About me
Experienced Actor, Registered Nurse, Medic and Health and Safety Professional
I have over 40 years of experience in the performing arts and 30 years as a Registered Nurse. I was at the forefront of the return to work from the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as the
Health and Safety Supervisor for various productions, including Ray Donovan, Billions, Ripley, and The Pale Blue Eye. With my diverse background in acting, nursing, and Health and Safety, I believe I am a valuable asset to any Production.
A little bit about me and my journey toward being on your production team. I pursued my theatre degree and began my professional life in theatre. Ten years later, when my brother Shaun, also an actor, became ill with AIDS, I stepped in to care for him. Appalled by the care he received in a Dallas hospital during the final weeks of his life, I felt that he deserved someone to provide care and advocacy for him without fear. I became that person.
Shaun eventually left the hospital so he could die in his own home. He passed on June 7, 1991. Within a matter of weeks, I applied to Nursing school with the goal of not only providing care to AIDS patients but also serving as a role model for other Nurses and healthcare workers to treat AIDS patients with high-level care grounded in treatment with dignity and respect.
Not only was I able to accomplish this mission, I also became the Charge Nurse on an in-patient AIDS unit where I was responsible for the quality of care on our unit and working with Nursing students and Resident physicians on how to best care for our patients. This is the work that I am most proud of.
Areas of Nursing experience:
· Infectious Disease: HIV/AIDS
· Medical-Surgical
· Cardiac Telemetry
· ICU/ER
· Interventional Cardiology
· Pacemaker/Defibrillator Diagnostic Clinic
· Cardiovascular Clinical Research
· Influenza and Streptococcus Clinical Research
· COVID-19 Compliance and testing
Industry Experience
After a successful career in health care, I returned to performing and moved to NYC in 2015. I have been fortunate to have worked on several TV and film projects in front of and behind the camera and pursued stage work, which is my first love. Some of my favorite work in TV and film has been working on camera as a Special Ability Nurse. Productions often hire real Nurses for projects that require the skill and knowledge to bring realism to the scene. It's a perfect blend of two things that I am passionate about: acting and healthcare. Over the past 10 years, I have been able to carve out a nice niche for myself doing this work and have developed a reputation for being a solid choice by Productions. In tandem with my work as a Special Ability Nurse, I have been fortunate to lend my experience to TV and Film Productions as a Medical-Technical Consultant, advising on proper equipment, operation of equipment, and accuracy of procedures.
In March 2020, while working regularly as a Special Ability Nurse on "New Amsterdam," COVID-19 brought our world and our industry to a standstill. Like everyone, I was worried about my health and the health of my family and friends, as well as the toll COVID-19 would take on the health and well-being of everyone. With the entertainment industry shuttered, I wondered how I would make ends meet, and as an RN, I wondered if I could help find solutions and implement policies and procedures that would get us back to work.
In July 2020, I was hired as the Health and Safety Supervisor for Showtime's "Ray Donovan," overseeing COVID compliance as they wrapped out their series. I would go on to hold that position with "Billions" for seasons 5-7, for the "Ripley" New York Unit, and for the New York VFX unit for "The Pale Blue Eye." These were challenging years in our industry, and I am grateful that I got to play my part in getting us back to work and helping to keep our casts and crews safe and healthy and cameras rolling.
As the COVID years came to a close and I wrapped out on Billions in a Health and Safety Supervisor capacity, I transitioned to functioning as the Production Medic for the series wrap. I continue to work as a Medic for TV, Film, photo shoots, and commercials.
I hope you will find my experience and skill sets a good fit for your Production. If so, please reach out by phone, email, or via the "Online Appointments" section below. References are available on request.