Amanda Mulvihill didn’t set out to become a wound care specialist, but when she looks back it’s clear that each step in her nursing career was preparing her for it.
Mulvihill, who grew up in Tucson, is now the lead nurse practitioner at the Wound Center of Tucson.
Before joining the center, she was a nurse for more than 13 years in some of the most challenging environments in health care, beginning in a prison medical ward, a tough experience that proved formative.
With limited supplies and little support, she learned to improvise – “MacGyvering” solutions to help inmate-patients heal under difficult circumstances. That ability to think creatively and focus on solutions for patients, she recalled, was beneficial when she later interviewed at the wound center.
After the prison system, Mulvihill worked at St. Joseph’s Hospital, where she not only sharpened her clinical skills but also met her future family. She jokes that her charge nurse “bullied” her into dating her son, which successfully led to them getting married and having four children.
Mulvihill’s next move was transitioning into psychiatric nursing, which also involved wound care, while pursuing additional education.
She entered family nurse practitioner school as a logical next step, but soon learned traditional primary care wasn’t for her.
“I realized it was going to be taking blood pressure and dispensing medication all day and that was too boring for me,” she said, chuckling.
Seeking a greater challenge, Mulvihill found her place at Wound Center of Tucson, undergoing a six-month apprenticeship under Dr. Jeffrey Monash.
Mulvihill knew she had found her calling.
“I was in love. This is what I was meant for,” she remembered thinking.
Mulvihill credits Dr. Monash’s mentorship as central to her growth. She describes him as deeply involved, patient-focused and driven not by profit but by improving patients’ quality of life.
“He’s constantly sharing about new wound care advances and next steps in caring for patients,” she said. “He’s so involved and educated and kind. I’ve never met a surgeon like him.”
After spending years in jobs where medical decisions were sometimes influenced by the bottom line, Mulvihill said she is grateful to be in a different environment.
“Dr. Monash only cares about doing what’s best for the patient. He genuinely has a passion for healing people,” she said. “That is why I got into medicine, and Dr. Monash embodies that.”
Today, Mulvihill said she thrives on the complexity of wound care and on being a part of the Wound Center team.
“There’s no one-size-fits-all,” she said. “Every patient is a puzzle.”
Although it’s demanding work, Mulvihill said helping patients heal wounds, reduce pain and live healthier is endlessly engaging.
“If you don’t love wound care, you can’t do it,” she said. “And I love it.”