Tonia (Taylor) Hoffman
Class of 1993
As a Big Piney High School student, Tonia Taylor excelled in the classroom as well as in activities. She was a member of the volleyball squad as well as a cheerleader. She was an active participant in Big Piney High School’s music programs. Her devotion to her studies enabled her to achieve membership into the National Honor Society.
Following her graduation in 1993, Tonia enrolled at Northwest Community College where in 1997 she earned her Nursing Degree. From that point, Tonia Hoffman has dedicated her life to the field of medicine.
Prior to her present position as the school nurse for Sublette District #9, Hoffman has served the communities of Big Piney and Marbleton as well as Sublette County. Tonia is currently as board member for the Rural Health Care District. She has organized the Health Fair for years and has served for Nurses for Community Health (Previously Nurses For the Health of It) since 1997.Through that organization, Tonia helped develop a scholarship program for high school students interested in entering the nursing profession. During these years, Nurse Hoffman also worked for county clinics as well as Home Health.
Becoming employed by Sublette County District #9 not only provided Nurse Hoffman the opportunity to serve the students of the district but also provided an opportunity to become a leader within the state dealing with student health but also in the profession of School Nurses. She is an active member of the Wyoming School Nurses Association as well as the National Association of School Nurses. In 2019, Nurse Hoffman spoke at legislative hearings to advocate for a state Student Nurse Consultant to help develop policy and guidance for school nurses throughout state of Wyoming. As an advocate for Big Piney High School, she developed a comprehensive medically based Reproductive Health education curriculum. It was the first such program in the State of Wyoming and she now trains other school nurses around the state to teach the program.
Nurse Hoffman is also working with Western Wyoming Community College to offer and teach Certified Nursing Assistant course for student interested in nursing as a profession. She also teaches First Aid and CPR to BPHS seniors as well as all coaches seeking to maintain state certification.
Recognition is not easily attained in the nursing profession nor is it of importance in the minds of medical professionals. Nurse Hoffman says providing the needed care is the “reward” that nurses seek. With that, Nurse Hoffman was a nominee for the very prestigious DAISY AWARD given nurses who have provided years of extraordinary compassion and care in the field of nursing. In 2017, Nurse Hoffman was presented the first ever Support Staff of the Year Award by the school district. This year, the Wyoming Department of Health named Tonia the School Nurse District Champion of 2020!
Spare time finds Tonia earning a Master Gardening Degree with expectations of using the degree for community service and beautification. It also finds her making candy in the small business that she started a number of years ago.