Students who serve: Catherine Renner, U.S. Air Force

Growing up, military service was never far from Catherine Renner’s mind. Her grandfathers served in the Air Force and Marine Corps, and her parents always supported military service as a rewarding career path — nearly all of her younger siblings have pursued military careers. But she didn’t seriously consider serving herself until she was awarded an Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship at the University of Michigan.

“I decided to give it a try, and within a few months I was hooked,” Renner said. “I loved the patriotism, camaraderie and challenge of being in the military, and I realized that this would be a chance for me to provide nursing care to our nation’s finest.”

When Renner graduated from U-M with her Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree in 2012, she commissioned into the Air Force as a second lieutenant. She was assigned to Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, where she spent three years on the medical-surgical floor. She then moved to Germany to work at Landstuhl Regional Medical Center, where she served in an outpatient oncology infusion clinic and spent time transporting wounded warriors as an aeromedical evacuation liaison officer.

“It was an honor to care for people who had sacrificed so much for their country, and the relationships I had with my patients are still very near to my heart,” Renner said.

Renner was still part of an Air Force reserve unit when she returned to U-M in July 2017 to enter the Primary Care Family Nurse Practitioner Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program. She officially completed her military service as a captain in June 2018, but her experience continues to influence her approach to the nursing profession.

“In the military, we constantly pushed each other to excellence and approached problems with hard work and a positive attitude, so I try to incorporate that into everything I do,” Renner said. “The military also taught me to be prepared for anything, including the worst case scenario, which I apply to patient care and anticipating potential problems.”

As Renner explained, serving in the Air Force helped her develop an expectation of excellence that has shaped her career goals and ultimately led her back to U-M for the DNP program.

“I was thrilled to be able to return to Michigan as a graduate student,” Renner said. “We are encouraged to think critically about real issues facing our profession today. I’ve enjoyed being challenged and I cherish the strong relationships I have with my classmates.”

As she prepares to graduate next year, Renner is also completing her certificate in nursing education and hopes to draw from her military experience to teach future generations.

“I have dreams of returning to U-M to teach one day. I’d like to give back to the school that has given me so much.”