After witnessing and responding to a medical emergency at Logan Airport in 2014, Shelley Lynch realized the need for more opportunities to train and educate the general public on CPR and AED use. Along with her husband, Shelley started the ACLS Academy and now provides CPR and AED training to both healthcare and non-healthcare professionals.
Today, we’re sitting down with the duo behind ACLS Academy to learn more about them, their accomplishments, and how you can get involved with their organization.
What made you decide to start ACLS Academy?
ACLS Academy was established by Shelley, with the tenet of providing consistent and accessible American Heart Association education for those in need. For years, Shelley was an AHA instructor, providing education to friends and peers in the workplace. It wasn't until she witnessed a cardiac event in a non-clinical setting that she realized the need for educating the public, too. I had always supported her various endeavors and agreed that this was another excellent example of her meeting a need for the common good. For the first few years, we grew the business in our spare time, from the kitchen table, balancing full-time jobs, grad school, and raising three toddlers.
What is the mission of your organization?
Our initial mission was to provide a first-class education for providers by providers. We have since recognized the need to educate beyond the healthcare provider scope and now offer classes to those people outside of traditional clinical roles.
Since starting ACLS Academy, what accomplishment are you the proudest of?
Wow, great question. It'd be hard to nail down one, as there have been so many accomplishments to be proud of. I’d say the fact that we have 3 Heartsaver Hero’s amongst our team is pretty impressive. I'm also proud of the team we have, their accolades as individuals, and their collective contributions to the local Healthcare community.
Running a business is so rewarding, but it can be hard (especially when you run it with your spouse)! Tell us, how do you push forward when things get difficult?
There is some truth to the additional challenges of running a business with a spouse. I think that because we both respect each other's contributions while recognizing we each have specific skill sets helps. When things get difficult, we see it happen and both take a step back. While we constantly talk 'shop,' we try to differentiate between the office and the kitchen table, which is no easy feat.
What are some of ACLS Academy’s goals for 2022?
2020 and 2021 created such adversity, and we responded creatively. We grew our footprint to allow for more spacious classes and brought in external partners. In 2022 the significant changes will be behind the scenes, improving our back-of-the-house functionality. The goal is to make the end user's ability to sign-up, see available classes, and access resources more readily.
On our vision board for the past five years was applying for AHA Training Center status. We will be pursuing this next step with the AHA this year.
What would make the greatest difference in helping your organization reach its goals?
Continuing to build relationships with industry partners will allow us to reach more students and provide more educational opportunities. The more we teach, the more we learn!
Is there anything you wish more people knew about ACLS Academy and healthcare training?
We are a small, family-run business, started with the intention of providing education for our peers, neighbors, and friends. We provide the same level of attention, care, and patience for everyone, whether they are a local scout group in need of first aid training to a Boston hospital looking to recertify a team of specialized physicians.
How can people get involved in your organization?
We pride ourselves on our reputation in the community and are always looking to grow. We value our team of instructors and our partners in the industry. We highly encourage anyone to reach out and see how our shared goals can align!