 Definitions and Impacts of General Medical Terms, Medications, and Medical Treatments
 Over the past 10-15 years, schools have been providing more educational, health, and behavioral supports to students who have more complex needs than in the past. Paraprofessionals are expected to know more about health conditions, types of medications, medical treatments, and health procedures for students with OHD. You will also need to know about various emergency procedures needed to support specific students, including care for conditions such as seizures, latex allergies, catheterizations, tracheotomies, gastrostomies, etc. In addition, you need to be familiar with proper storage, documentation, administration (i.e., only if it is delegated to you by someone licensed to do so—see the Minnesota Nurse Practitioner Act—and specific training is provided to administer medications), and side effects of medication for individual students. Most of the knowledge and skills you need to understand and work more effectively with students who have chronic or acute health conditions will require specialized training from the student’s family and school nurse. The healthcare provider may also provide valuable information and, if medication or special healthcare procedures are needed at school, physician authorization is required.
In addition to supporting an increasing numbers of students with various disabilities, Minnesota schools are also serving the needs of students with a range of chronic or acute health conditions. Medications, medical treatments, therapies, and hospitalizations can impact a student’s ability to learn and function at school. When this occurs, students may qualify for special education, services, and supports under the OHD category.
Some of the diagnoses within the OHD category that paraprofessionals are beginning to learn about include: broncho pulmonary dysplasia, cardiovascular disorders, Crohn’s disease, cystic fibrosis, diabetes mellitus, juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, neurofibromatosis, primary immune deficiency, sickle cell disease, and sleep disorders. Each of these and other health conditions within the category of OHD are described in Unit 2. You will also find more information when you review the fact sheets for these disabilities in Unit 2. Each health condition fact sheet contains definitions of medical terms related to the specific condition or disorder, a detailed description of the condition and symptoms, and typical medical treatments, medications, and healthcare procedures for the health condition.
It is important for the paraprofessional to have an overview of the types of health conditions or disorders that could be classified as OHD. When you are providing support to a student who is diagnosed with one or more of these health conditions or disorders, it is especially important to understand and be familiar with basic information about the condition and to ask for information about medications, medical treatments, and other healthcare procedures that a student is receiving. Equipped with this information, you will feel more comfortable and confident about gathering additional information to share with your supervisor, the school nurse, and other team members. You will also find this information will help you provide supports that are specifically designed for the student, and be a well-trained observer of the student’s behaviors, emotions, learning ability, and overall well-being.
References
Information in this unit was used with permission from:
Minnesota Department of Education. (2007). Other Health Disabilities Web page. Retrieved March 27, 2007, from http://education.state.mn.us/mde/Learning_Support/Special_Education/Categorical_Disability_Information/Other_Health_Disabilities/
Minnesota Department of Education. (2007). Other Health Disabilities Companion Manual (Draft). St. Paul: Author. Retrieved March 27, 2007, from http://education.state.mn.us/mdeprod/groups/SpecialEd/documents/Publication/001683.pdf
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