CARING CALLING

Young nurse practitioner has had impact, far beyond her years

BY ELLEN GILLETTE

On a recent flight from Miami to San Francisco, the pilot’s voice came over the intercom. Were there any medical personnel on board? “I looked around,” Fort Pierce’s Emma Rentzke said. “No one else was standing up.”

Rentzke made her way to the back of the plane where a man in his 50s was doubled over with chest pains; she learned he had a history of diabetes and hypertension. The typical treatment — nitroglycerin tablets, aspirin, oxygen — was in a medical kit on board, but the flight attendant said only a doctor could open it.

Rentzke was undeterred. “I said, ‘I’m sorry. I’m a nurse practitioner, but we’re just going have to ask for forgiveness. This is a serious emergency.’”

Within minutes, the man’s condition improved, eliminating the need for an unscheduled landing. 

Onlookers may have been skeptical when Rentzke stepped forward — at least, at first. Even though she took the same courses as others — and put in the same hours of clinical rotation and took the same tests — something sets her apart. 

At 19, Rentzke was the youngest registered nurse in Florida. Now only 24, Rentzke serves her community as a nurse practitioner. 

CHILDHOOD DREAMS

Rentzke was, for all practical purposes, an only child. “My mother was 41 when she had me, so I was definitely a surprise. I sort of grew up with my nieces and nephews.”

At her elementary school in Okeechobee, half of the lessons were in Spanish; the others, in English. “I don’t fluently speak [Spanish],” Rentzke said. “But I can get something across. When I’m explaining about diabetes and things like that, it helps. People care when you speak their language.”

The daughter of two teachers and the sister of two others, only Rentzke gravitated to medicine. “In some ways you’re still a teacher,” she said. “Probably 50% of my job is education: telling my patients what I’m doing, why I’m doing it and why it’s important for them to follow my treatment plan.”

After her parents divorced when she was in middle school, Rentzke moved to Fort Pierce with her mother and her grandmother. The adjustments were difficult; Rentzke suffered from migraines and anxiety. Her mother took her 

to work with her at Indian River State College, where Rentzke completed schoolwork online through the Florida Virtual program. 

“If I had an issue,” she said, “I’d go to the math department or ask a history professor. I was so grateful for all the people who helped me through.”

More adjustments followed when her mother remarried, although everyone got along well. Rentzke was somewhat of a loner at school. “I didn’t have a lot of friends. I was such a nerd. Some of the people I met — we just didn’t match. My stepdad encouraged me that I would meet my ‘people’ one day.”

In the dual enrollment program at Somerset College Preparatory Academy in Port St. Lucie, Rentzke earned her associate’s degree before graduating high school a year early. “It was a bit of a fight, but it didn’t make sense for me to go another year if I had all the credits.”

Getting accepted into the nursing program at IRSC also required a bit of maneuvering. Initially denied, Rentzke says the reluctance was linked to both insurance concerns and emotional maturity. “There was worry about me being at the hospital. At 17, I was technically still a minor. But we were able to work with IRSC so I could start. [Nursing school] was the hardest thing I’d ever done.”

Hard — and rewarding. As her stepfather had predicted, Rentzke did finally meet kindred spirits. “I met tons of wonderful people,” she said. “We keep in contact all the time. I didn’t meet my best friend until I was 19, but, you know, getting to feel that you’re with people that love you.”

CONTINUING EDUCATION

While in school, Rentzke qualified for a certified nursing assistant license and was hired at Cleveland Clinic in Vero Beach. In January 2020, she became a registered nurse. 

Shadowing more experienced nurses as a newbie, Rentzke was grateful for their wisdom and encouragement. COVID-19 sped up her training. “Units were full,” she said. “Sometimes we couldn’t get respiratory therapy or other departments we needed because things backed up. I got really good at handling emergencies.”

Two positive things happened against the backdrop of the pandemic: Rentzke became a first-time homeowner before her 20th birthday and also met her best friend, Nikolaus. They married two years ago.

Career, home, marriage — for many people those are the fulfillment of all their dreams. Rentzke aimed higher, however. Learning about Florida Atlantic University’s nurse practitioner program, she applied — somewhat dubiously. “I thought there was no way I’d get in. I’d only been a nurse a year.” 

She was accepted immediately. 

Now on staff at Fort Pierce Family Urgent Care, Rentzke is at the review stage of yet another milestone: FAU’s Doctor of Nursing program. Her project was an anonymous exit survey for patients. “I’ve always been curious about what I could do better.”

NEXT STEP UP

Rentzke and her husband enjoy travel and hope to have children one day, but for now, it’s all about being the best nurse practitioner that she can be by always expanding her knowledge and impact. Rentzke is considering a post-master’s certificate in psychiatric mental health. “Sometimes a primary care provider is the first to pick up on mental issues, so I’d love more education on how to better deal with that.”

Rentzke’s patients benefit from the fact that she is a proponent of exercise, healthy eating and self-care in her own life. “People respond better when you’re able to share with them that this is something you also do,” she said. “It’s so rewarding to take care of people and have their trust. When I come home at night, that makes me feel like I’ve had a great day.”

To achieve so much in a relatively short time, sacrifices were made. Rentzke didn’t have the typical high school or college experience. Naysayers told her she was too young, too nice. Some said, “Women don’t belong.” 

Nevertheless, she is grateful for the timing of her journey and for the help she received from so many others along the way. “Being in this community almost feels like a ministry, being able to give back.”

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EMMA VANCAMP RENTZKE

Age: 24

Lives in: Fort Pierce

Occupation: Nurse practitioner

Family: Husband, Nikolaus Rentzke; parents; stepparents; siblings with children

Education: Associate and bachelor’s degrees in nursing, Indian River State College; master’s degree and doctoral program at review, Florida Atlantic University

Hobbies: Working out, running, spending time with friends, traveling

Who inspires me: “So many educators, my stepdad and mom helped me get where I am. My dad was a technical engineer — I feel like I’ve gotten a lot of his organization skills, time management, his attention to detail. But, also, there was a nurse practitioner who took care of me since I was 10, after my parents got divorced. He made me feel so comfortable and helped me so much. I kind of knew I wanted to be in his role one day.” 

Something most people don’t know about me: “I’m a pretty hard Taylor Swift fan.”