Jessica has been a registered nurse (RN) for thirteen years and is an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) and Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Care Nurse (ACHPN) practicing for seven years as a palliative care consultant in the hospital setting.

She worked as a bedside nurse in Surgical Trauma Intensive Care and as a hospice case manager before pursuing her Master's degree. She received her MSN at Emory University School of Nursing in August of 2013 and has practiced in the Wellstar Health System and the Grady Health System.

She was the founding site coordinator for Schwartz Rounds at Grady Memorial Hospital and precepts nurse practitioners students each year. She has seen the palliative team at Grady grow from just two people to eleven interdisciplinary members.

She is passionate about encouraging others towards compassionate healthcare and has worked in end-of-life care since 2011.

Jessica works for Emory School of Medicine and is thankful for so many peers and mentors she has met along the way. She would like to move into healthcare leadership in the coming years and is pursuing her doctorate of nursing practice (DNP) to better prepare her for navigating the complex healthcare system.

Her DNP project will focus on implementing the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale (RDOS) for hospice patients in Grady Hospital.