Hard work, dedication, and gratitude are some traits that may motivate people to achieve great things in life. At Naval Hospital Bremerton (NHB) Lt. Amy Bene has used those traits to earn her ambulatory care certification, a notable feat to add to her Navy Nurse Corps credentials.

Attaining an ambulatory care certification adds additional training and experience for a nurse like Bene to provide in-depth, patient-centered care on pain management and general health education with chronic injuries or illness. Her increased insight on medical screenings, triage, and case management also enhances her overall ability in enabling readiness, wellness and healthcare to Sailors, Marines, their families and retirees.

Naval Hospital Bremerton Commanding Officer, Capt. Christopher Quarles congratulated Bene in front of her coworkers for her success with the certification.

"There are only 20 nurses in the Navy with this specific certification," said Quarles. "This not only reflects her commitment toward self-improvement, it represents her commitment to continuing to improve our outpatient care and medical homeports."

Bene, who has worked with NHB's family practice and pediatrics clinics, is one of the few nurses who have this particular certification.

"I'm surprised that there [weren't] that many certified nurses already but I feel proud that I'm one of the 21 and I definitely want to keep my certification up," said Bene.

As she explained about the certification process she remained positive about the time invested and experience gained while staying determined to get it done.

"I got to this clinic about a year ago and as soon as I got here I said to myself, 'I'm going to be certified by next year,' and kind of made it my personal goal to get my certification done," said Bene. "The study material encompasses so much information. I wanted to be confident that I covered everything and even when you think you've studied the best you can, I was still a little bit nervous. But I was pretty confident that I passed."

And pass she did. According to the American Nurses Credentialing Center in order for Bene and others to attain the Ambulatory Care certification, she was required to have practiced at least two years full-time as a registered nurse; have completed a minimum of 2,000 hours of clinical practice in ambulatory care and/or telehealth nursing within the last three years; and have completed 30 hours of continuing education in ambulatory care and/or telehealth nursing within the last three years.

Bene completed her requirements and reflected on what she did in order to achieve her goal.

"I learned how to do a lot of immunizations and those count as credits toward the hours it takes you to earn them because you need a certain amount of credits to be qualified," said Bene. "I also did two years worth of ambulatory care by working in the ER (emergency room) for a year because it's walk-in care, and then here for a year so that qualified me to take the test."

Aside from working hard in completing the requirements it was the medical treatment that she received when she first enlisted in the Navy that motivated her to become a nurse in the first place, she said.

"When I was 19 I enlisted in the Navy and found out I had cancer," said Bene.

Bene received chemotherapy at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington.

"Sometimes it just took a smile at me that made the difference," she said. "I think having a nurse that's nice to you can be the one thing that can ease the pain away. It changes your whole experience as a patient."

Bene also explained the difficult time she had as a patient and continued to thank the nurses that made her want to be like them.

"There were days where I didn't want anyone else to touch me or the times they poked me so many times and nobody was getting it," said Bene. "It just gets so frustrating and so sad but when you see the one nurse who can help you or at least be nice to you and make you feel better, you say to yourself 'thank goodness she's here.' I wanted to be that nurse."

The appreciation she felt as she was treated for cancer molded her career and she never stopped being grateful for that new chance at life, she said.

"It's just one of those things about how my life went, even though I didn't know I was going to get cancer as soon as I came into the Navy; it's like the Navy saved my life," said Bene. "I got into chemo and have been in remission for about 20 years now so I just wanted to give back to the Navy for saving me. I got the opportunity to get commissioned -- I got it and I took it."

Even though her time in the Navy had a rocky start she continues to encourage others to maintain a positive attitude and become part of the Navy Nurse Corps.

"I would say definitely do it," Bene said. "It's really worth it. Being a nurse is really hard, I'm not going to lie, it's a hard job and it's not for everyone. I just really care about people, and I just wanted to be the one to make them feel better. If someone is really interested in nursing they should definitely try it."

Bene isn't just content with what she has attained and has new goals set for herself to achieve and be happy.

"My next goal may be to put in a package to become a pediatric nurse practitioner," said Bene. "It is something that at first I thought I wouldn't like but I think I have found my niche. I've been working as a nurse here at family practice and that has given me the most satisfaction versus the ER, urgent care, or inpatient care. It's just the one thing that I feel the most accomplished about and people trust me to do good things".

In the end Bene leaves people with a simple piece of advice for anyone trying to realize their goals.

"Definitely follow your dreams," Bene said. "I never thought that I would be a commissioned officer in the Navy Nurse Corps but here I am so dreams can come true. It may sound corny but it was true for me."

For more news from Naval Hospital Bremerton, visit www.navy.mil/.