Meet Shawn Shanahan: A Board-Certified Women’s Health NP, Sonographer, and Certified Menopause Expert
When Shawn headed off to college, she didn’t really have nursing on her mind. After serving as the first female student athletic trainer for her high school (for track, volleyball, football, & basketball), she knew she was interested in doing something in the medical field – perhaps a psychologist or pharmacist? However, following in her mother’s footsteps, her interests eventually shifted toward nursing, and the next thing she knew, she had earned her LPN license.
Because Shawn’s dad was a forester, they moved around a lot, living in nine different places before she was in 6th grade. Her mom was a nurse practitioner who likely inspired Shawn’s life decisions in multiple ways. Her mother’s dedication to her medical career, all while caring for three children, being a homemaker, and raising a garden, as well as chickens, rabbits, dogs, and horses, was just a matter of course during Shawn’s formative years.
It may be why, as Shawn shared all of the details of her own journey so matter-of-factly, she seemed to find nothing all that remarkable – even when relating how she, as a young mom, juggled university, medical training, a nursing career, serving on various medical boards, and teaching nursing at two community colleges, all while raising two sons…Total powerhouse!
After earning her nursing degree from the University of Utah in 1986, Shawn’s journey to women’s healthcare began when, as a preceptee, and then employee at the Flathead County Health Department, she stepped in as a substitute in their Family Planning Department and fell into an opportunity to return to school to become a Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner at Harbor UCLA. She returned to Montana long enough to fulfill her work requirement for the Health Department, and then she transferred back to Nevada, where she earned her Master of Science in Nursing from the University of Nevada – Reno in 1993.
Montana was where her heart was, so she returned once more, working for Dr. Perry Birky’s practice, then at Northwest Women’s Healthcare, again at the Flathead County Health Department, and at Greater Valley Health Center before joining Kalispell OB/GYN in March of 2021.
Shawn’s practice today is primarily focused on providing comprehensive women’s healthcare tailored to each individual woman. She specializes in gynecology – including infertility, urinary incontinence, menopause issues, prolapse management, and abnormal bleeding.
Many post-menopausal women experience a drop in estrogen levels that can significantly impact their bone health, cardiovascular health, and overall well-being. Additionally, some medications can affect women’s balance and risk of falls. Shawn considers these things as part of the care she provides for her patients.
Shawn’s approach is decidedly holistic; she has worked hard to integrate conventional and alternative modalities into her practice. She has studied chiropractic care, acupuncture, touch therapy, massage therapy, and Chinese herbal medicine techniques – not so much to practice them, but to know when an alternative method might be best for her patients.
After 40 years in nursing, Shawn is delighted to find that she is caring for multiple generations of the same family. It is always a joy when a patient says, “You took care of my mom (or my grandma).”
Shawn is passionate about her philosophy that her patients are humans, not just their diagnosis. Looking at the whole patient gives her an opportunity to consider all factors affecting a female’s health – lifestyle factors, such as diet, exercise, and smoking habits, or socioeconomic factors such as their access to healthcare, their social support system, and if their living and working environments are safe for them at whatever their stage of life.
Shawn is paying it forward by working as a preceptor for various student health care professionals in her clinic, providing them with practical experience. Students used to be assigned for a whole semester but now are rotated in and out for a few days or a week at a time. She has always been passionate about mentoring the next generation of medical professionals, to the extent that she often used her vacation leave to teach at the Great Basin Community College and Salish & Kootenai College nursing programs.
After 40 years in nursing, Shawn is delighted to find that she is caring for multiple generations of the same family. It is always a joy when a patient says, “You took care of my mom (or my grandma).”
She is grateful to work alongside like-minded practitioners at Kalispell OB/GYN, all of whom share her focus on providing comfortable care for women. She loves that the spa-like atmosphere at their clinic immediately feels nurturing and calming.
She shares that many patients mistakenly feel that any self-care (including healthcare) is an indulgence because they don’t really feel they can take the time for it, but at Kalispell OB/GYN it is most definitely treated as a necessity. Shawn endeavors to empower her patients to pause, breathe, and reclaim time and wellness for themselves, which is truly the best way they can continue to care for others.
Shawn and her husband of 43 years moved to Montana 39 years ago, raising two sons and building their home together. She, too, has chickens and enjoys gardening. She loves horseback riding and being in nature. Her favorite hobby is hiking, and what she cherishes most of all is the time spent with her first grandchild while looking forward to welcoming a new one on the way. Her bucket list includes hiking the Chinese Wall trail in the Bob Marshall Wilderness and Gunsight Pass in Glacier Park. And most importantly, developing meaningful relationships with those grandchildren.
Something that not many people know about Shawn is that she and her husband also own a property management business. She has served on numerous committees, including the Montana State Family Planning Advisory Committee.
Any advice for our readers?
“Good health is one of life’s most important attributes,” says Shawn. “As my patients have shown me, people with disabilities or chronic illnesses can still have a fulfilling life. Health is a lifestyle.”
And lastly, “Just as they tell you on any commercial airline flight – put on your own mask before helping others – women need to take care of their own health in order to be their best to care for their families.”
This article appears in the current 406 Woman Magazine