Renee McDonald, referred to as Ren by her mom and Rambo by her dad, was born in Lansing, MI. Due to her father's position in the U.S. Navy her family, consisting of her parents and two sisters, moved many times during her childhood. This led to her attending seven different schools. Before she graduated from Orange Park High School in Orange Park, FL, Renee had her first child and got married, forcing her to reevaluate her life plan of going to medical school. A year after this in 1983, an attack on a Marine base in Lebanon influenced her to join the Navy. After joining the reserves, she continued to move across the country due to her husband's job as a Marine. While staying at the Marine base in Cherry Point, NC, she attended the U.S. Navy Fleet Marine Force "C" School where she learned to be a field medic for combat situations.
She soon moved to Columbia, SC in 1988 where she began her newfound career dream as a paramedic in Richland County. Here, she recalls the support of two paramedics, Scott Morgan and Craig Trefny, as crucial to her growth. They pushed for her to better her skills and constantly reinforced that she was stronger both in skill and mind than most of the male paramedics, which was vital due to the male-dominated environment at the time. This support was echoed by Dr. Debra Perina, the medical director for Richland County, who pushed Renee to continue working towards bettering the female representation in the field of EMS. From this position, she worked as a paramedic from South Carolina to California.
After settling in the upstate of South Carolina, she proposed a critical care pilot program for the state of South Carolina in 1998, a success that implemented further licensure in the field of EMS for South Carolina. She also went on to become a flight paramedic in both South Carolina and North Carolina in the early 2000s, yet another field with few women at the time. Ultimately, Renee says her dad's consistent encouragement allowed her to get this far in her career, with the Rambo nickname meaning she could do anything. Renee has been medically retired since 2014, but she maintains contact with her EMS peers.
Interviewed by: Jordan McDonald, USC Upstate
