By Katy Nguyen
The night of her oldest son’s birthday, Nurse Marci McLean-Crawford was checking her emails when she found out that she had been awarded the Excellence in School Nursing Award by the California School Nurses Organization (CSNO).
“I was in shock because I had nominated another very deserving nurse. I also serve on the board and they were able to keep it under wraps. Receiving the award just helps validate the hard work,” said Nurse Marci, who is the president of the CSNO Southern California section.
Nurse Marci recounted her first year at Fountain Valley High School (FVHS) in 2009, when she had her own office for the first time after coming from a district where she worked at five different schools at once.
“The biggest pull for me was that I am a team player and this would give me the opportunity to get to know the staff, students, and families I served,” Nurse Marci said. “In other districts, when you have several sites, you don’t get the opportunity to be part of the culture.”
Nurse Marci’s connection with FVHS also goes way back before she was hired because she graduated from FVHS in 1993.
“When I interviewed [for the position], my guidance specialist from high school was still here, Ms. Whitman, and came running out to greet me,” she said. “I got offered the job within an hour of my interview and haven’t looked back.”
A lot has happened since then. During her first year at FVHS, Nurse Marci experienced one of the scariest moments in her career when a student had a brain bleed.
“Years later, he nominated me for the 2016-2017 America’s Greatest School Nurse Award and I was the California finalist,” Nurse Marci said. “The fact that one of my own students went through the trouble of nominating me was heartwarming.”
Having worked through other health-related issues like the H1N1 pandemic in 2009, the TDAP requirement and measles outbreaks, Nurse Marci continuously strives to provide a safe environment on campus, especially amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Her current procedure for when a family is dealing with COVID-19 is to ensure they are given adequate resources and are supported.
“I work with teachers and school psychologists to find a plan to support [students who may have COVID-19] academically. If students don’t have a medical home, I help them find one and support the families with whatever they need,” Nurse Marci said. “Once we have students back [for in-person instruction], I will be in charge of triaging students and staff to keep them at school or send them home.”
Nurse Marci works with the Orange County Health Care Agency when there is a positive case on campus. Her responsibilities include contact tracing and guiding school administration through positive cases. Nurse Marci is also part of committees for the safe return of athletics and performing arts.
“Right now is a busy and ever-changing time,” Nurse Marci said. “I have days, like many of you, that I need to take a few minutes for myself and do some mindfulness activities so that I can keep moving forward.”
