Medication Monitoring in the Schools: An Investigation of Current Practices of Florida School Psychologists

Prevalence rates of youth prescribed psychotropic medications have risen dramatically over the past decade. Many of these medications are prescribed to treat symptoms of a disorder that occur in the school setting. Some medications have negative side effects that can inhibit academic and social performance. School psychologists have been identified as professionals who are equipped to assist in monitoring both the beneficial and negative effects of medications for youth attending school. This study investigated the practices, training, types of disorders for which medication monitoring occurs, facilitators, and barriers to school psychologists engaging in medication monitoring in the schools. Survey data from 166 members of the Florida Association of School Psychologists were collected and analyzed. Seventy four percent of respondents endorsed medication monitoring as an appropriate role for school psychologists. Approximately half of the respondents in this study reported engaging in medication monitoring over the past school year. Over half the sample reported receiving training related to medication monitoring. Weak relationships were found among demographic and training variables and reported medication monitoring practices. Additionally, none of the interactions between demographic, professional background, and training variables was predictive of medication monitoring practices. Implications of these findings are discussed in relation to developing strategies to promote the medication monitoring practices of school psychologists