New nurse pushes through pandemic

School Nurse Ms. Crystal Hoover began working at the high school on Sep. 28 during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“I interviewed virtually (for the nursing position) because we weren’t allowed to come in the building, and when I did get hired I only came in once to sign paperwork,” said Ms. Hoover. She replaces former nurse Ms. Lois Buck who retired last year.  

Ms. Hoover said she graduated from Shamokin High School and went to Messiah College to get her BSN. 

Ms. Hoover said she has worked as a nurse for about 15 years in several hospitals including York Hospital, Harrisburg Hospital and Hahnemann Hospital in Philadelphia.  

“I did some school nursing when I moved back to this area at a small private school,” added Ms. Hoover. She added that she came back to Milton because she missed her job as a school nurse, and she saw that Milton was hiring. 

“Milton has been very friendly and welcoming,” said Ms. Hoover.  

According to Ms. Hoover, there has been no specific training for nurses during COVID-19. She was given protocols and procedures for students from the Department of Health. Some of these procedures include a temperature and screening check for any possible symptoms. 

“If a student has two symptoms, we use that to determine if they should be sent home,” she added.  

If a student has a fever upon entering the school, they are sent to her immediately and their parents are called to pick them up, said Ms. Hoover.  

Ms. Hoover said the most difficult part of being a nurse during COVID-19 is thinking through symptoms and whether or not the students needs to be sent home. “It’s just another layer of thinking through what’s going on, and there’s more things to be aware of,” she added.  

Milton’s Health and Safety Plan (HSP) is very thorough and has a step-by–step process of what to do in case of a COVID-19 case, said Ms. Hoover. 

“My first priority would be making sure all children are safe,” she added. 

Ms. Hoover said that despite Milton’s HSP being very thorough, there are some difficulties such as knowing the plan itself and when to refer to it.  

Co-Principal Mr. Andrew Rantz said that he has already worked with Ms. Hoover in the high school. “We work closely with the school nurse for all normal health related school operations, but even more so now with implementing the District’s Health and Safety Plan,” he added.