Toni F Kistner, FNP

Toni Kistner, FNP, is a certified family nurse practitioner who has a special interest in preventative medicine, women’s health, mental health and obesity medicine.

Although she always had an interest in nursing, it took some time for her to land in her dream role. “I love being an FNP,” she says. “It took me my whole life to get here — to the right place.”

Originally from New Jersey, Kistner attended Hunter College in New York City, where she received her Bachelor of Arts degree in English literature. She stayed in New York, became an editor, married, and had 3 kids. But after a divorce, a new marriage and two moves — from Portland, Maine to Boston, Massachusetts — Kistner decided to leave publishing to pursue a career in nursing.

“My mom was sick when I was a kid, so we spent a lot of time in doctor's offices and hospitals. I knew nursing was for me. I just wanted to help people,” she says.

Once her kids headed to college, Kistner went back to school, too. She received her BSN degree from Salem State University in Salem, Massachusetts, and then she moved to Charlottesville to work as a nurse at UVA.

Kistner spent years working with spinal cord and trauma patients in the hospital setting before transitioning to the UVA Comprehensive Cancer Center. “This was a job I loved, but I wanted to be an NP,” she says.

Kistner returned to school once more, attending the George Washington University School of Nursing FNP program in Washington, D.C.

She now works as a family nurse practitioner at UVA Stuarts Draft Family Practice, where she cares for patients of all ages. “I get so excited every day to do this job. I am grateful for the privilege to care for my patients,” she says.

In her free time, Kistner practices yoga, loves on her dog, and takes care of her chickens. She adds, “I don’t kill bugs. I always plant a garden and make the same mistakes every year. I’m always learning and never know enough.”