Grow Your Own Journey Series Kelly Bleakney

KELLY BLEAKNEY

NURSE FAMILY PRACTITIONER

“Education allows for a solid platform that nobody can ever take from you...”

Kelly Bleakney, FNP, is part of the team in the Acute Care Clinic at SLVH Stuart Avenue, Alamosa. She once was an LPN for a few years and now is a Family Nurse Practitioner. She shares that from her experience your employer can be compared to a relationship. There will be good days and bad. Sometimes you’re sleeping on the couch and other times you are back together again!

She completed her Master of Science in Nursing after a career in nursing at various locations in the Valley. When the dialysis unit was hospital based, she was working there as her first job as a registered nurse after completing her associate in nursing from Trinidad State where she also got her LPN certificate.

Photo byline: Kelly checks out an armadillo at the San Antonio for Obesity Medicine Conference

“I knew that Primary Care was looking to hire a Nurse Practitioner, so while I was finishing my degree, I already knew I had a job right back here at SLV Health, only this time in a clinic setting.”

During her work journey, she gained valuable experience working part time as the nurse for the Alamosa County Sheriff’s department at the jail. During this time, she realized she could have a greater impact with furthering her education and decided to return to school to become a nurse practitioner.

She has a special interest and experience with patients with mental health and addiction conditions. She also has experience as the House Supervisor and in emergency care. She really became hooked on patient care when she was an ER nurse for SLVH. Her work experience has spanned a total of 24 years.

She is a Sargent high school graduate and received her bachelor’s from Grand Canyon University in Phoenix. She graduated with honors with her master’s from Regis University in Denver with her Family Nurse Practitioner degree.

“It was nice to know I had a job. When one door shuts, another opens. Keep in good graces with all of your employers along the way, as you never know when you’ll be dating again,” commented Bleakney.

In August of 2023, she was asked to speak at the TSC graduation as a distinguished alumna. Kelly shared a few words of advice for those pursuing higher education. “We get a lot more from formal education than many may realize. Education allows for a solid platform that nobody can ever take from you – they can only gain from you.”

Read Kelly's bio here.