One Man's
Service Excellence Benefits All

Kirk Mullen, affectionately referred to by many Santa Monica – UCLA Medical Center employees as the “one man shipping and receiving department,” makes sure that each package that arrives at the hospital is delivered to the right person or department. Kirk has delivered thousands of letters and packages to over 50 departments in the Santa Monica – UCLA Medical Center.

Kirk enjoys his job and is grateful that everyone is always so supportive and appreciative of what he does. He enjoys the opportunity to see smiling faces as part of his daily routine. His combined professional sense of duty and commitment to completing all his deliveries by the end of the day inspires him to deliver service with a smile.

What are your responsibilities?
Basically, I receive items and deliveries at the loading dock, record everything into the computer, sort it all out and then deliver the items to the appropriate departments. I’ve enjoyed doing this since I joined the hospital 35 years ago when it was still Santa Monica Hospital.

What do you find rewarding about your job?
The friends I’ve made through the years are what I treasure most. It’s a very gratifying job. People appreciate what I do. It’s not like a job where you have to deliver bad news; everyone is happy to receive their packages.

Every day I run into problems that I think will interfere with completing my deliveries. Often, the day starts slow but picks up by mid afternoon — our peak time. It seems like a miracle, but by the end of the day everything has been delivered.

I find satisfaction in getting the work done — that’s the most rewarding part of my job.

How physically challenging is this job for you?
Physically, I’m pretty strong and fit. I’m 62 years old and I plan to work here for at least another 10 years. I take the bus from West Los Angeles to here and home again every day. At work I’m very active lifting, carrying and walking for most of the day; so, no gym for me, I get my exercise here!

What challenges do you face at your job?
The biggest challenge is trying to anticipate the needs of the department and to fill the requests of the people. I try to preempt what needs to be done and satisfy everyone without having to be asked.

From the day you first started to now, what has changed about your job?
Computers have had a tremendous impact on shipping and receiving. Back when I first started, I would manually track deliveries and misplaced items by examining signatures. Now, computers can locate lost packages in a matter of minutes.

How do you spend your free time?
I enjoy reading, especially literature about human experiences: classics, poetry, and history. I bicycle, hike and go to movies.

Is there a memorable UCLA experience you would like to share?
I remember a few years ago, at a celebration, one of the hospital’s buildings was being demolished. Those in attendance received actual brick blocks of the building as a souvenir. I still have mine!

For me, every day is memorable. I meet hundreds of people and many become new friends. I’ve met and known many people throughout the years, including the long timers and those that have stayed for just a few years, who are still among my closest friends.