Tammy Bennett, WHNP, was inspired from childhood to become a nurse. However, it wasn小蝌蚪APP檛 until Bennett earned her master小蝌蚪APP檚 degree that she found her calling by working in sexual and reproductive health.
Bennett says she wants to turn that passion into policy, and to do that she小蝌蚪APP檚 pursuing her Doctor of Nursing Practice online through the 小蝌蚪APP College of Nursing & Health Sciences.
小蝌蚪APP淲hen you have the DNP credential behind your name, people tend to listen,小蝌蚪APP she says.
Advancing from RN to NP
Bennett had an aunt who was a nurse. Bennett says she was enthralled by her aunt小蝌蚪APP檚 white scrubs, her beeper, and, above all, the urgency of her position. 
小蝌蚪APP淚 thought she was so important because she小蝌蚪APP檇 have to leave the family function and go to work,小蝌蚪APP Bennett recalls. 小蝌蚪APP淚 wanted to be, not important, but needed."
Bennett earned her bachelor小蝌蚪APP檚 in nursing in 1992 and spent nearly a decade as an ER nurse. Eventually, Bennett was promoted to charge nurse and faced a crossroads.
小蝌蚪APP淚 was looking at my life and thinking I was as high as I could go without getting out of patient care," Bennett says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 didn't want to get out of patient care, and I was only 26 years old, and I had a full career in front of me.小蝌蚪APP
Bennett小蝌蚪APP檚 solution was to advance her level of practice through an M.S. in Nursing degree. She completed her master小蝌蚪APP檚 in 2000, became a licensed women小蝌蚪APP檚 health nurse practitioner, and stepped into a grant-funded role running a low-risk OB clinic, working with patients through their pregnancies and then providing contraception after their deliveries.
小蝌蚪APP淚t was absolutely awesome,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淚 loved my patients, and I loved doing OB care.小蝌蚪APP
The grant ended after 10 years, and Bennett found another position. However, reproductive health continued to be her passion.
Tackling Title X
In 2017, Bennett jumped at the opportunity to serve as the reproductive health statewide nurse consultant for the Bureau of Family Health within the Office of Public Health, moving from Shreveport to New Orleans.
Through her role, Bennett works to ensure access to reproductive health through Title X, which directs federal funding to provide basic, preventive reproductive health care for all.
小蝌蚪APP淲e want patients to have quality family planning services in the state of Louisiana," says Bennett. 小蝌蚪APP淚 do that by partnering with 65 health units to deliver targeted services and by partnering with three Federally Qualified Health Centers to incorporate reproductive health into their repertoire of services.小蝌蚪APP
Federally Qualified Health Centers, or FQHCs, provide healthcare services in underserved areas. Bennett says to create better access, FQHCs serve multiple healthcare needs, from primary care and mental health to dental services, in one location.
Bennett has brought the perspective gained from her role to national organizations and conferences.
Three years ago, Bennett began working with the Washington, D.C.,-based National Family Planning Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) to research telemedicine offerings for Title X patients in Louisiana. Part of that research was establishing implementation procedures to enable patients using the Depo-Provera, or Depo, shot to administer their own injections instead of returning to their healthcare provider every three months.
小蝌蚪APP淚n 2019, the shot was approved for a subcutaneous version where patients could administer in the privacy of their own home. That breaks down barriers. They can have their medicine in the cabinet where they just grab it and do it every 13 weeks," says Bennett. 小蝌蚪APP淲e rolled out the subcutaneous version of Depo at the beginning of the pandemic and it has revolutionized Louisiana's ability to access contraception during the pandemic.小蝌蚪APP
She was invited to speak on Louisiana's implementation at a national level in April 2020. Since then, she has been asked to speak at three additional national conferences: The National Reproductive Health Conference, the Title X National Conference, and the upcoming Society for Family Planning Conference.
She was also the sole nurse practitioner invited to participate on a nationwide Centers for Disease Control and Prevention panel to write the guidelines for use and implementation for an emerging birth control method.
Bennett小蝌蚪APP檚 long-term goal is to use her DNP degree and credentials to amplify her voice to give FQHCs nationwide the tools to provide quality sexual and reproductive health services.
"My goal is to work on a national platform for Title X in Washington, D.C.,小蝌蚪APP says Bennett. 小蝌蚪APP淢y experience is primarily in clinical practice, so I would like to work with the individual states小蝌蚪APP reproductive health programs to help them to offer these evidence-based practices.小蝌蚪APP
Development through DNP
Bennett says earning her DNP degree will bolster her credibility on a national level while enhancing her current role through courses in epidemiology, project planning, and preventive care.
"This is what I小蝌蚪APP檓 doing now 小蝌蚪APP the quality assessments, the quality improvement plans, and the epidemiology because I also work with the Infectious Disease Epidemiology Program in Louisiana for COVID,小蝌蚪APP says Bennett. 小蝌蚪APP淭his is just right up my alley.小蝌蚪APP
Bennett has also connected with the program小蝌蚪APP檚 faculty. Dr. Cynthia Suire, assistant professor of nursing, served as Bennett's mentor during a Louisiana Action Coalition project and encouraged her to pursue her terminal degree.
小蝌蚪APP淗aving that mentor to pour into you that says, 小蝌蚪APP榊es you can do it,小蝌蚪APP was invaluable,小蝌蚪APP says Bennett. 小蝌蚪APP淚 don't think I'd be here without her.小蝌蚪APP
Bennett小蝌蚪APP檚 first semester of coursework began Aug. 23, 2021, but she said she'd found mentorship is part of the DNP program culture.
小蝌蚪APP淚've been so impressed with the faculty,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hey really pour time into the students they accept. And it's a competitive program, so I like that.小蝌蚪APP
To maintain her full-time job and organizational involvement alongside her doctoral studies, Bennett set her game plan before her first semester began.
"I have a she-shed that was delivered about a month ago and my husband is decking it out with an office, an extra bedroom, a full bath and a little mini kitchen, and honestly I don't know if my family will be seeing me for three years,小蝌蚪APP Bennett says.
More critical than the physical workspace Bennett小蝌蚪APP檚 creating is the space she小蝌蚪APP檚 creating in her calendar.
小蝌蚪APP淚t's called putting 小蝌蚪APP榬ocks小蝌蚪APP in your calendar. And those rocks are immoveable,小蝌蚪APP she says. 小蝌蚪APP淭hey小蝌蚪APP檙e going to be chunks of time that I'm going to have dedicated for my DNP work. If you don't make that time and make it known to your family and friends, 小蝌蚪APP業've got to work,小蝌蚪APP and treat it as such, you're always going to be behind the eight ball.小蝌蚪APP