NEW YORK NURSE: June 2008
New York Presbyterian Hospital RN Heidi Brookins has been dancing up a storm for the last three years at the home studio of Maksim Chmerkovskiy of Dancing With the Stars fame. While a relative newcomer to ballroom dancing, Brookins has improved so dramatically that she is frequently selected to perform at the studio’s showcases. Brookins, who credits her interest in caring for others to her mother, a dental hygienist, has spent her entire 37-year career at New York Presbyterian Hospital. She worked for 30 years in the ER before being offered the role of NYSNA release time nurse representative. After five years in that role, Brookins moved into the diagnostic radiology department, and says she loves the variety involved with her current position. A lifelong admirer of dancing, she booked a free lesson at the studio when it first opened in Ridgefield, N.J., three years ago, and hasn’t stopped dancing since. She says, “I really enjoy it. It energizes, me, improves my stamina, and definitely reduces my stress.”