Renee Engler, MD, is the recipient of the Excellence in Educational Service Award. The award recognizes a UNMC volunteer, emeritus or adjunct faculty member who exemplifies the spirit of outstanding teaching and whose contributions are significant and lasting to the advancement of health care learners, health care education or health care professions.
- Name: Renee Engler, MD
- Title: Emergency medicine physician, Great Plains Health in North Platte, Nebraska; adjunct clinical instructor, UNMC Department of Emergency Medicine
- Hometown: Grand Forks, North Dakota
You are the recipient of the Excellence in Educational Service Award. Why is “service to our learners” important in health care education?
During the past 12 years, I’ve had the privilege of being the emergency department director of student education for at least seven concurrent programs. With a large scope of different student knowledge bases, procedural and clinical skills, my focus has always been to teach skills necessary to provide exceptional patient care in a rural emergency medicine setting. This includes becoming comfortable treating critical patients with limited resources, without transfer capabilities or specialty backup, to not only manage the emergency department but provide critical care for the entire facility, accept transfers from a multi-state region and direct rural EMS. This is done by not only sharing knowledge but inspiring confidence, independence and compassion, to give students different realms of thought processes, experiences and procedural refinement and also to guide and nurture without stifling students’ visions and growth while providing safe care.
Describe your proudest moment as an educator.
Student education is what motivates me every day. What I receive from every student is more than I could ever give in return. They have reshaped and electrified a very long career.
What do you want others to know about your teaching experience?
Thank you, residents, high schoolers, undergraduate and medical students for all you do to advance MY education and the care you give to our patients.
Do you have a favorite quote or philosophy on teaching?
“Be Your Best You!”