Scrubs and Skates: Metropolitan Riveters’ Cat Crawley Talks Dual Nursing and Hockey Careers

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EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – For forward Catherine Crawley of the Metropolitan Riveters, living in two separate worlds is just another part of the game.

That’s because in addition to her Premier Hockey Federation (PHF) career with the Riveters, Crawley also works as a registered nurse, a career path that requires her to balance demanding schedules in both hockey and nursing.

Crawley recently sat down for an in-depth interview about what it takes to make both of her dream careers come true, what her schedule looks like, and more.

When it came to nursing, her inspiration to enter the field came from a pair of nurses who gave her a helping hand while in college.

“I was first inspired to become a nurse after working with an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) at the University of Connecticut through Counseling and Mental Health Services,” said Crawley. “Both of those individuals helped me to get my mental health on a better path and motivated me to want to do the same for others in the future.”

However, it wasn’t until after her time at UConn that Crawley was able to get her nursing degree, thanks to a one year accelerated nursing school program. It was also the APRN and the DNP she saw at UConn who inspired her to take that next step and find her way into the career she enjoys today.

During the week, her schedule balancing hockey and nursing is jam packed. Taking a slice from Crawley’s weekly schedule, a typical Tuesday sees her waking up at 6:00 a.m. to drive to New Jersey for practice that starts at 9:00 a.m.

After practice she’ll drive home to get in a quick lift and nap before work. Then she heads to the hospital at 6:00 p.m. for her shift that starts at 7:30 p.m. and goes overnight until 7:30 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Following a 12-and-a-half-hour shift, Crawley drives home, showers, and sleeps all day, waking up around 6:00 p.m. to eat, stretch and set out her clothes for the next day. Then she’ll take melatonin to sleep all night and be ready to wake up at 6:00 a.m. Thursday morning for practice.

“There are some days where I have to work overnight until 7:30 and then drive from my hospital directly to the rink for practice,” she said. “These days are the toughest on my body.”

“I’m uncertain anyone would call my weeks balanced but it’s manageable with a lot of planning,” Crawley added.

In the field of nursing, Crawley said that there are both gratifying and gut-wrenching moments to her job. Part of the good side for her is caring for someone during one of the most vulnerable times in their life.

“Whether the patient just experienced a heart attack, stroke, spinal cord injury or is end of life, treating each individual with dignity and knowing you are the calmness in their chaos is very rewarding,” she said.

The flip side to that level of care is the weight of responsibility she feels to her patients and their families, knowing that she has a life in her hands.

And for Crawley, while death is an inevitable, integral part of life, when it unexpectedly pops up at her job, it can leave her with overwhelming feelings of guilt, sadness, incompetence and self-doubt, all of which she has to overcome and push to the side within a few minutes before going in to check other patients who are also awaiting care.

It’s this balancing act that left a major impression on her coworkers in the medical field, and whom Crawley credits for helping to lift her up while she’s on call and beyond.

“My medical coworkers were definitely surprised when they first heard about my career, especially that I have a small build of only being 5’2”.” Said Crawley. “However, my colleagues have been nothing but encouraging and I would not be able to manage both [jobs] if I did not have their support.”

The support comes from both inside and outside of her shifts, as some of her nursing coworkers were able to come to a few of the Riveters home games.

Crawley also relayed a story about going to work and hearing about a day shift nurse who had seen her interview on TV while taking vitals in a patient's room. Seeing and hearing these examples from her fellow medical professionals shows her just how exciting of a time it is to be a part of women’s hockey.

“I’m very fortunate to be surrounded by coworkers who always check in on me, ask me how the season is going, and are excited to hear about the Metropolitan Riveters,” she said.

Crawley added that while her hockey teammates are not surprised to hear that she’s a nurse, they’re often surprised when they hear about what she witnesses every single day at work.

And while balancing both jobs is certainly not easy, it’s rewarding for Crawley, who hopes to have hockey and nursing in her world for the foreseeable future and beyond.

“I feel as though hockey will always be a part of my life in some way, shape or form,” said Crawley. “Whether that be through coaching, playing, mentorship or skills sessions, I hope to be able to be a nurse and have hockey be a part of my life for many years to come.”

(This story originally ran on the Metropolitan Riveters website, and was published on Feb. 21, 2023. Photo courtesy of the Metropolitan Riveters. Story by Matthew Kass.)