<h2><strong><br />Profile Story</strong> </h2>
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<p>Candi LeDuc calls it a stroke of luck. But at SIUE, it’s mission in action.</p>
<p>As an underclassman in the School of Nursing, Candi was unsure what career path she would take until she was paired with her faculty mentor: School of Nursing Dean Marcia C. Maurer.</p>
<p>Maurer had extensive experience consulting and educating nurses for careers in neonatal intensive care units (NICU) where ill and premature newborns receive life-saving medical treatment. It was a career path that became more appealing for Candi as the bond with her mentor grew stronger.</p>
<p>“The mentoring program allowed us to get together once a month. I could go to her and talk about stresses of school and what I needed to do to be a better nurse,” Candi said. “Although she didn’t plan it, Dean Maurer really inspired my career.”</p>
<p>As their relationship continued into her senior year, Dean Maurer helped Candi connect with open jobs in NICUs around the St. Louis area and wrote her a letter of recommendation. Eventually Candi secured her current position with the NICU at Cardinal Glennon Children’s Medical Center in St. Louis.</p>
<p>Candi received valuable preparation for her position through the SIUE School of Nursing’s Simulated Learning Center for Health Sciences. By working on seven lifelike mannequins and other high-tech equipment, Candi was able to treat “patients” in virtually every scenario she could eventually face on the job, from someone having a heart attack to a woman giving birth.</p>
<p>Contributions to resources like the planned Advanced Education Simulated Learning Center – a high-tech learning environment for graduate students – helps the School of Nursing train highly skilled caregivers and solve the region’s shortage of nurses.</p>
<p>So inspired by the education she received, Candi has returned to SIUE’s School of Nursing in two ways: as a member of its advisory board and a graduate student pursuing her nurse practitioner degree.</p>
<p>“I’m proud to be a graduate of SIUE. I’m making a difference in people’s lives because of the education I received here,” Candi said. “The instructors are all nurses and are so driven to help patients. They inspired me to become the best nurse that I can be.”</p>
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