Shannon Jaramillo
Shannon Jaramillo, RN, BSN, is a dedicated nursing professional with more than two decades of hands-on clinical experience and a deep-rooted commitment to patient advocacy. Currently serving as a Registered Nurse with CommonSpirit Health in Northern Colorado, Shannon brings a diverse background that spans emergency care, outpatient surgery, pediatrics, rehabilitation, and primary care nursing. Her healthcare journey began at just 18 years old, starting as a monitor tech and unit secretary in a six-bed ICU, where she quickly discovered her passion for patient care. From earning her CNA and LPN credentials to completing her Bachelor of Science in Nursing through the University of Phoenix’s LPN-to-BSN program, Shannon steadily built a career grounded in resilience, lifelong learning, and service.
One of the most formative chapters of her career was her 12 years at Children’s Medical Center, where she served as both pediatric nurse and Assistant Nurse Manager. In that role, she led care coordination efforts that extended beyond clinical treatment, helping families access transportation, food, clothing, and holiday support. She managed the state Vaccines for Children (VFC) program and oversaw an in-house lab providing urinalysis, lead testing, throat cultures, flu testing, and COVID testing, ensuring uninterrupted care throughout the pandemic. Earlier in her career, she also gained valuable experience in emergency medicine after relocating to Denver, as well as outpatient surgical nursing at Kaiser Permanente, strengthening her clinical versatility and leadership skills.
Now based in Greeley, Colorado, Shannon continues to expand her impact while working full-time and pursuing her Master of Science in Nursing, Family Nurse Practitioner track, at Walden University, with graduation anticipated in Fall 2027. Passionate about pediatrics and immunizations, she is a strong advocate for vaccine education and preventive care, emphasizing the critical role vaccinations play in protecting communities. Shannon remains committed to professional growth through continuing education and mentorship, believing firmly that healthcare succeeds through collaboration. Guided by the philosophy that “it takes a village,” she values every member of the healthcare team and strives each day to contribute knowledge, compassion, and leadership to the patients and families she serves.
• RN
• BSN
• LPN
• CNA
• AAACN Ambulatory Care Certification (eligible)
• University of Phoenix-Colorado Campus- Bachelor of Science (BS), Nursing Science
• Concorde Career College-Aurora- Associate of Science (AS), Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training
• Walden University- MSN, FNP
• Kaiser Permanente Recognition Award
• Colorado Nurses Association
• Nurse Practitioner Association
• AAACN (American Academy of Ambulatory Care Nursing)
• Reach Out and Read Program
What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to the incredible mentors and influences I've had throughout my career, starting with my mom who got me into healthcare in the first place. When I was working as a telemetry secretary at 18, I worked with an ICU nurse who really pushed me in the right direction and told me to work in the emergency room, saying once you go there, you won't want to do anything else because it's different, it's new, you're always seeing something and learning something all the time. I'm still in contact with him today, and he's now a PA. Then there were pediatricians like Dr. Cecil Lashley, who we called Dr. Bud - he used to be a chef before becoming a physician, and he always had a lot of teaching, which I really respected. Dr. Jay Markson, who's retired now but was in the profession for a long time, influenced me to do the Reach Out and Read program for kids. And today, I have a great practice manager who's always pushing me to go to the next step. CommonSpirit actually promotes their nurses to move on - they help with the educational money piece of it, they want to hire you after you graduate, they promote nurses with certification and pay you more when you get that certification, and they provide all the education and what you need. I think all of that push has made me who I am today. I've also learned that it takes everybody, it takes a village to make everything work, and that is so true. Every piece - the doctors, the secretaries, the medical assistants, the nurses, the practice manager - it all takes a village to make everything go smoothly. And I'm always keeping up with my continuing education, going to conferences or lunch-and-learns, because everything changes all the time in healthcare.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I ever received came from an ICU nurse I worked with early in my career when I was just 18 and working as a telemetry secretary. He told me to work in the emergency room, and he said once you go into the emergency room, you won't want to do anything else because it's different, it's new, you're always seeing something and learning something all the time. That advice completely shaped my career path, and he was absolutely right - the emergency room experience taught me so much and kept me constantly learning and growing. I'm still in contact with him today, and he's now a PA in Texas.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to anyone entering healthcare is to never stop learning, because healthcare changes all the time. I'm always keeping up with my continuing education, and even though Colorado doesn't require it with your RN license, I'm always about continuing education - going to conferences, attending lunch-and-learns when we have people come in and teach us new things about things like GLP-1s, Mounjaro, semaglutide for weight management and diabetes. Everything changes all the time in healthcare, and you have to stay current and keep evolving with it. Certifications, continuing education, and staying engaged with new developments aren't optional - they're essential to being a good healthcare professional.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges in healthcare right now is the political climate around vaccinations and public health. It's so important to vaccinate your children, especially with all these diseases, and now with what's going on with our government where they're saying it's not important, but it is, because vaccination has prevented diseases. As someone who spent years managing vaccine programs and working in pediatrics, I've seen firsthand how critical immunizations are, and it's concerning to see that message being undermined at a governmental level. We need to keep advocating for evidence-based public health practices and making sure families understand the importance of protecting their children through vaccination.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are collaboration, teamwork, and continuous learning. I truly believe that it takes everybody, it takes a village to make everything work in healthcare, and that is so true. Every piece matters - the doctors, the secretaries, the medical assistants, the nurses, the practice manager - it all takes a village to make everything go smoothly. I learned this especially during my time at Children's Medical Center where I was multitasking across so many different roles, and now at CommonSpirit where those functions are divided among different people, I can really appreciate how essential each person's contribution is. I'm also deeply committed to continuing education and professional growth. I'm always about continuing education, going to conferences or lunch-and-learns, because everything changes all the time in healthcare. Even though Colorado doesn't require continuing education for RN licensure, I make it a priority because staying current isn't optional - it's a responsibility to my patients and my profession. That's why I'm pursuing my Nurse Practitioner degree while working full-time, because growth and learning have to be intentional, not convenient.