College Medicine Cabinet Checklist

Chances are good that your college student won't have his or her own private bathroom with a medicine cabinet while away at college. Nevertheless, they'll need to have any medications they take and some first-aid essentials readily at hand. Here's what to do:

Find a clean, sturdy, lightweight plastic container that opens easily to serve as a "home-away-from-home" medicine cabinet. (Bathroom medicine cabinets aren't the best places to store medicines anyway since the damp humid air in them may cause ingredients in pills or capsules to change.) Keep medications in this container, along with first-aid supplies (see list below). Also include emergency phone numbers for a local health care provider or the student health center, as well as the regional Poison Control Center. Stash this "home-away-from-home" medicine cabinet in a dry, dark place. Lock it or store it in a locked cabinet if little kids are around.

The American College of Emergency Physicians suggests these items for a first-aid kit: