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A Passionate Patient Advocate for Those With Cancer

Candise Jordan, FNP-BC, AONP, always knew that she was going to be a hematology/oncology nurse pratitioner.

As far back as 2000, Candise (Candi) Jordan, FNP-BC, AONP, had in her mind, “I am going to become a nurse and then a nurse practitioner in hematology/oncology.” I watched her bloom as our weekend charge nurse on the oncology floor at Cox Medical Center. She completed the BSN/NP program at school, and she made sure the staff, patients and doctors listened to her when she had clients on the floor.

In 2010, she started her job at Oncology Hematology Associates as an advanced oncology nurse practitioner. She has always been a very passionate patient advocate and believes in helping every patient so they may experience very best quality of life before chemotherapy, during and post care.

She respects patients’ dignity during trying times. She is first to respond to emergencies in chemotherapy, which is where I work. She gets orders in and transports patients to hospital in a wheelchair as late as 6 p.m. I have assisted on several transports by holding intravenous fluids or oxygentanks. We get to the oncology floor, and the staff looks up to her as they know her from rounds on weekends. Other doctors (from different practices) may be on the oncology floor and they respect her voice in care. I sometimes have to laugh, as she is only 4 feet 11 inches tall, and these doctors will sit down to talk with her.

We also found out that we live half a mile from each other and have shared events for 21 years: dinner at her house, football talk — her team is the Indianapolis Colts — and banquets. In bad weather, we will drive to work together.

I am so glad that she helped me develop more with oncology clinic work. We started working in the same clinic in 2013. She helped me to test to become an OCN. All the staff loves working with her. If you have a question about a client, she will get your answer on what to do/order meds/get labs/give fluids. Candi is also active in her church with youth groups and is also the nurse at church camp.

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