Josiah Ward has a clear purpose: serving others. Having served others his entire career as an Air Force veteran and a pediatrician, Josiah’s passion to serve has fueled him to achieve his career goals. “I felt something was missing. I wanted to pursue career growth that I wasn’t getting in the Air Force,” Josiah voiced while explaining why he joined the medical system after completing his service.  When Josiah started exploring other job opportunities, he realized that he needed advanced training before accepting any future roles. 

So, where does Abilene Christian University come in? Josiah’s father-in-law was pursuing a graduate program with ACU and raved about being able to use faith and the Bible in his coursework. Josiah also saw the flexibility ACU offered to students like him raising families, so he decided to apply and enroll in the Master of Healthcare Administration program last year. 

Serving His Community 

Josiah joined the Air Force in 2010, where he received his medical training to become a pediatrician. He completed his residency in San Antonio, Texas and then went on to start his career at a small clinic in San Angelo. After three years of active service in the Air Force, he decided to branch out and join the medical system for a fresh start. Upon entering the medical system, Josiah knew that he wanted to be somewhere he could make an impact. 

Outside of being a pediatrician, Josiah has served as chapter president of the Concho Valley Medical Society, a Texas medical society that represents physicians and patients and provides them with a platform to share their ideas and opinions. He was able to travel to Austin and discuss with legislators issues that need to be addressed in healthcare for patient and family experiences. 

Through the Concho Valley Medical Society, Josiah provided helmets to prevent head injuries in children. “There was a kid I spoke to who suffered a skull fracture while riding a bike. He didn’t have a helmet, and I gave him one. The media covered the story with the family’s consent and told the community where to get free helmets,” Joshua said. The media coverage led to a huge turnout from other families wanting to ensure their children’s safety.  

A Passion For Christ and Learning 

When looking into graduate programs, Josiah had a few non-negotiables. Being a father, a working professional and a man of faith, he wanted a program that was flexible, offered opportunity for growth, but more importantly supported his faith. 

“When I started the Master of Healthcare Administration program with ACU, the first prompt I was given was about faith,” Josiah recalled. Everything that Josiah does is rooted in Christ, from serving families and communities to finding ways to better the healthcare system. He continued to talk about his experience being able to openly voice and ask questions regarding faith with his peers and his faculty. “ACU isn’t forced. We are never forced to be overly religious; everything is organic. You bring your own faith and understanding to the program, and ACU builds it from there,” Josiah beamed. 

The coursework was something that Josiah kept coming back to; despite already having decades of experience as a pediatrician, Josiah realized that his initial training wasn’t enough to support him in today’s healthcare system. “The healthcare industry is always changing. I think if I hadn’t joined this MHA program, I wouldn’t be able to keep up with the healthcare industry’s current trajectory,” he explained. 

His favorite thing about the coursework and curriculum is that he’s able to gain skills outside of medicine and healthcare, in operations policy, organization, finance and system management. When asked about his favorite courses, Josiah immediately mentioned legislative and advocacy courses. He loves the conversation and discussion about healthcare on a national level, and also appreciates seeing alumni from ACU advocating for patient needs at the legislative level 

Josiah continued to explain that managing a medical facility and understanding how patients are affected by the healthcare system isn’t taught during residency. It wasn’t until ACU that Josiah was able to explore these topics at a deeper level. “I’m starting to understand how I can contribute to the healthcare system by learning these skills and creating that positive experience for patients.” 

Josiah’s Future and Advice

Josiah’s mission is to help create positive experiences for families and patients on the systemic level. Once Josiah has earned his master’s degree, he dreams of becoming a chief medical officer for a medium-sized hospital or a federally qualified healthcare system. He also expressed interest in different ways to help families across the nation, including better food distribution and, yes, more helmets. 

While looking back on his healthcare career, Josiah gives credit to God. Allowing his faith in God to guide him in this new stage of his life has allowed him to grow as a man and a healthcare professional. He notes that while he has certain career goals, he also understands that God has His own plan. “Let God lead your life” was something Josiah repeated often when reflecting on his career and looking toward the future. 

Another piece of advice Josiah mentioned was to prepare to become a lifelong learner. “Don’t think that you can become a resident or attending without being prepared to learn,” Josiah said. He emphasized constantly reading and staying up to date with medicine, and not just going through the motions. 

Josiah’s journey in healthcare started long before he became a Wildcat. Feeling called to grow his knowledge and skills, Josiah began pursuing higher education to better serve his patients. Through hard work and faith, Josiah is expanding his foundation of knowledge and skills to serve patients and families. If you’re dreaming of making a positive impact in healthcare or have a similar vision to Josiah’s, consider pursuing a healthcare management degree. For more information about the online healthcare administration program, visit our website.