As a nurse at the High School, Mrs. Spitzer wasn’t always around here. She moved here with her husband, Paul, and their three children (who now work in the Rochester area) when they were young.
She wanted her kids to be able to attend Victor schools, just like her.
Nine years ago, she began her career as a nurse here in Victor, which is, “exciting and rewarding” from what she said. For most teachers, their work remains within the school; for Mrs. Spitzer, her work as a nurse extends beyond the school walls.
With the former nurse who retired, Mrs. Spitzer decided she wanted a career change and chose this job; It was a drastic career change from her previous job, which involved working with newborns in the ICU who were born with birth defects or illnesses, as well as three years in public healthcare and with the American Red Cross blood service.
Her time in healthcare wasn’t random; there’s a family story behind it. Her grandmother and cousin were both nurses, and that inspired her to follow in their footsteps. “It sounded rewarding,” she said, “to have the ability to help people and feel good about it.”
However, during her time as a nurse in Victor Schools, COVID-19 emerged.
It was a big step back for the people working in Victor at the time, Mrs. Spitzer said, “It was very difficult and scary. It was the first pandemic I worked during, and the nurses’ office looked different. There were COVID tests in the nurses’ office and quarantine rooms. We had to learn while we were going through the pandemic.”
Despite the challenges she faced at work during the pandemic, Mrs. Spitzer has found ways to stay balanced and enjoy her time outside of school.
Mrs. Spitzer’s life is pretty well packed. She doesn’t always have to be working, though. With her free time, she says, “I like to hike and be active, playing with my dog, and reading historical fiction like Nightingale and things based on history in fiction.”
As Mrs. Spitzer`s also runs a Medical Explorers Club with Laurie Neroni, which the previous nurse had started, origins unclear of how many years it’s been run for by the former nurse. As the club looks into different medical careers, one thing she wishes people would know before going into them is, “Its rewarding there are some stressors, you work with people that are dying that can be pretty stressful you have to be ready for it. You are going to see things in life that aren’t fair or aren`t always happy.”
Being a nurse at Victor has its advantages, as being the primary healthcare provider in the school.
Mrs. Spitzer receives genuine kids who are sick and those who are not.
With 75 students a day coming down for Medications, Chronic Illness, Resting, Sick, or Injured, they`re determined to have at least some people skipping. To determine who’s skipping or not, they work as a team with the teachers to identify who’s using their location as a pass to skip. When a kid doesn’t show up, they call the teachers and tell them they`re skipping and figure out who they are.
When it comes to the overall health of Victor students, Mrs. Spitzer says there’s “room for improvement.” The biggest issue she notices? “When kids don’t feel well, it’s usually because they’re not eating or drinking enough,” she said.
After nine years, Mrs. Spitzer continues to be a comforting and reliable presence in Victor High School—always ready to help students feel better, both in and out of the nurse’s office.
