and trying to look up any laws regarding minors/medications.

    #42789
    Robyn Janloo
    Participant

    Can I ask here how you handle your camper rescue inhalers and epi pen storage? It is assumed Epi pens are kept the with campers and inhalers with the RN?

    • This reply was modified 3 years, 8 months ago by Robyn Janloo.
    #42791
    Mary Marugg
    Member

    Hi Robyn,

    This will vary from state to state. Many states have laws in place allowing campers to carry rescue inhalers and auto-inject epi with them. There is often a consent form that parents sign to allow this. Parents will also have good input as to when the camper is ready to carry their own rescue medications.

    Here is a document from the American Lung Association with additional details.
    https://www.lung.org/getmedia/872c9b6a-5379-4321-8913-102d53182e29/improving-access-to-asthma.pdf.pdf

    Here is a link guidance to assess when a student is ready to carry their own rescue inhaler (“Student Readiness Assessment Tool)
    https://www.lung.org/lung-health-diseases/lung-disease-lookup/asthma/living-with-asthma/creating-asthma-friendly-environments/asthma-medication-in-schools

    Good questions!

    Mary

    #42795
    Robyn Janloo
    Participant

    Thank you so much Mary! 🙂

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