First female ICU nurse to complete Ranger School from Denver-area

LONE TREE, Colo. ( KDVR ) — The first female ICU nurse to complete the toughest course in the Army is from the Denver area. Now, 27-year-old Captain Molly Murphy of Lone Tree is inspiring other women.

After graduating from Highlands Ranch High School, to ROTC at the University of Nebraska with a nursing degree, Murphy spent several years in Hawaii, with a COVID mission in Miami. She now resides in Washington D.C.

“Ranger School is a 62-day program if you make it straight through, which of course I didn’t,” said Murphy. “They try and deprive you of sleep, food, they try and make the environment as chaotic as possible to see how you lead during those times where you feel at your lowest.”

Ranger School consists of classroom lessons and field exercises. Murphy recalls walking all day and night, even getting an infection on her foot, which she is still recovering from today.

“In the last phase, I went through a swamp movement for probably 18 hours with an open cut on my foot, so that is just bound to get infected unfortunately,” she said. “I went in and had to get surgery to get the infection out.”

Murphy said every man and woman in Ranger School has to shave their head, and she had to get rid of her long, blonde hair.

“That way you’re all on the same playing field, you all look the same, kind of takes a little bit of your identity away,” she said. “That was the reason I pushed off going for so long, I am never being bald, that is a crazy thought! I’m just trying to rock it now because I got it.”

Murphy says she is the 144 ^th woman to go through Ranger School, but she credits the 143 that came before her.

“I think whatever you want to do as a woman, go for it and never be scared to just show up, because showing up is the hardest part,” she said. “People have already reached out to me wanting to go, especially other Army female nurses, who are like, that sounds amazing, I want to go do that.”

Murphy’s goal is to become the White House nurse, and then a stay-at-home mom.

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