Sashes and scrubs: Mrs. Alaska’s journey to becoming a surgeon

Due to the pandemic, many people have a renewed appreciation for medical workers. Viral videos abound of doctors and nurses finishing their shifts to rounds of applause from the supportive public upon exiting their hospitals. It’s an admiration that biological sciences sophomore Kris Mulkey has had since she was 12 years old. 

Born in Lubbock, Texas, but raised in Anchorage and Palmer, Mulkey learned the value of health care workers while volunteering at her parents’ caregiving business. Particularly, it was seeing the care received by patients her own age that resonated with her.

“It really moved me to see somebody that was really close to my age not have access to school and friends and outings the way that I did, but still have a great quality of life and a passion for life and positivity,” said Mulkey. “That really was my step toward wanting to help, love and care for people.”

Mulkey is working to become an orthopedic surgeon, citing the field’s versatility — orthopedic surgeons can operate on patients of any age and specialize on virtually any part of the body.

To reach her goal, she will be applying to UAA’s WWAMI program after earning her undergraduate degree. Short for Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho, WWAMI is a collaborative medical school in those five states, headed by the University of Washington School of Medicine.

“When I saw that my state had a med school that's been here for quite some time, I just thought, ‘Oh my gosh, how proud am I?’” said Mulkey. “I knew that we needed to bulk up our health care system here in Alaska. We're always in short supply of doctors, nurses, etc. And I want to stay in Alaska, so if I can have an amazing medical school here, I want to do my schooling here.”

Despite always wanting to become a doctor, Mulkey took a detour. To make ends meet while parenting her son and three daughters, she first earned her business management degree from Colorado State University and established a small cleaning company upon returning to Palmer. 

As soon as her kids got older and operating her business became second nature, Mulkey decided it was time to get back on track and enrolled at UAA.

“I was originally going to sign up for the nursing program because I thought it was too late for me to enter the medical program,” said Mulkey. “But I got a pep talk from my family and I met with a couple of advisors and switched. It’s a unique position because last I looked into it, moms make up 8% of med school students. So I feel like I can represent a unique population.”

Even though she has her work cut out for her to become a doctor, Mulkey already has a foot in the door, working as the events manager for cancer advocacy group Just Us Girls Support.

Mulkey says she likes to stay busy, and it shows. When not working toward her degree, parenting her four kids, juggling her job and running her business, all amidst the limitations of the ongoing pandemic, she somehow found time to win the title of Mrs. Alaska and uphold all the responsibilities the honor entails. 

While her medical aspirations and status as a pageant winner seem to be far removed from each other, Mulkey describes a surprising level of overlap between the two, especially when it comes to community outreach.

“UAA has really enriched my life and given me the opportunity to connect with my community,” she said. “Those accolades are why I was given the title of Mrs. Alaska. I interviewed with a panel and submitted a resume, and several of the judges were impressed, which was flattering because most of it was my community involvement, which isn’t something I go out of my way to enrich. Really the community is enriching my life. So that's an important aspect of who I am — my kids, the community, the opportunity I've been given through UAA and Mrs. Alaska — I just try to connect all those things the best I can.”

 

Written by Matt Jardin, UAA Office of University Advancement