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 Family Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner (PMHNP) student at Saint Louis University (SLU) Trudy Busch-Valentine School of Nursing.
She is currently an inpatient dialysis nurse at Indiana University Health Methodist Hospital. Prior to her nursing career, Ms. Kandi was a secondary education teacher and science department chairperson in the Jefferson Parish, Louisiana, Public School System. As an educator, she taught and mentored students from diverse learning backgrounds and socioeconomic statuses, equipping them with the skills needed to succeed. She also collaborated 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.
Alongside other A/BIT members, Ms. Kandi developed guidelines, sometimes based on court orders, for (a) accommodations for classroom assessments for general and special education students; (b) management techniques for students with behavioral issues; and (c) recommendations for transition services and postsecondary outcomes. Her experience in creating educational solutions on the A/BIT and as a science teacher deepened her desire to pursue a career in psychiatric nursing and serve at-risk communities in a more impactful way.
As a psychiatric nurse practitioner, Ms. Kandi aims 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 seek treatment; and (3) eliminating the stigma associated with drug addiction and relapses. Ms. Kandi is a member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association, the American Nurses Association, and holds student membership in the Association of Missouri Nurse Practitioners.