RN, BSN, MS , Masters (Current)
Jessica H. Kandi, RN, BSN, MS is a graduate of the accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, and a second year Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) student at Saint Louis University (SLU) Trudy Busch -Valentine School of Nursing. She is currently an in-patient dialysis nurse at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital.
Prior to nursing Mrs. Kandi was a secondary education teacher and science department chairperson in Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Public School Systems. As an educator, she taught and mentored students from all types of learning spectrums and various socioeconomic backgrounds in the skills needed to succeed. In addition, she worked with the Academic Behavior Intervention Team (A/BIT) to develop Individual Education Programs (IEPs) and alternative solutions for both special education and “at risk” students from disadvantaged backgrounds. With other A/BIT members, she developed guidelines, in some cases based upon court orders, for (a), accommodations for classroom assessments for general education and special education students; (b), management techniques for students with behavioral issues; and (c), recommendations for transition services and postsecondary outcomes. Creating solutions to excel in education while serving on the A/BIT and as a science teacher enriched her desire to pursue a career in psychiatric nursing and serve adverse communities in a greater capacity.
As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, Mrs. Kandi wants to serve urban communities by: (1) working in a hospital setting that primarily treats underserved patient populations; (2) encouraging these populations to recognize the signs of mental illness, particularly drug addiction, and to seek treatment; (3) eliminating the stigma associated with drug addiction and relapses from prior treatment.
Mrs. Kandi is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, the American Nursing Association, and holds student membership in the Association of Missouri Nurse Practitioners.