How Does Turn-About Ranch Handle Student Medical Concerns?

We understand that sending your teen to residential treatment is already a hard decision to make, especially if your teen has any medical concerns. At Turn-About Ranch, the safety and success of your teens are of primary concern and we take these responsibilities very seriously. Continue reading to find out how our staff and employees handle any student medical concerns.

What Experience Do We Have?

Currently, we have a nurse practitioner who has been in practice for over 15 years. She is currently board-certified and has over 30 years of experience in the medical field. Because of her experience, we can handle most medical concerns right on the ranch. However, we do have a clinic that is close to the area for procedures such as x-rays.

In cases of emergencies, we ensure that our staff is prepared and properly trained. Each of our staff members is properly trained in:

• CPR
• First Aid
• Behavior Management
• Health Precautions
• Emergency Evacuation and Preparedness
• Code of Conduct

Students who come to Turn-About Ranch have the opportunity to become CPR and first aid certified as well. CPR certification is optional, however, most of our students choose to become certified. So, not only is our staff prepared in emergency situations, but our students are as well.

Pre-Existing Medical Concerns

Before a student comes to the ranch, we require parents to fill out an application that gives us information about their teen. On the application, there are multiple questions about your teen’s mental and physical health.

This will be your chance to let us know about any conditions, medications, or additional information that you believe we should know about. After your teen has been accepted, we ask parents to fill out an additional health form where parents will be able to let us know about any condition, medications, and more.

On top of the medical form, physical exams and a thorough pre-screening process are performed on every new student by a licensed physician. Exams include exercise tests, blood work, lab tests, and general assessments. We’ll work with the students, parents, and the student’s primary care doctor, to ensure that we have everything correct before your teen enters the ranch.

Student Medical Complaints

Because of the experience of our nurse practitioner, a majority of the medical concerns students have can be taken care of onsite. We have practiced procedures in place for illnesses, medical emergencies, and infectious diseases. We also have access to medical services requiring a licensed physician available within 10 minutes of our facility.

While rare, if a student’s medical needs go beyond our abilities or the clinics, we will take them to the hospital. We will always put our students’ needs first and there are instances when students may need to return home. Before sending a student home, we inform the student’s parents and doctors to come up with a solution that is best for the student.

Student Medications

As mentioned above, we require parents to fill out a medical form. This is their opportunity to list all their teen’s medications they may need and medications they want We also have a pharmacy that is close to our facility, making prescription refills easier.

To ensure our student’s safety, all medications are locked up and students do not have access to them, even for over-the-counter medications. If students need over-the-counter medications, such as Tylenol, we can provide them to them. All they have to do is ask and one of our staff members will provide it to them in a medical cup.

In instances that are medically necessary, students may be prescribed medications that they weren’t prescribed before coming to the ranch. This is only done if our medical staff, therapists, or doctors from the clinical deem it necessary for the students. Before giving students any new medications, we make sure to reach out to the parents, so they are aware of the situation. If the parents don’t want their teen on these medications, we will not give it to them. Parents have the final say on all medications given to students.

Nutritional Needs

Here at Turn-About Ranch, we take a lot of pride in building out our menu for our students. We believe that students need nutritional meals to help them throughout their day. Before serving anything on our menu, we make sure to approve them through a licensed dietician. For students who have dietary concerns, we adjust our menus to accommodate their needs.

How Turn-About Ranch Can Help

Sending your teen to a residential treatment center isn’t an easy decision and we understand your concerns for your teen’s safety. That is why we make safety our top priority, so you can feel confident that we are the right place for your teen. All of our staff and programs are appropriately licensed or regulated by state or local agencies and adhere to established standards of care. If you have any questions on how we can help your teen, contact us.