Program Director, Perioperative Nurse Traininhg Program West Coast
U.S Navy/ Naval Medical Center San Diego
Commander Bennett is the Program Director for the Navy Perioperative Nurse Training Program on the West Coast in San Diego, California. She is a native of Kaneohe, Hawaii. She received her Bachelor’s of Science in Nursing from Hawaii Pacific University, Hawaii Loa Campus in 1994. She worked as a registered nurse in the civilian health care before receiving her commission as a LTJG in 1999 and attended Officer Indoctrination School (OIS) in Newport, Rhode Island.
CDR Bennett was stationed at Naval Hospital Camp Pendleton, California; United States Naval Hospital Yokosuka, Japan; Fleet Surgical Team NINE, San Diego, California; Naval Medical Center Portsmouth, Virginia; Naval Health Clinic Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii; Naval Medical Center Camp Lejeune, North Carolina; and United States Naval Hospital Sigonella, Italy. In 2008, CDR Bennett successfully completed the Navy’s Perioperative Nurse training at Camp Pendleton. She has worked in all perioperative areas in the staff nurse, team leader, and Department Head roles. As Department Head she coordinated a multi-disciplinary team during multiple construction projects in the operating rooms and sterilization department. She served as a perioperative nurse during Continuing Promise 2011 onboard the USNS Comfort, providing surgical services to nine countries in the Caribbean and Central and South America. In 2017, CDR Bennett obtained her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Phoenix. CDR Bennett was forward deployed to Camp Lemonnier, Djibouti, Africa for perioperative nurse coverage in December 2019.
Her personal awards include the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal (four awards) and the Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (two awards) and various service and personal awards.