Assembling a Medical Kit for Students

Human health can be fragile, especially if the human in question is a student. The hectic schedules, exam stress, assignments, and extracurricular activities mixed with non-academic worries and irregular eating habits are the perfect breeding ground for sickness. A medical kit for students, in this case, can be a great tool for students to take responsibility for their health and well-being. From seasonal sicknesses to your regular allergies, everything can be handled better with medical supplies readily available, and that can happen when you have a medical kit! 

In situations where medical supplies are scarce or medical care may be far away from you, having a medical kit readily available can be life-saving. A medical kit for students can also encourage students to be more independent when it comes to self-care by taking care of their small injuries and illnesses. In conclusion, medical kits are a valuable asset for students that support their active lifestyle and give them independence to live on their own while taking care of themselves. 

Assembling a medical kit Vs. buying one

For people who are too busy to assemble a medical kit, there are a variety of pre-packaged medical kits available in the market. These kits come with the basic medications, supplies, and equipment to handle a first-aid situation. 
So, what’s a better option? Assembling a medical kit for students or just simply buying one? Let’s compare the pros for both!  

Pros of assembling a medical kit for students 

1. Customisation: Buying your medical supplies separately and then assembling a medical kit for students can give you a greater level of customisation. Since you already know about your own medical needs, assembling your own medical kit rather than buying a prepackaged one can be especially beneficial. 

2. Quality: Assembling your own medical kit can also give you total control over the quality of your medical supplies. You can buy the highest quality items from the best brands or your favourite brands, making your kit hyper-suitable for your needs. Especially for people with specific allergies or sensitivities, quality control can be a very helpful factor. 

3. Learning experience: While assembling your medical kit, you will come across all the necessary basic medical supplies. By being exposed to these items, you will naturally have the curiosity to know the right way to use them. For example, if you buy an EpiPen to keep in your medical kit for emergencies, you will naturally research the correct usage, leading you to learn more about first aid and basic medical care.   

4. Long-term usage: Buying each and every medical supply separately can look expensive at first. However, in the long run, it can save you a lot of money. Since you have enough supply of all the supplies you need, your medical kit will be good for long-term usage. 

Pros of buying a medical kit for students 

1. Convenience: One of the biggest perks of buying a pre-packaged medical kit as a student is the fact that it is very convenient to do so. Since all the basics are covered and packed up for you, you don’t have to get through the hassle of buying everything separately and assembling it. This can save you a lot of time; a significant benefit for students with hectic schedules. 

2. Ready-made solution: What if you haven’t gotten started with assembling your medical kit and there’s an emergency? In such cases, buying a pre-assembled medical kit is a great ready-made solution.

3. Portability: Pre-packed medical kits for students are usually packed in a very compact way to increase the portability factor. Assembling your own medical kit with big amounts of supplies can make it bulky. On the other hand, the pre-packed kits have controlled portions of medical supplies, making them lighter and easier to carry around. 

4. Cost-effective: Buying a pre-packaged medical kit can be a way cheaper option than buying full supplies separately. It may not be a long-lasting solution, but the controlled portions of the items can bring down the cost significantly.

How to assemble a medical kit for students? 

Along with a lifestyle that keeps you healthy, to take care of yourself better, you have to make sure you take care of your short-term needs, like treating ailments and injuries, to maintain your optimal health, and a medical kit for students can help you out in doing so. 

If you have chosen to assemble your own medical kit for students, there are some basics you can cover to have the ultimate dorm first aid kit that can help you administer life-saving first aid, after which your student insurance can cover the actual treatment! Here’s a list of all the things you will need to assemble a medical kit for students: 

1. Essentials 

Start with basic essentials for your student first aid kit since these are some of the most important supplies that come in handy in case of a variety of situations. The basic essentials include gauze pads, adhesive bandages, wet wipes, antiseptic wipes, iodine ointment, cotton, cotton swabs, band-aids, etc. With these essential items, you should be able to treat minor injuries, including cuts, scratches, burns, scraped knees, etc. 

2. Pain relief 

With stress and night-long study sessions, headaches are a common issue that many students face during their academic year. Thus, including some over-the-counter pain relief medication like ibuprofen or paracetamol can be greatly helpful. 

3. Cold and flu remedies

Colds, coughs, and flu are some of the most common issues that humans go through. Usually, students live in close-quarter arrangements like dorms or shared apartments, making it easy for the cold to spread. So, make sure to keep some cold and flu remedies, like cough drops, soothing throat lozenges, etc, in your dorm first aid kit while assembling it. 

4. Allergy medication 

One of the biggest advantages of assembling your own medical kit for students is that you can keep all your allergy medication in it according to your needs since you already know them yourself. Along with your specific medications, keep some emergency antihistamines in it so you can handle the situation better in case you come in contact with some new allergens. 

5. Stomach and gut medications 

With changes in diet, routine, or even the weather come stomach and gastrointestinal issues. Since it is really common for students to face this issue, make sure to keep some medication for stomach and gut-related problems. This can help you suffer much less and stay healthy! 

6. Personal medications 

Now that all the basic things have been covered remember to make some space for your own personal medication. From prescribed drugs to vitamin supplements, make sure you keep them all in your medical kit for students in an organized way. 

7. Hygiene products 

Good hygiene is the first step to good health. So, keep your hygiene supplies like hand sanitiser, wet wipes, tissues and sanitary pads in your student first aid kit. Keeping these supplies in the kit can come in handy when you are at a place where soap and water are not easily available. 

8. First aid guides 

In case someone with no knowledge of first aid needs to use the medical kit for students, there should be first aid guides in the kit. Reading the guide can help the person better use the supplies in the kit and administer first aid better! 

9. Medical equipment

While you may not always need equipment for first aid, you can still have some of the basic ones that can make things easier for you. Here are some of the medical equipment you should have in your medical kit for students: 

• Tweezers 
• Scissors 
• Thermometer 
• Cotton swabs 

A medical kit for students is a great tool to empower students and help them be independent to a certain degree when it comes to taking care of their health. Accessing who is going to use the kit and what their personal needs are primarily can be a great way to assemble the ultimate medical kit for students that can help them in times of emergency. And, of course, your kit doesn’t have to be so expensive that you exhaust your student bank account because a good medical kit for students is the one with everything you need and not just an expensive one!