She received a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Kansas in 1971 and a Juris Doctor from the University of Kansas School of Law in 1975.

She was a law clerk for Judge Earl Eugene O'Connor of the United States District Court for the District of Kansas from 1975 to 1978.

She was a judge on the Municipal Court of the City of Prairie Village, Kansas from 1990 to 1992.

[1] On July 28, 1992, Vratil was nominated by President George H. W. Bush to a seat on the United States District Court for the District of Kansas vacated by Earl Eugene O'Connor.

She became chief judge in 2008 and served in that capacity until she assumed senior status on April 22, 2014.