Fom Medical Assistant to Environmental Advocate: KC Ward's Journey
KC Ward transitioned from a medical assistant to an environmental advocate, combining her passion for health care and climate advocacy to create healthier communities through the East Coast Greenway Alliance and Duke Nursing.
During the pandemic, KC Ward was working as a medical assistant in an endocrine practice in Columbia, S.C. She noticed how some patients had better access than others to safe places to be outside and practice healthy living, and she began to wonder how much that affected health outcomes. During that time, Ward discovered the East Coast Greenway Alliance (ECGA), a nonprofit group that helps transform how people live though the development of trails and walkways in more than 400 communities from Maine to Florida. Ward left her job in health care to work for the environmental group.
“The ECGA gave me the space to feel like I was advocating for people to have a safe space to commune and recreate,” Ward said about her time there. “The ECGA work allows for reimagining and investing in the infrastructures of communities to allow people to thrive. It’s transformational work that ultimately addresses the climate and public health crises.”
As an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing (ABSN) student at Duke, Ward found a way to combine her passion for health care and climate advocacy. “In health care, the nursing role is the strongest advocacy role, in my opinion, and moreover, I think the intersection between health care and climate change is becoming increasingly critical.” Advocacy via urban planning for more green spaces and for public transit that reduces exposure to air pollution are ways to help marginalized communities have access to healthier lifestyles, Ward said. “I think nursing will allow me to have a broader and more holistic scope of the struggles within the Durham community that can help guide my advocacy efforts.”
Because of her work, Ward was already living in Durham before she applied to nursing school. “When I visited DUSON, I found
that the facilities were tremendous, the staff were incredibly brilliant and kind, and the students seemed so happy,” she said. But what sold her was the comprehensive curriculum that included a holistic view of health care. “I feel DUSON walks the walk and talks the talk,” she said. “They educate us on what being a nurse is: the integrity, the focus on addressing health inequities, collaboration, and truly, excellence.”
Struggling with her own serious medical issues at age 14, Ward was inspired to pursue health care after watching how nurses, anesthesiologists and surgeons worked together to dispel fears and build confidence in their young patients. “It made it clear to me that I wanted to pursue nursing to gain the tools to comfort and heal others the way the nurses did for myself and the other children that day and every other day.”
Ward graduates in 2025 and says her experience at Duke has been moving and empowering. Aspiring to practice in critical care, Wards hopes to remain in Durham, doing patient advocacy work and addressing health inequities.
“Advancing health equity is woven into the fabric of our curriculum with such intentionality, and it guides most of our class work,” she said. “Our professors spend a tremendous amount of time ensuring we have holistic teaching and address current events in our ever-changing political and health care climate.”
The “DUSON difference” is real, Ward said. “It is different at DUSON. The way they train us and in the environment in which we are trained, we are given every tool to succeed and thrive,” she said. “From the beginning, Duke has always created an environment that sets us up to thrive as students. I have always felt supported and challenged throughout my time here.”