Howdy, from Texas!

A little about myself:

My name is Shannon. I’m a Registered Nurse in San Antonio with a focus on Emergency Nursing. I graduated with my BSN from the University of Texas at Arlington. I’m currently about pursuing my master’s degree from a distance Family Nurse Practitioner program in Maine. My interests in nursing are promoting health-seeking behaviors in my patients, being a strong advocate for evidence based practice, & exploring alternative therapies to complement healthcare. Current topics of interest include journaling to decrease symptom exacerbation in chronic diseases, stress management, etiology and treatment of narcotic abuse, and the risk/benefits of excessive radiation in the emergency department (i.e.: repeat CTs).

I have a wonderful boyfriend of 3.5 years and we have two children: Harley (our German Shepherd) and Bella (our Shih-Tzu). They grow up so fast! I have been practicing nursing collectively for ~4 years (LPN, RN). Prior to that, I worked in nursing support roles for 2 years. I think the bottom-up approach has been a very humbling experience. I have had a dream of being a nurse practitioner since I was 12 years old and went on a “shadow experience” with a nurse practitioner through a school career fair. I feel in love, and attaining my NP has been the goal for the past 12 years!

Likes:

Dark chocolate, kayaking, photography, books. I’m kind of a nerd. You should see my nursing collection. I’m also into traveling. I had never been out of state lines as a child, so in the past two years I’ve made up for it by traveling to places like Italy, Miami, Chicago, Virgin Islands, Utah Arches, Seattle etc. I LOVE traveling the world. I’m also extremely interested in doing medical mission trips and learning Spanish… but those are on the back burner for now. If I take on any more tasks… my brain will explode. I’m a nurse, so I know

Craziest Thing That’s Ever Happened to You:

I got hit by a car. How many people can say that? I broke a lot of bones, had a few scratches, yahta yahta. But I truly feel that lemons make lemonade. The experience has definitely transcended into my practice.

Stress Relievers?

Dark chocolate and a glass of vino rojo!! One of these days I’ll add “the gym” to this list… right after I learn spanish and go on medical mission trips

If I never became a nurse…

I’d be a social worker. There’s nothing I love more than helping people. If I can’t have nursing, I’ll still gravitate to altruism.

Here are a few pictures of my family: