Policy - JLCD-E

POLICY: JLCD-E

EFFECTIVE DATE: 03/01/06

CANCELS SHEET DATED: NEW

REVIEWED BY POLICY COMMITTEE: ______________

Maine Department of Education

“Policy for Medication Administration on School Field Trips”

    1. Any unlicensed personnel administering medications must hold documentation of their training in the administration of medication, including personnel administering medication on a field trip.
    2. There must be written permission from the parent/guardian providing consent to administer the medication in school and a written physicians order and/or an appropriately labeled original medication container.
    3. Either a standardized preprinted medication label or preprinted envelope containing the information described below or medication in its original container will be used for students attending a field trip.
    4. When using a preprinted label or preprinted envelope, the school nurse shall transfer the prescribed amount of medication needed for the field trip from the original medication container into the approved envelope and fill in the appropriate information on the envelope.
    5. The envelope will be provided to the trained personnel for administration during the trip. The school nurse will provide a review of the medication and its administration to the trained personnel on an as needed basis. All trained personnel administering medication must understand what to do in an emergency.
    6. The medication will be transported and stored in compliance with any special directions for the medication and will be secured as safely as possible. At no time will a student have medication in his/her possession in school unless the physician states in writing that an inhaler, insulin or Epipen needs to be with a student at all times.
    7. The administration of medication on a field trip will duplicate as much as possible, the guidelines found in the “Guidelines for Training of Non-Licensed Personnel in Medication Administration”. This will include consideration of student privacy and cleanliness of area where medications are administered.
    8. Medication will be administered to the student to assure that the right student receives the right medication, with the right dose, at the right time, by the right route. The trained personnel administering the medication will double-check the student with the medication label and will double-check the dose. The medication will be given within 30 minutes either side of the prescribed time.
    9. Each school district will develop a method of documenting medications administered on the field trip, recording any unexpected occurrences, and a method of returning any medication not administered.

The medication envelope or label will contain the following information:

    1. Date to be administered;
    2. Name of the student;
    3. Name of the medication;
    4. Dose to be given;
    5. Time to be given;
    6. Physician prescribing the medication;
    7. Special directions;
    8. Phone number of school nurse; and
    9. Emergency directions.