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Giving medication is not really a requirement for day
care centers. However, there may be some instances when the day care
stuff really needs to act upon a health issue and give medications. It
is important that this matter is to be taken seriously. Only those who
are certified to do any health procedure should deal with these kinds of
things. It is a very sensitive issue since the health of the child
involved could be at risk when wrong medication is administered.
A letter of authorization from custodial parents or legal guardians
should be secured before one can dispense prescripted or non-prescripted
medications. Have the letter dated and signed. It should contain the
child's name, the name of medication to be given, and the date, time and
dosage to be dispensed. The record should also be signed by the person
who gave the medications.
Always have a copy of every child's health history. Know if they have
any allergies to medications. Some kids might also have special
restrictions that need to be noted. Have all these health information
written in the children's files. Let all the teachers, or stuff know
about it.
When parents bring a prescripted or non-prescripted medicine for their
child or children, make sure that it is in its original container. It
should have the child's name, name of the medication, the doctor's name,
and the directions for the medication. Both prescripted and non-prescripted
medications should be dispensed according to the instructions that were
given or labeled.
All medications have to be stored separately and out of children's
reach. Make sure that the medicines are all tightly sealed or capped.
Check for the expiration dates of all drugs. Dispose those which are
expired cautiously. Keep in mind not to throw them in bins or places
where kids can be curios about them and mistake them as toys or candies.
Medications which are no longer administered to kids should be given
back to the parents.
At least one first aid kit should be maintained on the premises. Label
your kit with "First Aid" and keep it in a closed container. The kit
should include all the necessary things needed to administer first aid.
It should have band-aids, soap, gloves, cotton balls, sterile gauze,
adhesive tape, tweezers, thermometer, wipes, scissors, and a resource
guide for first aid and CPR procedures.
The day care center should be advised to maintain a record for every
child who is receiving a medication. The documents should have the
child's full name, the name of the medication, date and time it was
administered, and signed by the person who dispensed the medication. The
person who gave the medication should also take note of the time the
last dosage was given.
 Do
not play around with medications. Keep in mind that the lives of the
kids are entrusted to you by their parents the whole time that they are
in your day care center. If you are not certain about some things, it is
better to have the experts deal with it. |
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