Living in the "Entertainment Capitol of the World", we get a lot of celebs in the hospitals. In addition, there are the one's who live here, commute here, work part-time here and occasionally need home health, hospice, etc.
My first assignment as a Nurse Case Manager was to a show on the Strip for the headliner, cast, and crew. No, this wasn't one of the 'showgirl' shows (did that too), this was one of the many broadway-based shows. When any of member of the show had an injury, I was called to get them to a doctor appropriate for the injury, meet them at the doctor's office to make sure they were seen NOW, go in with them to the doctor, make sure their needs were met, and relate all important info to the show manager. Yes, some of it meant going the extra mile and picking them up at their home and taking them to the appointment (MY KNEE! MY KNEE! I need help! ). That was just the tip of the iceberg - not to mention teaching about injuries, having to develop treatment plans for the injuries they could sustain from the choreography and the elaborate costumes with the physical therapist. Rendering first aid from burns from the pyrotechnics, etc. It was a lot!!
Now, I was a rather naive girl growing up, and had never been exposed to "alternative" lifestyles so up close and personal before . Dealing with sooo many different personalities, extremes, and DRAMA kept me on my toes. After a year with this show, I was being called by cast members on anything from how to manage the $4,000 a week they were getting so they had money if they didn't get signed on the next contract, to crying with a cast member who learned his partner was dying of AIDS. It didn't matter if what was wrong had anything to do with the show or not, I was "their nurse". :kiss
The other fun part was having to go out and interview the physicians that the show manager wanted me to hand-select to treat their celebrities. Wow, a nurse deciding a physician's fate for once! (ego boost! ). It was a GREAT job. It was sad because shows do end at some point and folks with stars in their eyes don't always get their $4000 a week (and that was just the supporting cast!) contract renewed, but it was a great reward for this nurse who didn't feel she could do bedside care anymore. At the last performance, I was given a panoramic picture of the cast and crew with all their signatures in a frame saying, "Thank you, our Angel". :)
I have worked with more celebs since then, but, if I could pick one celebrity I'd like to have as a patient, bedside, I'd pick Harrison Ford. He's seems pretty cool to me.
). That was just the tip of the iceberg - not to mention teaching about injuries, having to develop treatment plans for the injuries they could sustain from the choreography and the elaborate costumes with the physical therapist. Rendering first aid from burns from the pyrotechnics, etc. It was a lot!!
. Dealing with sooo many different personalities, extremes, and DRAMA kept me on my toes. After a year with this show, I was being called by cast members on anything from how to manage the $4,000 a week they were getting so they had money if they didn't get signed on the next contract, to crying with a cast member who learned his partner was dying of AIDS. It didn't matter if what was wrong had anything to do with the show or not, I was "their nurse". :kiss
). It was a GREAT job. It was sad because shows do end at some point and folks with stars in their eyes don't always get their $4000 a week (and that was just the supporting cast!) contract renewed, but it was a great reward for this nurse who didn't feel she could do bedside care anymore. At the last performance, I was given a panoramic picture of the cast and crew with all their signatures in a frame saying, "Thank you, our Angel". :)