Master’s student Van Doren promoted to Air Force major

Karin P. Van Doren, master’s student at the UW-Madison School of Nursing (SoN) and officer in the U.S. Air Force, stood in military dress next to the American flag—symbolic of the freedoms she honors and defends—surrounded by family, friends and cadets who had gathered on November 30, 2004, to honor her. The ceremony marked the promotion of Van Doren to the grade of major in the U.S. Air Force.

On her day of promotion, Major Van Doren’s acceptance remarks were framed by what is the heart and soul of the military—teamwork. The major focused not on her achievements, but on the individuals whose shoulders she stood to reach her goals.

Three lieutenant colonels—two nurses and one flight commander—were majors when Van Doren served under them. Van Doren explains that they taught her “about keeping perspective” and a sense of humor, that “good leaders are also good followers,” and that “when you get too comfortable with what you know, it is time to go back to school and learn some more.”

Attaining the rank of major

Van Doren, currently on active duty in the Air Force, has served in the military since 1990. She is a part of the Officer Corps, which comprises learned professionals who have a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.

“Being promoted to major is a big deal, says Van Doren, “because it marks recognition by the Air Force that you are good career officer material.”

It is a big deal, indeed. Promotion to an upper rank is a very competitive process, notes the major. “In order to be promoted,” she explains, “you must spend enough time ‘in rank’ to quality for the next level. This time is used to advance nursing, leadership, management and professional officership skills.” In addition, she notes, Congress controls and must approve the promotion, requiring signature by the President.

What drew her to military nursing?

Major Van Doren is living proof of the military’s claim that today’s force is among the best educated in history. She graduated from Stanford University in 1984 with a double bachelor’s degree in Asian languages and international relations. Over the next few years while teaching English in China, Taiwan and Japan, she visited Calcutta, India. There, she met people who worked with Mother Teresa of Calcutta. Their stories served as the underpinnings of her career in nursing.

Upon her return to the United States, she enrolled at California State University-Sacramento, graduating in 1990 with a bachelor’s degree in nursing. From there, she joined the U.S. Navy Nurse Corps for her first tour of duty.

.“I returned to the states with a profound appreciation of the liberties, freedom and standard of living that so many of us take for granted as Americans,” says Van Doren. “A career as a military nurse was a way for me to serve our country in appreciation for the benefits we as Americans are lucky enough to enjoy just by being born here.”

History of assignments in the military

Van Doren was assigned as a staff nurse on a medical-surgical unit, followed by positions in labor and delivery, postpartum and newborn nursery units at Bremerton Naval Hospital in the state of Washington. During this tour of duty, she developed a handbook for new parents. It was adopted throughout the Pacific Command in Japan, Guam and the West Coast.

After a two-year “stint” as a civilian, Van Doren rejoined the military; this time, the Air Force. She was stationed at Langley Air Force Base in Virginia and in Lakenheath, England, where she worked in obstetrics, specializing in labor, delivery and postpartum care.

Her “tour of duty” as master’s student

Today, Van Doren is pursing two master’s-level degrees at SoN as a maternal child clinical nurse specialist and a women’s healthcare nurse practitioner, to be granted in August of 2005.

Getting her master’s degree in nursing is, in the eyes of the military, a “tour of duty” for which Van Doren had to qualify. She endured a competitive selection process, including reviews of annual job performance records, undergraduate GPA and GRE scores and community service activities. In addition, she must have satisfactorily completed professional military education classes.

She explains: “I had to be selected by the AF as a good candidate to earn a master’s degree before being allowed to apply to the university. For active duty members, this type of ‘tour’ is highly coveted. It is like being given a two-year expense paid sabbatical.”

She chose the UW-Madison SoN for its high standard of excellence in nursing education. As she notes, the SoN offers a master’s program with a clinical nurse specialist option in maternal child. The choice also was based on the proximity of family living in Eau Claire, so the SoN seemed like a good fit.

As Van Doren’s graduate advisor, Professor Diane Lauver, professor of nursing at SoN, commends Van Doren’s skills as an independent learner in graduate school who seeks new opportunities to learn more.

“Karin is open to new ideas,” says Lauver, “yet, able to take a position and provide solid rationale,” adding that her advisee possesses a “clarity of thinking” about her goals and role in health care.

Upon graduation from the SoN master’s program in August of 2005, Van Doren says that she will be stationed at a stateside hospital in a clinical nurse specialist role—her assignment officer has not yet specified the location. She is certain, however, that she will stay in the military in order to complete the 20 years of service qualifying her for retirement.

Gravity of the situation

As the tightly structured ceremony unfolded, Lieutenant Colonel Thomas A. Garin read from the “attention to orders” document. To those present in the room, the words echoed the gravity of the situation:

The President of the United States, acting upon the recommendation of the secretary of the Air Force, has placed special trust and confidence in the patriotism, integrity and abilities of Captain Karin Van Doren. In view of these special qualities, and her demonstrated potential to serve in the higher grade, Captain Van Doren is promoted to the grade of major, United States Air Force.

Her husband, Richard, and the couple’s two children, Laura and Michael, then came forward to pin the new rank of major on Van Doren.

Van Doren’s son, Michael, capped the event by offering a musical tribute to his mother, the U.S. Air Force major. Playing “America” on his trumpet, he supplied an ending befitting military pomp and circumstance.