Tara Begay FNP-C

I was born and raised in the Greater Phoenix Area. I am also a proud member of the Navajo Nation, located in northeastern Arizona. My parents were both educated in Indian boarding schools, away from home and their parents. It was "normal" back then to be taken from your home to be sent to schools that were hundreds of miles away from your homeland. They struggled in two worlds of the city and home (reservation), and they moved to Phoenix for the opportunities. The city life gave me the advantage of a good education, and exposure to wide variety ways of societies and life. Although I was not raised in the four corners area of Arizona, I still feel a connection to "home".

My collegiate journey began at Mesa Community College (MCC) in the certified nursing program in 2002. I enjoyed the program so much that I enrolled for my prerequisites for the nursing program. During my MCC years, I worked in correctional health in the state prison, and local jails as a license practical nurse. After three more years at MCC, I graduated with my associates degree in nursing in 2005. My training as a registered nurse started as a "new grad" at Banner Mesa Hospital for one year. I then accepted a position at Maricopa Integrated Health Systems in 2006 as a RN on an inpatient detention medical unit, and often "floated" to various units such as the Burn unit, APCU, medical/surgical units. In 2011, I transitioned to the Epic electronic health record build team, and focused on order set builds, and inpatient orders. this pivot in my career gave me the opportunity to experience the exciting and new world of electronic medical records! Also during this time, I was admitted to Grand Canyon university. I graduated in 2014 with my masters degree in nursing with an emphasis in family practice.

I have been a Family Nurse Practitioner since 2015, and working at District Medical Group, at various Valleywise family health clinics. Working with the underserved communities and with patients from various circumstances gave me a good basis for my own practice as a health professional. With the knowledge, experiences and opportunities during my time working for the "old county", I dreamed of partnering with another Nurse practitioner to start a nurse practitioner led medical office. Everything happens for a reason, and my reasons are to provide my clients with the best care possible.

Just FYI, my husband, and two sons are my reason for everything. I could not have done any of the above without the support of my family and friends.