“It’s about my patients…This is what drives me. It’s about taking care of people that can’t take care of themselves.”
“My dad was driven. I get my work ethic from him.”
Retired Technical Sergeant (TSgt) Tamara N., 54, enrolled in the Air Force right out of high school where she established herself as a nurse on the frontlines of healthcare, providing care to active duty soldiers.
Tammy — as she is known to her friends — became an Air Force CPR instructor, but, it was her duty as a mom that propelled her towards a career in healthcare.
Her son has asthma. One day he stopped breathing, and she resuscitated him with CPR.
It was at that moment that Tammy decided on a career in healthcare, “I needed to take care of my son. And to do that I needed a lot more medical training.”
She went to school and eventually received her BSN and worked as a nurse at the William Beaumont Army Medical Center (WBAMC). WBAMC provides medical care to active and retired military personnel and their dependents in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona.
She became enamored with forensic science while at WBAMC working as sexual trauma nurse examiner where she worked with sexual violence survivors. Tammy attended to their medical needs, as well as collected evidence that could help identify the perpetrator. Not only did the job require her to heal the physical wounds of her patients, but also the emotional ones.
In 2016, Tammy moved to Las Vegas. Looking for a chance to further her career, she enrolled at Aspen University and began her quest towards a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on Forensic Nursing.
Tammy completed her clinicals at the coroner’s office in Las Vegas, Nevada, and worked alongside crime scene investigators.
Tammy applied to a job at the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital in Las Vegas. She had already started the program at Aspen when she received a call that the job was hers if she was still interested in the position. However, the VA wanted her for a different role. This was to be a supervisory position, which required a master’s degree.
Not one to shy away from a challenge, Tammy accepted the nurse manager position. She worked full time, took two classes at a time, and finished the MSN in Forensic Nursing program in November 2017.
Tammy’s newest ambition is to start a forensic program at her hospital. “Every time we receive a case involving sexual trauma, it’s sent to a different hospital.” She worries about the loss of evidence and how the shuffling around from hospital to hospital can affect the patient.
“It’s about my patients…This is what drives me. It’s about taking care of people that can’t take care of themselves.”
We are proud to have Tamara as an alumnus and look forward to her updates!