A student at Galen’s Aurora, Colorado campus is receiving high praise for her work at HCA Healthcare’s Aurora Medical Center. Shanna Nava Flores was recently awarded the prestigious HCA HealthONE Flower Bud Award during her clinicals.

The Flower Bud Award is a recognition presented to nursing students who exemplify the core qualities of compassion, empathy, and professionalism that characterize the nursing profession. This student demonstrates a steadfast commitment to excellence in their journey to become future nurses, as evidenced by their enthusiasm for learning and proactively pursuing hands-on clinical experiences. The award is a DAISY Foundation-affiliated recognition.

Shanna Nava Flores says during one of her recent clinical visits, the nurses were talking about wanting to give out an award, so they had all the nursing students and staff gathered around.  She says she was shocked when her name was called.

“There’s this gentleman that is in the class with me, and he is really good with patients, so I was just waiting for him to walk up and accept the award, then they called my name.  I was surprised, I like, cried a little.”

Nava Flores says the award is a nice reminder that everything she is working hard for is worth her time and effort, and that she is where she is supposed to be.

She says she began her nursing journey after spending many years working in the restaurant industry.

“I kind of got tired of it and my friend was like, why don’t you go back to school and do something else,” said Nava Flores. “I was like, ‘I don’t know, I’m a little older’.”

Despite her reservations, Nava Flores made the decision to go back to school to become an licensed practical nurse (LPN), and passed the NCLEX exam in 2019.

“It was right before COVID, so it was a crazy time to be a brand new nurse, but I just learned more and more about how healthcare changes so fast.”

Then in fall 2024, she decided she wanted to pursue her associate degree in nursing (ADN) and become an registered nurse (RN). The question was which nursing school to attend.

“I was working at Sky Ridge Medical Center and the educator there was like, Galen is getting ready to open a new campus in Aurora, so just wait a little bit.”

Nava Flores did just that and was a member of one of the first ADN cohort’s at Galen’s new Aurora campus.  Now, about a year later, Nava Flores is thriving and thinking about the future and her goal of becoming a Forensic Nurse.

“I really enjoy working with patients that nobody works with, nobody really gives a thought to.”

Nava Flores is referring to the patients she currently treats for her current employer, the Jefferson County Jail.

“I don’t think a lot of people realize that not every patient in a jail is a terrible person. A lot of them have had extreme amounts of trauma. There are a lot of young girls at this jail, and working with them has gotten me to the point where I was like, I really want to help.”

Something Nava Flores hopes to do when she graduates from Galen College of Nursing with her associate degree in nursing next year.

“Everything I do right now is for my two daughters. They need to see that their mom can succeed.”

Are you considering beginning your nursing journey? Galen offers several paths including our: PN/VN diploma program, Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) program, and 3-year Baccalaureate Degree in Nursing (BSN) program.

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