I graduated from Monmouth in 2009 with a BS in Business Administration, before going on to complete a nursing degree at Brookdale Community College in 2013. I then went to work locally as a registered nurse at Jersey Shore University Medical Center in neurology, spent a short time "travel nursing" in the Bay Area, and now work at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA. My current specialty is Cardiac Telemetry. I care for a variety of cardiac patients, including those recovering from valve replacement surgeries and open heart surgery. I am a Certified Progress Cardiac Care nurse.
While my specialty is Cardiac care, the COVID-19 pandemic has required myself and almost all healthcare providers to shift their focus, and be willing to take on new and sometime unfamiliar roles, including direct care of COVID patients. Surge planning at my hospital is in progress, training nurses like myself to provide assistance with ICU level care, if the need arises.
While images of blue gowns, masks and eye protection is new for the general public, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is nothing new to the average nurse, most days pre-pandemic we spent long hours in gowns and masks, caring for our patients, and that hasn't changed. We will still show up and be there for our patients. pandemic or not. I am happy to share that we have stayed well supplied here with sufficient PPE and my thoughts are with the nurses and doctors all over the country who are not being protected like they should be.
My career as a student-athlete taught me the importance of teamwork, commitment, and sacrifice for the greater good of the team, and these qualities are essential in nursing.
On a more personal level, I am married to a fellow Monmouth soccer alumni, Tommy Gray, and we have an 18 month old son Finley. We live in Ventura, CA. Like everyone we have been spending lots of quality time at home, and sneaking out for walks in our neighborhood, while maintaining a safe social distance. When not socially isolating, we love to hike and spend time on the beach and in the ocean.
I hope you are all staying healthy and safe at home. Thank you so much for doing your part to flatten the curve. Don't forget to wash your hands!
- Katie Gray
Katie Gray, the former Katie Buffa, compiled a 0.96 goals-against average as a goalkeeper for the Monmouth women's soccer team from 2005-08. She was named All-NEC Second Team in 2006 and helped Monmouth win the NEC Regular Season and Tournament Championships in 2007. The East Meadow, NY native graduated from Monmouth in 2009 with a degree in Business Administration. She works as a cardiac/telemetry RN at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, CA.
