Called to Serve: A Q&A with ABSN Student Kevin Huskey
In honor of Veterans Day, Kevin Huskey - UK College of Nursing ABSN student and Army National Guard veteran - shared his journey to nursing and service.
Q: What inspired you to pursue nursing, and how has your military experience influenced that decision?
A: I spent thirteen years in the Oregon Army National Guard as a combat medic, and medicine has been part of my life for most of my adult years. I deployed to Afghanistan in 2015, and later ran a medical section and took part in wildfire and COVID response missions back in Oregon . Along the way I worked closely with nurses and saw how much of patient care runs through them and decided that the bedside care was where I would like to be. After I finished my COVID mission, I worked as a Emergency Department Technician at a CHI in Oregon. After my acceptance to the nursing program and relocation to Kentucky, I worked as a phlebotomist at CHI Saint Joseph's here in Lexington. Nursing felt like the natural next step for the skills I already had and the kind of work I wanted to keep doing.
Q: What lessons or skills from your military experience have helped you as a nursing student?
A: The biggest one is staying calm and organized when things get busy or chaotic. As a medic you learn to prioritize quickly, communicate clearly, and trust your training. Leading a medical section also taught me how to work as part of a team, take responsibility, and help the people around me succeed. Those habits carry over directly to clinicals and to the pace of an accelerated program.
Q: How has being a nursing student shaped the way you think about service and caring for others?
A: In the military, service usually meant showing up for a mission. Nursing school has broadened that for me. I've learned that caring for someone also means understanding their story, listening to their family, and advocating for them when they can't. It has made me see service as something that happens in small moments with each patient, not just in big events.
Q: Why did you choose the UK College of Nursing?
A: UK has a strong reputation, and the ABSN program let me build on my previous degree and experience without starting over. Lexington is home now, and being part of a major academic medical center with a Level I trauma center gives students a wide range of clinical experiences. The support I've received as a veteran here has also meant a lot.
Q: As you look toward your future as a nurse, how do you hope to continue serving others and making a difference?
A: I'm most drawn to trauma nursing and plan to work toward my TCRN certification. It connects directly to what I did as a medic. I'm also interested in veterans' health, and I've spent some of my coursework looking at how telehealth can help veterans manage chronic conditions. Wherever I end up, I want to be the kind of nurse who is steady in a crisis and who makes patients and families feel taken care of.
