Shelley Schulte has played many roles in 25+ years at FCLV
Our fertility center in Las Vegas has several employees who have been with us for decades, but few have the vast experience that Shelley Schulte has gained during her career with FCLV. From the exam room to the back office, her diverse experiences in the field of fertility care have made her a respected leader, and have helped our physicians build one of the most recognized and accomplished fertility centers in the world.
Originally a Colorado native, Shelley joined our fertility center in Las Vegas in 1990 as a young medical assistant, back when the practice consisted only of Bruce Shapiro MD PhD, a tiny staff and just two exam rooms.
“We were not even doing egg retrievals in the office at that time. We would go to Women’s Hospital to perform them,” she recalls. “I’ve seen a lot of changes and advances in the field since those days. Back then, a 20% IVF success rate was good. I remember people popping champagne and celebrating our first IVF pregnancy a couple of weeks after I started. Today our IVF success rates are among the highest reported in the United States.”
As FCLV grew and moved into a larger space, Shelley worked her way up to become back office supervisor, IVF coordinator, assistant manager and in 1998, executive director.
Deep knowledge of IVF and fertility care
Shelley’s decades of experience on both the clinical and administrative side of the business make her an insightful leader for the fertility care team at our fertility center in Las Vegas.
“A lot of what I do is behind the scenes,” she says. “My day consists of managing our staff’s needs, problem-solving, leading meetings between departments and troubleshooting how to make our operations better and more efficient. I also oversee compliance and keep us ahead of state inspections and accreditation for our surgery center. And, I handle a lot of financial aspects, such as accounts payable, accounts receivable and employee benefits. I’m like human resources and a chief financial officer, rolled up into one.”
With a focus on strategic planning, she has been instrumental in overseeing the day-to-day business operations to further the goals of the practice, while leading the FCLV team in providing exceptional patient care and service. Shelley leads a team of supervisors in each department, bringing them all together regularly to keep operations running smoothly and brainstorm new ways to improve the patient experience.
“I really believe in what we do, and I believe in our doctors,” she says. “I’ve spent a lot of years with Dr. Shapiro, and I have such a level of respect for what he does and how he does it. He’s one of the most honest people I know, and I believe that our team of doctors are the best in the field. They are constantly looking for ways to improve success rates and are always fine-tuning things to achieve more pregnancies for our patients.”
Shelley herself is keenly focused on continuing improvement, participating in management groups to learn from and share with others within the field of fertility care.
“I love talking with other fertility clinics to hear about their hurdles and successes to see if there is a better way to help our patients,” she says. “Our industry has changed and grown so much since I started in 1990, and The Fertility Center has changed and grown to fit the needs of our patients locally, nationally and internationally.”
A workplace that feels like family
Having spent more than two decades at FCLV, Shelley has built close relationships with many other long-standing team members.
“A lot of people have been here a long time, so some of them were here when my kids were born and have kids the same age,” Shelley says, noting that her son and daughter are now in their 20s. “We have a really good working environment.”
Shelley and her husband, Rob, have three kids between them who are all in their 20s. Shelley and Rob enjoy cooking together, entertaining, fine dining, spending time with family and visiting wineries. They often take weekend getaways to various wine countries. Another fun fact: Shelley is an identical twin.
To learn more about fertility care or our fertility center in Las Vegas, contact us to schedule a consultation. Shelley Schulte, together with our entire team of experienced professionals, looks forward to assisting you.
