Back-to-school is a hectic time for parents with children, especially when their children take medication.
Medications may have to be renewed, refilled, or repackaged, and special instructions may be necessary for the school nurse to administer medications.
Your pharmacy can make these parents’ lives a little easier. Here are four ways you can help parents prepare their children’s medications for back-to-school.
1. Ask local schools for their medication administration policies
Most schools have a policy for administering medications during the school day.
For example, some schools may require parents to provide the medication in its original container or to include a doctor’s note with administration instructions.
Ask schools in your community to provide your pharmacy with a copy of their medication administration policy. You’ll be able to better assist parents with their children’s back-to-school medication needs and answer any questions they may have.
2. Remind parents to prepare their children’s medications
Once you’re familiar with school policies, you can remind parents about what they can do to prepare their children’s medications for the school year.
Reminder questions to ask parents:
- Do you need to obtain an additional prescription bottle with a proper label?
- Is your child’s medication expired or will it expire soon?
- Do you need to fill a second prescription for your child to keep at school?
- Do you need to obtain a doctor’s note for administering over-the-counter medication?
Your pharmacy can even assist parents in completing these tasks. And, parents will appreciate your pharmacy going the extra mile to ensure their children’s medications are in order when they return to school.
Ways your pharmacy can remind parents to prep their child’s medications:
- Personally remind parents
- Use bag stuffers
- Post flyers in your pharmacy
- Send reminder emails
3. Encourage parents to educate their children
To ensure children receive the correct medication and dosage while at school, they need to understand what they should be taking and when.
School nurses administer many different medications to many children throughout the day and can make errors.
Encourage parents to educate their children on what the medication looks like, how much they should be taking and at what time of the day they should receive it. Children should only take a medication if they recognize it.
4. Host a back-to-school event
Hosting a back-to-school event is a great way to attract parents in the community to your pharmacy and spread awareness about medication preparation for the school year.
Invite a local school administrator to talk to parents about school medication policies and how they can prepare their children’s medications before returning to school.
Have a pharmacist available during the event to help parents educate their children on the medications they’re taking.
You can even hand out a checklist for parents to use as they complete the necessary steps to get their children’s medications ready.
Get more pharmacy business tips and advice delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for our e-newsletter.
