Kaitlin Musto is a certified family nurse practitioner, certified lactation counselor, and certified asthma educator. Along with caring for patients of all ages at Albany Family Medicine, she provides postpartum and newborn care at Albany Medical Center in Albany, NY. Kaitlin received her Master of Arts in women’s studies at the University at Albany in Albany, NY, earned her graduate certificate in nonprofit management and leadership from the University at Albany, and finally, her Master of Science in nursing, family nurse practitioner from Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, NY. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in women’s studies from the University at Albany, an Associate of Science in nursing from Memorial College of Nursing in Albany, NY, and a Bachelor of Science in nursing through Western Governors University. Kaitlin is particularly interested in women’s health, pediatrics, and lactation. She has an experienced nursing background, including medical-surgical nursing, pediatric case management, and postpartum/newborn nursery.
When Kaitlin graduated high school and started college, she was initially a pre-med major. Although she loved the science coursework, she fell in love with the topic of women’s studies. While working on her master’s degree, she worked at a local rape crisis center providing advocacy to survivors of sexual violence. Part of this role required Kaitlin to spend time in the hospital to advocate for survivors during forensic exams. During this, she observed the nurses who had the tough job of administering these exams. Kaitlin discovered that nursing was a more suitable fit for her because it is just the right mix of social justice and community work with science and medicine, which she enjoys.
What Kaitlin loves most about her job is exploring a new approach to something, learning from patients about things that have worked or not worked for them, and expanding her knowledge base to provide the best and most current care. She believes the most important thing is to trust patients to be the experts in their own experience and collaborate with them on their plan of care. With her background in rape crisis, Kaitlin feels strongly about providing trauma-informed care. Throughout her experience, she has learned the importance of hearing patients and meeting them where they are. She says, “Just making someone feel heard can make a huge difference.”
Kaitlin is a native of the Capital Region, originally from Bethlehem, NY. Outside work, she enjoys birdwatching, reading, and being outside.