This month we get to know Caroline Cianfrocco, WHNP-BC. 

What are your certifications?

I am thrilled to be able to include the WHNP-BC credential after my name!

How long have you been practicing?  Where did you go to school? 

I am a fairly new addition to the Nurse Practitioner team as I just recently started practicing in November of 2019. I am proud to have graduated from Loyola University of Chicago’s Women’s Health NP Program in the fall of 2019.  Prior to entering this exciting new role, I was a practicing Registered Nurse for seven years.

What kind of practice do you work in?

I currently practice at IVF Florida, which is an outpatient fertility center that includes a surgery center and 7 clinic locations throughout South Florida. We see and treat a wide spectrum of gynecological issues such as leiomyomas, endometriosis, and PCOS; however, most of the patients are suffering from infertility and seeking treatment to help build their family.

Do you have a particular specialty? If so, how did you get interested in that specialty?

I started my nursing career as a labor and delivery nurse. During that time I spent a lot of shifts caring for high-risk OB patients and I learned that so many patients had reached this point through infertility treatment such as IVF. I later had some hormonal issues of my own that furthered my interest in the reproductive cycle and fertility. I then transitioned to working as a fertility nurse, where my focus was working with patients who needed Third Party Reproduction. This includes patients working with egg donors, sperm donors and gestational carriers. This type of nursing is very unique, and often difficult, but so rewarding. As a Nurse Practitioner in this field, I have continued working with “Third Party” patients, as well as caring for “autologous” patients throughout their treatment. It is a blessing to to assist patients of all different backgrounds, cultures, and orientations, in their journey to parenthood.

Did you always want to be an NP? What made you want to become an NP? What has your career trajectory been?

This may sound silly, but I decided I wanted to be a Nurse Practitioner when I met a Neonatal NP at a 7th-grade career day!  This is was prompted me to go to nursing school. During nursing school I worked in the hospital as an aid and was hoping a position would open up in the NICU. Instead a position became available in labor and delivery, so I jumped at it and I absolutely fell in love. It is amazing to see the strength of women during such a vulnerable time. My eyes were also opened to many aspects of women’s health that are often left unaddressed.  This is what led me to becoming a Women’s Health NP. I have loved being able to utilize my nursing foundation and Nurse Practitioner training to care for women as a whole being. I am looking forward to growing as a Nurse Practitioner and I am grateful for the relationships and role-models I have gained through being a part of NPWH.

What is one fun fact about you? 

One fun fact about me is that I am a singer. I performed throughout my undergraduate career at Purdue University. After graduation I continued performing through several different avenues and was a part of a cover band while living in Chicago. I had an exciting “15-minutes-of-fame” when I was pulled on stage at an Adele concert and was able to sing in front of 20,000 people at the United Center in Chicago. You can catch a clip, on YouTube, if you search “Adele blown away by fan”!