CSUB alumna accepted into prestigious physical therapy residency

Bakersfield native Kristyn Walker was a dancer for most of her childhood, which resulted in multiple injuries that required physical therapy treatment.

One such injury during her teenage years led her to Physical Therapist Linda Gutcher. After working with Gutcher and forming a bond, Walker came to the realization that the occupation would be a good fit for her.

"It was the empathy she showed, the passion she showed for the whole process. I knew it was something I could see myself doing one day," Walker said. "To me, it's sort of like a puzzle that needs to be solved. I like figuring out what's wrong and helping people get better."

Walker decided to pursue a kinesiology degree at California State University, Bakersfield and graduated in 2019 with a concentration in allied health. She went on to receive her license as a physical therapist earlier this year after receiving her Doctor of Physical Therapy degree from Campbell University in North Carolina.

Walker is now about to embark upon a new journey. She is the only student in the nation to be selected by Duke University for its Oncologic Physical Therapy Residency this academic year.

As part of the yearlong residency, Walker will work 30 hours a week as a salaried employee. She will be working in an outpatient setting for the first half of the program before switching to inpatient care. The residency begins on Aug. 26.

"Now it feels real. I'm so excited and ready to start," Walker said. "I was hopeful, but I wasn't really expecting I would get it. It was such a happy day when I found out."

Walker developed an interest in working with cancer patients after attending a guest lecture at Campbell University about lymphedema, a condition involving swelling due to a buildup of lymph fluids in the body that can be caused by cancer or cancer treatment.

"I got really interested in that and the process of treating it," she said. "The whole care and treatment of that condition really drew me in for some reason, and the more I looked into oncology and cancer rehabilitation, the more interested I became in it. I figured out that's what I'm actually passionate about."

Walker said she has had several friends and family members who have been diagnosed with cancer, most of whom never received physical therapy treatment, either because it wasn't recommended by their doctors or because they didn't know it was an option.

That has encouraged her to pursue the Duke residency and become certified as a oncology physical therapy specialist.

"There was that feeling like something could be done for them, but I didn't know what it was at the time," she said. "Now I can be that person in their corner. That's what really motivates me."

What Walker enjoys most about physical therapy is helping people not only be physically able to achieve basic functions such as getting out of a chair, standing and walking, but also regain their self-esteem.

"I want to help these patients really get their lives back and be able to do what we might consider to be the little things, but they really are the big things to those patients," she said. "Not only are you treating this very physical thing, it's also cosmetic - you're helping someone get their life back and their look back."

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