Sarah Shepler, DNP
Sarah Shepler has always been passionate and excited about improving the lives of others. Even at a young age, Sarah knew she wanted to help others for a living by entering the medical field, but didn’t know in what capacity. Driven by an eagerness to learn, Sarah started working at the age of 15 to earn a vehicle so she could travel to high school. Sarah’s drive continued in college as she worked in Eastern Kentucky University’s food court to pay for tuition.
During her time at EKU, Sarah entered the pre-medicine track and realized she wanted to take a different path. Following her passion for helping others, she decided to focus on nursing so she could be at bedside and positively impact patients when they are most vulnerable.
After earning a nursing degree from EKU, Sarah began her adventure as a nurse at the Cleveland Clinic in one of the CVICUs. After three years, Sarah moved to West Michigan and began her career in cardiovascular medicine working in a cardiovascular lab. During this role, she was able to impact patients’ lives directly through assisting with procedures to re-open necessary vessels to the heart and legs – but she knew she wanted to be more involved and build stronger relationships with her patients. As a result, she went back to school and earned a DNP from Grand Valley State University.
Sarah joined ACV Centers to help shine a brighter light on PAD – a disease that goes untreated far too often. She respects her patients and understands many of them have been told, “there is nothing more to do,” and amputation is the only solution. However, Sarah and the ACV team work tirelessly to improve quality of limb and life and ensure amputation does not occur. She admires ACV Center’s focus on building relations with patients while ensuring the best care is provided.
“Each individual brings a different personality and perspective to the table that allows patients to receive world-class care,” she says. “We hope to spread the message of PAD and improve the lives of those in our community on a daily basis.”
Sarah is affiliated with the American Association of Nurse Practitioners and the American Association of Critical Care Nurses. She is also certified with ACLS, BLS and CCRN.
When not helping to improve the lives of her patients, Sarah enjoys being a mother to two wonderful children who are developing their own unique personalities and making her life much more interesting. Sarah’s husband, AJ, is a R&D chef who makes the best food in town and acts as her own personal meal prepper. As a family, the Sheplers enjoy participating in warm and cold-weather activities, including swimming and going to the beach when the sun’s out, and sledding when the snow falls.
