Moore’s Time at PHS Defined by Pandemic

School Nurse Emme Moore has been working at Paoli since 2019, right at the start of the pandemic.

Before being the school nurse, Moore held various jobs. She stacked lumber at a lumber factory, was a receptionist at a fitness center, a waitress and was even a nurse in the Intensive Care Unit.

Moore graduated from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis(IUPUI), in 2008 and received her RN.

“I really enjoy working with people and children. I have lots of compassion for children and it’s a great feeling when I can help a child feel better. The feeling of being part of a community makes me so proud and being a nurse gives me that satisfaction,” said Moore.

The pandemic has created numerous challenges for Moore and her team at Throop and the high school.

“We used to have a lot more trust between people and now people are constantly worrying about if someones gonna get them sick or wondering if they are being told the correct information. Now our main concern is this pandemic and it’s difficult because our attention could be on other needs,” said Moore.

The process that Moore and her staff go through when a student or staff is found to be positive is a little chaotic.

“When a student comes to me with symptoms the first step I have to take is determining whether or not the symptoms meet the criteria the CDC has made for us. If it’s something like a headache or your stomach hurting it could be so many other things but if you’re having cold chills or body aches then it changes the way we have to tackle the situation,” says Moore, “After determining if the symptoms meet the criteria, I have to figure out the timeline and dates for when the student or staff member can return along with phone calls to the parents or guardians.”

In the future, Moore hopes for a return to a more normal job.

“I have so much planned for the near future. We are in the process of creating a health education and wellness clinic at the school. I want this school based health clinic to be able to examine students right here at school and be able to meet virtually with other providers,” said Moore.

Nurse Moore hopes there comes a time when there is no more mention of COVID because she feels this has taken a toll on everyone.

“I hope that we can go back to when students could come to school and be treated for normal health things and not have to worry about being quarantined,” said Moore.

For students considering pursuing a career in the medical field, Moore encourages them to stay involved.

“Get involved with as much stuff as possible and make it a point to involve yourself because you need to keep learning and making opportunities for yourself,” said Moore