Allergy Shot Organization

By Wendy Gordon,RN,C, Health and Counseling Center, Xavier University, GORDON@XAVIER.XU.EDU

"Xavier University has 6,000 students. Xavier University Health and Counseling Center is a physician directed office. Our Medical Director is Dr. James P. Konerman, M.D. Mary Rosenfeldt RN C helped me with the ideas for allergy shot organization."

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We would like to share with everyone our organization of student's refrigerated allergy serum. We purchased inexpensive, stackable, opaque plastic storage boxes (4x4x2") at the local grocery store. Each student getting allergy shots has their own plastic container, with a large computer-typed name label. This give a uniform look for an easy identification system. These containers are stacked in alphabetical order in our medicine room refrigerator. Each box contains the serum and allergy shot sheet instructions.

The original serum envelopes and boxes are saved for when the student takes their serum home over long breaks. Some allergists will send 3-4 vials and only 1 or 2 are being currently used, the vials not being used are kept in the student's plastic allergy box and the unused vial tops are covered,to ensure they will not be used until the previous vials are completed. If the previous serum is still being utilized and new serum arrives, the new serum package is secured in the plastic student box with a label on the new serum.

We all know safety with allergy serum is a high priority, with multiple packages and allergy envelopes and vials, the office must provide an organized method to deliver safe procedures. We hope you find this information helpful. Drop us a line if you have additional ideas or questions.

CQ Editor's Note: Creative, practical, innovative ideas like Wendy's are the kinds of things I like to include in Connections Quarterly Newsletter. Her idea can be easily implemented by anyone without a lot of expense. I liked her idea so much that I went to Big Lots to shop for the plastic containers ($1.00 each). We only needed 10 for our small health service. I liked the next size larger, so that a folded sheet of paper would fit neatly inside. Also, those padded mailer envelopes which the serum comes in fit nicely, too! Thanks for the great idea, Wendy!
--Carol Mulvihill


Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays to All!

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