Alumni Spotlight: Whitney Kaslow
Our Alumni Spotlight this week features Whitney Willett Kaslow, DNP, PNP-AC, FNP-C.
Dr. Kaslow received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Kentucky College of Nursing in 2012. She is the president of the Music City Chapter of the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP).
Here's what we learned during our talk with Dr. Kaslow:
What is your current job(s) and what do you find most rewarding about your work?
I am a nurse practitioner with the Pediatric Heart Transplant team at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt. Prior to this job, I was a bedside nurse in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit at Norton Children's Hospital. Then, I worked as a nurse practitioner in Pediatric Primary Care for the University of Louisville, both of which prepared me very well for my current role. My current job is my dream job since becoming an RN, and I love going to work each day! The most rewarding part of my work is giving children a second chance at life, a life they would have never been able to live with their native heart. Being able to discharge a child from the hospital and send them home with their parents, a day many parents didn't know they would ever get to experience, is so fulfilling. Seeing my patients go to kindergarten, middle school, high school, and even college post-transplant and getting to enjoy sports and extra-curricular activities along the way is the entire reason I do what I do each day.
Who inspires you?
There are many people who inspire me, but my biggest inspiration is my parents. My mom and dad have always inspired a strong work ethic in me and have been my encouragement each step of the way in my nursing career. When I was younger, my dad always told me, ' I am only bound by the size of my dreams,' which was a driving force behind me pursuing my DNP and chasing after my dream job. My husband also inspires me to excel and be the best pediatric provider I can be, which he sets a great example of. My patients are another huge inspiration for me. Each and every one of them inspires me to cherish life's small moments and to live in the present.
What does it mean to you to be a UK College of Nursing (UK CON) alumnus?
Being a graduate of the UK College of Nursing is one of the things I am most proud of! UK CON's rigorous curriculum prepared me to be a great nurse, excel in my career, and accomplish many things I once only dreamt of. Being an alumnus of UK CON also means that I have peers across the country whom I graduated from nursing school with whom I can always reach out to with a question and rely on. The reputation of the UK CON is excellent, and I am always proud to answer where I graduated from nursing school. Also, GO CATS!
Tell us something about your specialty that others may need to learn about.
My job is very rewarding, and I am happy most days! Most people tend to think my job is sad and depressing when they hear what I do. Still, we are one of the world's largest pediatric heart transplant programs and have a very high success and survival rate for our transplant patients. If people got to witness a normal day's clinic with me, they would leave feeling very cheerful; we get to hear all about our patients' vacations, school, sports, and even sometimes have dance parties in clinic!
What are one or two fun facts about yourself?
I have an amazing husband and two beautiful children! One of the first times my daughter ever laughed was at me singing the C-A-T-S chant to her, which I very happily repeated to the point of exhaustion. I am most definitely outnumbered as a UK fan living in Tennessee and working at Vanderbilt. However, I still proudly bleed blue and frequently send my children to daycare dressed in their Kentucky gear.
