Help Them Handle Life's Little Emergencies As your teen heads off to college, you can be sure there will be minor mishaps in the dorm environment: falls, burns, scrapes, fevers, hangovers -- I meanheadaches. (You know, from all that studying.) Set your college student up for success by assembling a first-rate first aid kit for the college dorm room. Sure, at first he may balk, but consider this to be another way of taking care of him. Better yet, you're helping him take care of himself. Whereas regular first aid kits tend to focus simply on medical emergencies, a dorm first aid kit goes one step further. It should additionally anticipate common non-emergency conditions like allergies, heartburn, and diarrhea/stomach upset. While standard first aid kits are often inexpensive, they are not tailored to the unique needs of college students. This will be your young adult's medicine cabinet while away from home. Equip him or her well! For Life's Little Mishaps Medications Include medications that anticipate the common types of situations your college student might face. Consider that he may need to use items from the kit to occasionally help roommates, friends, and visitors to the dorm. Include enough supplies for at least a semester away from home. Here is a list of common medications to include: Start Off By Including These Medications First Aid Medications antiseptic spray, cream, or wipes (e.g., Bactine, Neosporin with pain relief) sterile eye wash (for emergency flushing of foreign bodies) and eye drops (e.g., Visine - for non-emergency use) oral Benadryl (for hay fever, sudden allergic reactions to nuts or other foods) laxative (e.g., ex•lax, Dulcolax) diarrhea medication (e.g., Imodium A-D, Pepto Bismol) cough drops hydrocortisone cream ammonia inhalant ampoules pain reliever of your choice: acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, aspirin Pain Relief Precautions Aspirin has an important first aid role in emergency treatment for heart attacks and certain types of strokes, so when it comes to pain relievers, you may want to provide it in addition to any other pain reliever you prefer.1 Depending on what your student is taking pain reliever for (e.g., headache, cold/flu, an injury involving swelling), he should know that taking acetaminophen (brand name: Tylenol) does not reduce inflammation. Acetaminophen also may involve rare but severe health risks if taken at high doses. Also, make sure your college student understands that mixing alcohol with anyover-the-counter pain relievers -- acetaminophen, ibuprofen, naproxen, or aspirin -- can increase the risk of liver damage, a rare but serious side effect. Useful Tools Add other items to help with treating wounds and assisting with sick care and comfort. As long as tools don't seem to need the instructions that came with their packaging, you may want to discard their outer packaging to conserve space in the dorm first aid kit. This also saves your student time opening the item at the moment it is needed. Examples of when to discard packaging: tweezers, scissors, and cloth tape. Since a kit does little good if you cannot find what you are looking for, consider using small Ziploc bags to keep similar items organized together. Also use them to keep items such as cotton balls and cotton swabs clean. Useful tools include: Add These Useful Tools Tools and Supplies tweezers (for removing splinters) cotton balls cotton swabs scissors (for cutting rolled bandages) variety of adhesive bandages (in assorted sizes) rolled bandages with pins (or self-stick) cloth tape gauze pads (for larger wounds) digital oral thermometer small pack of tissues lip balm safety pins CPR breathing barrier instant cold compress heat pack space blanket first aid instruction booklet Supplies To Keep Clean Assemble supplies that reduce germs and the chance of contamination. Since some people have serious latex allergies, consider latex-free nitrile gloves. Store several pair together in a Ziploc bag. Alcohol or hydrogen peroxide will come in handy for cleaning used tools before putting them back in the kit (e.g., tweezers, the thermometer). Supplies to promote cleanliness include: Add These Items To Help Reduce Germs Germ Reducing Product disposable exam gloves antibiotic hand cleanser rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide Putting It All Together Locate a clean box to contain first aid supplies. Ideally, the box should be "emergency red." It must be easily noticed in a dorm room that could be messy. Ideas for boxes include an inexpensive toolbox, tackle box, or a plastic storage container with a lid. You could also wrap a shoe box in red wrapping paper. (Individually wrap the bottom and top, of course.) In the bottom of the box, place the following: a master list of first aid kit items.You -- or your responsible young son or daughter — will need to check the kit's contents periodically for replenishing. Next, add supplies to your box, and label it "FIRST AID." Then, attach an index card to the inside lid. The card should feature this information: a list of important numbers (e.g., Poison Control, Campus Health Service, University Police, your Emergency Contact Information). known allergies or other important medical information for each roommate, if available. Source
