Transitioning from military service to nursing allows our Veterans BSN students to bring unique skills and experiences to patient care. In this Q&A, Army medic turned GW nursing student Miguel Ocegueda shares how his background shapes his approach to healthcare, from understanding patient needs to thriving in an accelerated program.
What motivated you to transition from military service to a career in nursing, and why did you choose the accelerated BSN program at GW School of Nursing?
There’s something about watching the resilience of life, even in the most unforgiving places. It leaves a mark on you. As an Army medic, I was stationed in some unique places, including Iraq, where I got to experience how each culture has its own language of survival. I saw how fragile and fierce we can be, how pain and hope could sometimes exist in the same breath. That experience became my compass. After the military, I knew I couldn’t walk away from healthcare—not when I’d already felt its gravity. Nursing felt like a continuation of that same call to serve, but I knew I needed time to heal from prior experiences before I could pursue that journey. And when I finally felt ready and started researching nursing programs, the accelerated BSN program at GW felt like the right place to make that transition. Its intensity, its diversity, the way it mirrors the urgency of life I had known—it was where I needed to be.
How has your military experience influenced your approach to nursing education and patient care?
In battlefield and military medicine, time feels different. There’s the now, the immediate need for action, and then there’s the before and after that sits quietly in the background. As a nurse, I’ve come to recognize that same stretch of time with every patient. I see their now—the impacts of disease, the pain, the diagnosis—but I also feel the weight of their before and their after. My time as a medic taught me that care isn’t just about responding; it’s about being present, about noticing what the patient isn’t saying as much as what they are, which mirrors what we are taught here in our first semester, to look past our own biases and identify social determinates of health. There’s a kind of listening that goes beyond words, and I try to bring that to every interaction. The military gave me steadiness and resilience, yes, but it also taught me to soften when it was needed most, and I hope that it makes a difference in the people I care for.
What challenges did you face in adjusting to the accelerated pace of the BSN program, and how did you overcome them?
The pace felt like a storm at first—a whirlwind of information, clinicals, expectations that came in fast, without pause. But I had known storms before. In the military, you don’t wait for the world to slow down; you learn to move with it, even when the ground is at a complete standstill. I leaned on that instinct. I mapped out my days with the same precision I once used to plan medical field operations for my unit, knowing that each moment had its place, each task its time, including giving myself a day to replenish and recharge, to remind myself who I was beyond nursing and why I was here. Sure, there were moments of exhaustion, doubt, but I found a rhythm in the chaos. But more importantly, I found camaraderie too—classmates like my friends Tony, Alex and Patrick, who became like a second unit, each of us carrying the other through the hardest parts, reminding each other to laugh along the way. Together, we weathered it.
How has GW School of Nursing supported you as a veteran in the program, both academically and personally?
At GW, I felt like I wasn’t just a student; I was seen as the whole person I am—a veteran, a first-generation student, someone carrying stories from a past life into a new one. The faculty here understood that transition isn’t just about academics; it’s about navigating a new kind of terrain. They gave me the space to do that, offering not just guidance but a sense of belonging. They also inspired me to keep an open mind and allow my passions to lead me in the right direction. Dr. Radzykewycz is one of those faculty members. She helped me nurture a new love for cardiology. She could tell I had a natural curiosity and helped me nurture that into what I hope is a rewarding career in a cardiac ICU. I also found support in the veteran community, in the resources the school provides, and in the quiet acknowledgment that our service and commitment to our country sometimes required different processes.
What advice would you give to fellow veterans considering a nursing career through an accelerated BSN program?
To my fellow veterans: you’ve already proven that you can adapt to the hardest circumstances, that you can lead, that you can care for others even when the world feels like it’s falling apart around you. Nursing asks for the same thing. Yes, the pace will be fast, the challenges will come, but remember that you’ve faced far greater storms. Trust in the skills you’ve already honed—your ability to remain calm in chaos, your instinct to protect and heal. And above all, remember that this journey, like your service, is about more than just the work—it’s about the people you’ll touch, the lives you’ll change, the impact you’ll have on a future generation of veterans. Ultimately, it’s a continuation story about you, and you’re the main character. In the end, you are still serving, still making the world a little brighter, a little more whole--this time in a slightly different uniform.