Functional Nurse Academy Success Story: Kelly Ann Shannon and Leaving NP School for Functional Nursing

Jul 20 / Melissa Schreibfeder, BSN, RN, BC-FMP

🎧 Listen to my podcast with Kelly below!

Every day, nurses across the country feel the tension between the kind of care they were taught to provide and the kind of care they know patients truly need.

On this episode of the Functional Nurse Academy Podcast, I had the opportunity to interview Kelly Ann Shannon RN, BSN, BC-FMNS, founder of K. Shannon Functional Wellness. Kelly has 30 years of combined experience in critical care, cardiology, and integrative health, and she now helps clients uncover the root causes behind symptoms such as fatigue, anxiety, digestive issues, hormone imbalance, inflammation, brain fog, and weight loss resistance.

Kelly’s story is especially powerful because she was not just frustrated with conventional healthcare. She was already in nurse practitioner school when she realized the path she was on still was not going to give her the tools she needed to truly help people heal.

Instead of continuing down a route centered primarily on pharmaceuticals and symptom management, she chose a different direction: functional nursing.

From Critical Care and Cardiology to Functional Nursing

Kelly spent years working in conventional bedside nursing, including cardiology, cath lab, electrophysiology, ICU, CTICU, and trauma ICU. She loved caring for patients, but over time she began to notice a pattern that many experienced nurses eventually recognize.

She watched as more and more younger patients came through the doors, many of them battling chronic illnesses once seen primarily in older adults. And while conventional medicine was often effective in managing acute crises, it was not truly helping many people restore health long term. She saw people come in with serious cardiac issues, receive procedures, stabilize, and then return years later because the deeper drivers of disease had never been addressed.


That reality raised an important question for her early on:

Are we really helping people heal, or are we mostly managing symptoms?

This question became even more personal because Kelly’s family had already experienced the devastating effects of chronic disease at young ages. She lost two uncles to cancer before the age of 18, and her grandfather died of his third heart attack at just 56. Those losses shaped her decision to become a nurse and fueled her desire to understand why people were getting so sick in the first place.

Why Kelly Left Nurse Practitioner School

Kelly truly believed nurse practitioner school would be her next step toward practicing differently.


But once she got into the program, she quickly realized something felt deeply off. Rather than learning how to restore health, she found herself immersed in a model that focused heavily on:


  • symptom-based treatment
  • medication prescribing
  • drug safety and dosing
  • pharmaceutical management of chronic conditions


The curriculum did not align with the kind of medicine she wanted to practice. Kelly shared that she didn't want to invest years of her life and thousands of dollars learning a model of care that only left her feeling more frustrated and unfulfilled. She wanted to help people get off medications when appropriate, not just add more.


During a break from school, she started searching for other options and eventually found Functional Nurse Academy.

Once she reviewed the curriculum and understood the depth of the training, she enrolled and stepped away from nurse practitioner school. For Kelly, it was the right decision.

What Kelly Loved About Functional Nurse Academy

From the moment I started, I felt like I was going back to med school for functional medicine… I was so glad to find the Functional Nurse Academy, and I’ve never looked back. I recommend it to other nurses all the time. It’s wonderful.

Just the fact that as an RN, BSN, I can have my own practice. I never imagined that. It has been life changing for me. I love it so much, and I feel like, for the first time in all of my years of experience as a nurse, that I’m actually impacting people’s health now.
  • A root-cause, whole-person approach to wellness. Kelly appreciated learning how functional nursing focuses on educating clients about the factors that may contribute to health concerns (including nutrition, lifestyle, stress, sleep, and environmental influences) rather than focusing solely on symptoms.
  • Comprehensive functional medicine education. Kelly loved that FNA connected topics such as gut health, hormones, inflammation, detoxification pathways, nutrition, and cellular health, helping her understand how the body's systems work together.
  • Applying what she learned to her own wellness journey. As she progressed through the program, Kelly began connecting the dots in her own health and gained a deeper understanding of the lifestyle and functional factors that can influence overall well-being.
  • The confidence to choose a different career path. After discovering Functional Nurse Academy, Kelly realized functional nursing aligned more closely with her professional goals and decided to leave nurse practitioner school to pursue a career as a functional nurse.
  • Business training designed specifically for nurses. Kelly appreciated that FNA teaches both functional nursing principles and the business fundamentals needed to confidently launch an independent nursing business within an RN's scope of practice.
  • Helping clients through education and health coaching. Kelly loves being able to educate, support, and empower clients to make sustainable lifestyle changes while collaborating with other healthcare providers when appropriate.
  • A more fulfilling nursing career. Kelly shares that Functional Nurse Academy helped her rediscover her passion for nursing by equipping her to spend more time educating clients, promoting healthy lifestyle changes, and supporting long-term wellness.

Building K. Shannon Functional Wellness

After completing her functional medicine training, Kelly launched K. Shannon Functional Wellness in January 2024.

Today, she works primarily with midlife men and women who feel dismissed, frustrated, or stuck in symptoms that are often normalized in conventional care.

Her practice focuses on helping clients address issues such as:

  • hormone imbalance
  • fatigue
  • poor sleep
  • gut dysfunction
  • weight loss resistance
  • brain fog
  • inflammation
  • stress overload
  • metabolic concerns

Kelly’s approach combines her years of nursing experience with a root-cause, whole-person perspective. She uses one-on-one coaching, functional testing, nutrition and lifestyle support, and regular follow-up to guide clients through meaningful change.

One of my favorite things about Kelly’s story is how much she loves finally being able to do the kind of work she always hoped nursing could be.

Prefer to watch? Watch my interview with Kelly below!

A Client Success Story: Weight Loss Resistance in Midlife

During our conversation, Kelly shared the story of one client in her early 50s who had struggled for years with weight loss resistance, fatigue, pain, and frustration.

The client felt like nothing worked. No matter what she tried, she could not lose the extra 20 pounds she had been carrying, and she was relying on frequent ibuprofen just to manage daily discomfort.

Through functional testing, Kelly identified several underlying issues, including:

  • low stomach acid
  • poor digestive enzyme production
  • bacterial overgrowth
  • elevated beta-glucuronidase which may suggest impaired estrogen detoxification

After working through nutrition, lifestyle changes, and personalized functional support, the client began seeing real improvements.

Within about 12 weeks, she had:

  • lost 10 pounds
  • improved sleep
  • increased energy
  • reduced joint pain
  • dramatically lowered her dependence on ibuprofen

This story illustrates an important point: many people do not need to simply be told to “try harder.” They need someone willing to investigate why their body is struggling in the first place.

Chronic Disease, Cholesterol, and the Bigger Picture

Another major theme of our conversation was the limitations of how conventional medicine often approaches chronic disease.

Kelly shared her concerns about how often patients are treated according to narrow lab-based or pharmaceutical-centered frameworks without enough conversation around:

  • inflammation
  • nutrition
  • insulin resistance
  • toxic burden
  • hormone health
  • gut dysfunction
  • long-term lifestyle change

We also discussed cholesterol and statins, including the importance of understanding cholesterol in context rather than treating every elevation as a simple “bad number.”

Kelly emphasized that cholesterol is not the enemy. It plays vital roles in:

  • cell membrane health
  • brain function
  • hormone production
  • repair and resilience

So rather than focusing only on lowering cholesterol at all costs, she believes in looking deeper at why the cholesterol pattern is happening and whether inflammation, metabolic dysfunction, or poor diet quality are driving the issue.

Weight Loss Resistance, Hormones, and Midlife Health

Kelly is especially passionate about supporting people through midlife metabolic and hormonal changes.

She explained how many women in perimenopause and menopause, along with men in midlife, begin experiencing weight gain, fatigue, reduced resilience, and other changes that are often brushed off as inevitable.

But functional medicine takes a different view.

Rather than assuming these changes must simply be accepted, Kelly helps clients evaluate the role of:

  • high cortisol
  • insulin resistance
  • inflammation
  • poor gut health
  • detoxification issues
  • hormone shifts
  • toxic exposures

Her work is all about helping clients regain a stronger foundation so they can feel better, function better, and age more well.

Why Kelly’s Story Matters

Many nurses assume that if they want to practice more holistically, they need to become nurse practitioners first.

Kelly’s journey is an important reminder that this is not the only path. Functional nursing offers another way.

It allows nurses to use their existing strengths in assessment, education, coaching, advocacy, and critical thinking while building a root-cause, wellness-based practice that aligns with their values.

There are so many nurses right now who feel:

  • burned out by the conventional system
  • frustrated by symptom-based care
  • drawn to root-cause medicine
  • unsure whether there is another professional path available

Kelly’s story matters because it shows that there is.

She built a practice that reflects the kind of care she believes in. She helps clients create meaningful improvements in their health. And she did not have to continue down a path that no longer aligned with her vision.

Her journey is a reminder that when nurses are equipped with the right functional medicine education, they can expand their impact in life-changing ways.

About Kelly Ann Shannon RN, BSN, BC-FMNS

Kelly Ann Shannon, RN, BSN, BC-FMNS is the founder of K. Shannon Functional Wellness. After more than 30 years in critical care, cardiology, and traditional healthcare, she now helps midlife men and women uncover the root causes of issues like hormone imbalance, weight loss resistance, fatigue, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction through a functional medicine approach.

Kelly’s website: https://www.kshannonfunctionalwellness.com/

Frequently Asked Questions About Becoming a Functional Nurse

What is a functional nurse?

A functional nurse is a licensed nurse who applies the principles of functional medicine to educate and empower clients by helping them identify and address potential root causes of health concerns. Functional nurses focus on nutrition, lifestyle, sleep, stress management, environmental influences, and other evidence-informed approaches while practicing within their nursing scope of practice.

What is the difference between a functional practice owned by a NP and RN or LPN?

Nurse practitioners may operate a medical practice where permitted by state law. Depending on their state's regulations, NPs may diagnose medical conditions, order and interpret laboratory testing, prescribe medications, and provide medical treatment.

RNs and LPNs can own and operate independent wellness-focused functional nursing practices. Rather than diagnosing or treating medical conditions, they educate and empower clients through personalized wellness plans, nutrition and lifestyle education, health coaching, specialty laboratory education and on going support.

How Do Non-Advanced Practice Functional Nurses Utilize Laboratory Testing?

RNs and LPNs can access both conventional and specialty laboratory testing through partnerships with functional medicine laboratories. These partnerships allow nurses to order testing through a physician network at affordable wholesale pricing, while practicing within their professional scope.

While nurse practitioners (NPs) may have the authority to diagnose medical conditions and independently order laboratory testing depending on their state laws, non-advanced practice nurses use laboratory data to educate clients about potential patterns of dysfunction. Laboratory findings can also help guide personalized wellness recommendations and support collaboration with the client's healthcare team to optimize health outcomes.

Please note: Certain states, including New Jersey (NJ) and Rhode Island (RI), have restrictions on laboratory ordering through some functional medicine laboratory networks.

Does Functional Nurse Academy provide continuing education for nurses?

Functional Nurse Academy is an approved provider of continuing nursing education. Graduates receive 90 nursing contact hours, approved for LPNs, RNs, and NPs.

The program combines comprehensive functional medicine education with practical application, case studies, and business mentorship, giving nurses the knowledge, tools, and confidence to launch and grow their own functional wellness businesses.

Can I become board certified after completing Functional Nurse Academy?

Yes! Functional Nurse Academy graduates are eligible for the following practitioner level board certifications through American Association of Natural Wellness Practitioners (AANWP)

  • Functional Medicine Nurse Specialist | BC-FMNS
  • Functional Medicine Practitioner | BC-FMP
  • Functional Wellness Professional | BC-FWP
  • Christian Wellness Practitioner | BC-CWP (for students completing our optional Christian content)

Below are the coaching credentials that our graduates qualify for through the American Association of Natural Wellness Coaches (AANWC)

  • Functional Nurse Health Coach | BC-FNHC
  • Functional Health Coach | BC-FHC

This program has been peer-reviewed and is endorsed by The American Holistic Nurses Association

CEs earned from the Functional Nurse Academy meet CE eligibility requirements for the following American Holistic Nurses Association board certification titles:

  • HN-BC® (Holistic Nurse Board Certified)
  • HNB-BC® (Holistic Nurse Baccalaureate Board Certified)
  • AHN-BC® (Advanced Holistic Nurse Board Certified)
  • APHN-BC® (Advanced Practice Holistic Nurse Board Certified)
  • NC-BC® (Nurse Coach Board Certified)

What is included in enrollment?

Functional Nurse Academy is the leading and most comprehensive functional nursing program on the market for LPN, RN and NP. Enrollment includes the following:

  1. 90 Nursing Contact Hours of functional nursing education
  2. Multiple Board Certification Pathways in functional medicine and holistic nursing
  3. Functional Nurse Toolkit with business resources and practice-building tools
  4. Social Media & Marketing Kit with 9 months of content, brochures, and business card templates
  5. 40+ Advanced Trainings covering functional medicine and business strategy (available in FNA monthly mentorship library)
  6. Six Months of FNA’s Monthly Mentorship Program FREE, including live educational trainings and 60 minutes of live Q&A each month, all hosted by FNA Founder Melissa Schreibfeder, BSN, RN, BC-FMP, plus case studies and full access to the mentorship library.
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Ready to take the next step?

I’m so happy you’re interested in functional nursing! I’d love to connect with you at my next live informational + Q&A webinar, where you’ll learn all about functional nursing, how nurses across the country are launching their own functional wellness businesses, and how you can get started.

You’ll also have the opportunity to meet me live and get all of your questions answered!

Just click below to save your seat! I hope to see you there!

-Melissa Schreibfeder, BSN, RN, BC-FMP Founder & CEO, Functional Nurse Academy