Editor’s Note: To celebrate the Department of Anesthesiology’s House Officer Appreciation Week, February 24 – 28, we will highlight one House Officer from each class.
Somewhere in the Chicago area, there are currently dozens of healthy toddlers who don’t know exactly what Jocelyn Mulkey, M.D., did for them. Once a week in 2016-2018, Dr. Mulkey would put aside her responsibilities as a medical student at the prestigious Rush University, turn off her phone, and hold premature babies in the neonatal intensive care unit.
Research shows premature babies who experience skin-to-skin touch experience better outcomes, so Dr. Mulkey and fellow volunteers would hold babies for hours at a time in the afternoons and evenings, when family isn’t allowed to visit.
These premature babies were doing her a favor, too. Volunteers aren’t allowed to use their phones, and, well, medical school is difficult. Dr. Mulkey found it enjoyable to have a scheduled break to unplug and decompress, all-the-while dedicating her focus to caring for a vulnerable life just by cuddling it.
And now, still, Dr. Mulkey pursues the care of vulnerable lives through her training in anesthesiology. Despite spending most of her early career with intentions of pursuing pediatrics, she changed her plans after trying anesthesiology the summer before residency applications were due.
“I loved it, and I wasn’t expecting to since I had never had experience with it,” Dr. Mulkey said. “I thought it was fun because you get to see a variety of procedures, work with your hands but also use your mind in the medicine aspect of patient care.”
Dr. Mulkey doesn’t plan to stray too far from pediatric care, though. She hopes to complete a pediatric anesthesiology fellowship after completing residency in 2023. So far, her biggest challenges as an intern have been to start afresh in a new city and learn the culture and logistics of a new hospital, all-the-while balancing the responsibilities of a first-year resident.
“It can be really scary, but there comes a point during intern year where you have to decide to make decisions and also know when you need to ask for help,” Dr. Mulkey said.
It’s been a joy for Dr. Mulkey to work in an establishment with many female leaders and faculty. She looks up to the examples set by Pediatric Anesthesiologist and Residency Director Andrea Dutoit, M.D., as well as Surgeon Keely Buesing, M.D.
“I hope I can someday make an impact as a pediatric anesthesiologist who not only makes the patient feel comfortable during their surgery, but also cares for their family through communication,” Dr. Mulkey said.
House Officer Spotlight: CBY Jocelyn Mulkey, M.D.
