Shelly attended WTSU for her BSN and graduated in 1992. She worked as a charge nurse at Crown of Texas Dialysis center from 1995-2010. She attended West Texas A&M University for her master's degree and nurse practioner education then joined the team at Amarillo Nephrology Associates in 2010. Hemodialysis patients are her special interest and she is certified as a nephrology nurse as well as a family nurse practioner.