Frequently Asked Questions
Where will students quarantine or isolate when they are ill?
- Students with a fever of 100.0°F or higher, who have been vomiting or experiencing diarrhea, and those who are evaluated by the nurse and suspected of having a communicable disease will be sent home to rest and recover.
- The Health Office staff may require that a medical provider evaluate a student before returning to campus.
- A physician’s note is required if a student is absent for four or more consecutive school days (including I-Days). When students return, they should have recovered sufficiently to carry out all activities of daily living and attend all classes. Upon return, please have your student check in with the health office before attending their day’s first class.
- Students who cannot participate in classes for an entire day will be sent home for at least 24 hours to rest and recover.
- Students may rest in the Health Office for short periods while the nurse assesses and/or evaluates their response to over-the-counter treatments, or they may wait for a parent or guardian to pick them up.
- Students cannot rest or return to their rooms during the academic day.
- Parents can not call their students in sick if they are on campus. The student must be evaluated in the Health Office.
Do all non-prescription medications need to be turned in to the Health Office?
- For the health and safety of your student, all non-prescription medications will be recorded in a student’s health record to ensure that there are no adverse reactions or contraindications to other medicines on our standing medication list, medications the student is taking, vitamins, herbal supplements, or other medicines delivered to the student on campus.
- The student may keep over-the-counter medications, vitamins, and herbal supplements for self-administration.
- We ask that these medications be limited to no more than 50 doses.
Do all prescription medications need to be turned in to the Health Office?
- For the health and safety of your student, all prescription medications must be turned into the Health Office. These medications will be recorded in a student’s health record to ensure no adverse reactions or contraindications to other medicines on our standing medication list, medications the student is taking, vitamins, herbal supplements, or other medications delivered to the student on campus.
- The student may keep oral contraceptive pills, short-term antibiotics, eye or ear drops, insulin, and emergency medications (epinephrine, albuterol, glucagon, diastat, etc.) for self-administration. All other prescription medications will be administered in the health office.
What documentation needs to be submitted for prescription medications?
- A prescription medication authorization form must be filled out and signed by the prescribing physician, a parent/guardian, and the student needs to be filled out at the beginning of every school year and with any medication or dose change.
- Three empty pharmacy-labeled bottles or pill packets for each prescription.
Why is the Health Office asking for empty, labeled prescription bottles?
- Student medications are sent to the halls for evening and weekend doses. To help reduce the risk of medication errors, each day, the dose of medication is sent in an individually labeled bottle. Pharmacy labels with clear, accurate, and up-to-date dosing information are the best way to help keep the medications organized and correct.
- The bottles and labels are free from the pharmacy if you ask for them and tell the pharmacy they are needed for a residential school.
What are pill packets?
- Pill packets are individual packets of medications that are time-specific for each individual. They are helpful when a student takes more than one medication at a dosing time.
- Pill packets are available through mail-order pharmacies such as Walgreens, CVS, Amazon, and other pharmacies. Most pharmacies do not charge for this service beyond your copay.
- Controlled substances are not available in pill packets.
- Pill packets can contain non-prescription medications such as vitamins.
Who will give my student their medications?
- The IMSA nursing staff, trained Residence Life or Student Life staff, or designated administrators.
- Any trained faculty or staff member on campus may administer emergency medications (e.g., albuterol, epinephrine, glucagon, diazepine, Narcan).
Where will my student get their medications?
- The Health Office will administer medications in the Health Office Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
- Medications will be sent to the hall RC offices for nighttime and weekend administrations.
How will my student get refills?
- Medication refills can be brought to campus by parents/guardians or filled at a local pharmacy.
- Students may walk with a buddy to Walgreens at 1207 N. Randall Road (following Student/Parent Handbook guidelines). Transportation can be arranged if needed.
- Transportation arrangements can be made for a pick-up at CVS inside Target at 1800 Orchard Gateway Blvd.
- Please give the Health Office a 24-hour notification when refills need to be picked up.
- The Health Office will give students a 7-day advance notice of the need for a refill.
What do I do if my student is prescribed a new medication?
- Parents and/or students should notify the Health Office in writing or in person of new prescription or non-prescription medications. Please use the email nurse@imsa.edu. The nurse will give you further instructions.
- For all prescriptions, a prescription medication authorization form must be completed and signed by the prescribing physician, a parent or guardian, and the student.
