About me
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 during the COVID-19 pandemic, serving as the
Health and Safety Supervisor for various productions, including Ray Donovan, Billions, Ripley, and The Pale Blue Eye.
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.
Within a matter of weeks of Shaun's passing, I applied to Nursing school with the goal of not only providing care to AIDS patients but also to serve as a role model for other Nurses and healthcare workers to treat AIDS patients with high-level care grounded in dignity and respect. I would go on to became the Charge Nurse on an in-patient AIDS unit where I was responsible for the quality of care on our unit as well as mentoring Nursing students and Resident physicians on how to best care for our patients. That is the work that I am most proud of.
Areas of Nursing experience:
· Infectious Disease: HIV/AIDS
· Medical-Surgical and post-op care
· Cardiac Telemetry
· Respiratory and Ventilator care
· Intesive Care Unit
· Emerergency Room
· Interventional Cardiology
· Pacemaker/Defibrillator Diagnostic Clinic
· Management of Global Cardiovascular Clinical Research trials (Medtronic and Boston Scientific)
· Influenza and Streptococcus Clinical Research (Abbott)
· COVID-19 Compliance monitoring, testing and reporting
Pictured below: My fully stocked Medic kit with AED
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 Advisor, 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 concerned about my health and the health of my family and friends, as well as the impact COVID-19 would have on the health and well-being of everyone. With the entertainment industry shuttered, I wondered if I could help find solutions and implement policies and procedures that would get us back to work safely.
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-19 years came to a close and I concluded my role 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 Film, TV, photo shoots,commercials, and live events.
I hope you will find my experience and skill sets a good fit for your Production. If so, please get in touch with me by phone or email. References are available on request.