Code of Maine Rules › 05 - DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION › 071 - EDUCATION - GENERAL › Chapter 40 - RULE FOR MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION IN MAINE SCHOOLS › Section 071-40-4 - PROCEDURE FOR MEDICATION ADMINISTRATION ON SCHOOL FIELD TRIPS/OFF-CAMPUS EVENTS

Current through 2024-29, July 17, 2024
A.
Training.
Any unlicensed personnel administering medications, both
				prescription and over the counter must have training documentation on file at
				the school.
B.
Orders/Permissions.
There must be written permission from the
				parent/guardian providing consent to administer the medication in school and a
				written physician's order and/or an appropriately labeled original medication
				container.
C.
Packaging.
Duplicate medication containers shall be obtained from
				the pharmacy to be used for field trips as this is considered best practice.
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.
D.
Transportation/Storage.
The medication will be transported and
				stored in compliance with any special directions for the medication and will be
				secured as safely as possible.
E.
Administration.
The administration of medication on a field trip
				will duplicate as much as possible, the guidelines found in the
Medication Administration Handbook for Unlicensed School
				Personnel
. This will include consideration of student privacy and
				cleanliness of area where medications are administered.
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 administered within 30 minutes
				  either side of the prescribed time.
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.
F.
Special
				Considerations
i.
Out of State
				Field Trips.
Schools must consider other states' laws when
				administering medications. It is advisable that the school nurse contact the
				Board of Nursing in the state of the school trip regarding questions about
				unlicensed school personnel administering medications. Some states do not allow
				unlicensed school personnel to administer medications, for example.
If the school nurse is attending the out of state field trip,
				  he/she should determine if it is part of the Nurse Licensure Compact, which
				  allows a nurse to have one multistate license with the ability to practice in
				  the home state and other compact states. If the state is not a compact state,
				  then the school nurse should contact that state's office that regulates nursing
				  practice.
ii.
Self-administration of medication.
School administrative units
				have the discretion to create procedures to allow for self-administration of
				medication by students on overnight trips or in unique situations where there
				may not be authorized adults to hold/administer medication. This procedure must
				include the consent of both the student's parent/guardian and medical provider
				in cooperation with the school nurse. The student should be knowledgeable about
				their condition/medication and sufficiently responsible to possess and capable
				of self-administration. The arrangements must be done in advance to allow for
				the communication between medical provider and school nurse.
iii.
Medical Marijuana.
It
				is the duty of the school unit to know what the applicable state law is with
				respect to medical marijuana for any out of state trip. Reasonable
				accommodations must be made for students who hold written certification for the
				medical use of marijuana in a non-smokeable form. [Title 20-A MRSA § 6306
				]