Kandace Jackson Is Caring for Miami's Smallest Patients

Miami Biscayne welcomes pediatric nurse practitioner Kandace Jackson for a conversation about intensive care, going back to school and raising two children with a sense of humor.

Kandace Jackson works in pediatric intensive care at Jackson Memorial Hospital, the Miami public hospital where she once trained as a student. She studied nursing at Barry University, with clinical rotations that ran from Aventura Hospital and Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables to Jackson Memorial's burn and trauma unit and a final high-acuity semester in the intensive care pods at Baptist Health's Kendall hospital. Florida licensed her as a registered nurse in 2015 and as a nurse practitioner in 2025, and she is now working toward her doctorate.

Off shift she is a wife and a mom of two, and as @KayAllysee on Instagram she shares working-mom life with nearly 4,000 followers: unserious mom humor, wellness and real life, with a nurse's eye for flu season. In this interview, Jackson talks about coming back to Jackson, what intensive care asks of a clinician, and why laughter belongs in the conversation about raising children.

Miami Biscayne (MB): You trained at Jackson Memorial as a nursing student, on the burn and trauma unit. What was it like to come back as a nurse practitioner?

Kandace Jackson: It felt like coming full circle. As a student I was learning to hang drips and chart my care, and I was watching the nurses and providers around me and thinking, one day. Walking back in with my own advanced practice license meant a lot.

MB: Your last student rotation was in intensive care. Is that where critical care took hold of you?

Kandace Jackson: I think so. In the ICU you see care at its most critical, and you see what a difference a calm, prepared team makes. That stayed with me.

MB: You were a registered nurse for ten years before becoming a nurse practitioner, and now you are working on your doctorate. Why keep going back to school?

Kandace Jackson: Because there is always more to learn, especially with children. Every step has given me more to offer my patients and their families. I won't pretend it's easy with two little ones at home, but it's worth it.

MB: Why children?

Kandace Jackson: Kids are honest, and they are resilient in ways that amaze me. And caring for a child means caring for the whole family. Parents in the ICU are going through one of the hardest moments of their lives, and helping them through it matters as much as anything else I do.

MB: How do you leave a shift in pediatric intensive care and walk in the door at home?

Kandace Jackson: Some days are easier than others. I give myself the drive home to decompress, then I walk in and I'm Mom. My kids don't care what kind of day I had at work; they want snacks and attention, and honestly that's the best reset there is.

MB: Your Instagram promises "unserious mom humor." Why humor?

Kandace Jackson: Because motherhood is hilarious, even on the hard days. If I can make another mom laugh at the chaos we all live in, she feels a little less alone. I'm serious all day at work. Online I get to be the unserious version.

MB: You also share travel, including a trip to South Africa. What does time away give you?

Kandace Jackson: Perspective. Seeing new places with the people I love reminds me there is a whole world outside the hospital and the house, and I come back recharged.

MB: What do you hope the parents who follow you take away?

Kandace Jackson: That nobody has it all figured out, including the nurse practitioner. Real life is messy and funny and worth sharing.

You can follow Kandace on: Instagram | TikTok

Quick answers

Who is Kandace Jackson?

Kandace Jackson is a pediatric nurse practitioner in Miami who works in intensive care at Jackson Memorial Hospital and shares working-mom life on Instagram as @KayAllysee.

When did Kandace Jackson become a nurse practitioner?

Florida licensed her as an advanced practice registered nurse in 2025, after ten years as a registered nurse.

Where did Kandace Jackson study nursing?

At Barry University, with clinical rotations at Jackson Memorial, Baptist Health's Kendall hospital and other South Florida hospitals.