Pre-Interview

The interview is the competition. Show up ready.

Programs accept a handful of students from hundreds of applicants. Speaking the language shows commitment - you put in the time and effort to present yourself at your best. That gets noticed.

Your Path to Day One
Cohort 2 Underway — Enroll Through October 15
Already Accepted?

Day one is a firehose. Walk in more prepared.

You will be hit with new vocabulary, clinical concepts, and OR culture all at once. We help you learn the language before you arrive, so you can focus on the medicine - not the terminology.

Seats in accredited perfusion programs are limited. Candidates who understand the language get noticed. PSPS helps you become one of them.

Whether you’re applying, interviewing, or already accepted —
this is where it starts.

Applying to Programs

Competition for perfusion school seats is intense. PSPS helps you stand out — not by gaming the process, but by genuinely beginning to think like a perfusionist before you ever walk through the door.

Preparing for Interviews

Programs ask candidates to define clinical terms, explain basic concepts, and describe how blood moves through a heart-lung machine. PSPS builds that foundation — so your answers come from understanding, not memorization.

Already Accepted

Day One comes faster than you think. Arrive with the language and the mindset already in place.

What PSPS Is

Perfusion programs receive hundreds of applications for a handful of seats. PSPS gives you the vocabulary, the clinical framework, and the professional mindset to walk into that interview — and your first day of school — thinking like a perfusionist.

"Whether you are exploring perfusion, applying to programs, or already accepted — language is where the journey to Day One starts. PSPS gives you the vocabulary, the clinical context, and the professional mindset to arrive ready. Not because you memorized more, but because you understand the framework."

— Dr. Tony Shackelford, DHA, MHA, CCP

PSPS doesn’t teach you what perfusion school teaches you. It helps you begin to think like a perfusionist — so that when school starts, every lecture, every lab, and every clinical hour lands the way it was meant to.

Five miles wide, two inches deep. PSPS is not the deep dive — that is what perfusion school is for. This is the force multiplier that makes sure every lecture, every lab, every clinical hour lands harder because you already speak the language.

PSPS Is
  • The base language of perfusion — before school
  • Built by a 35-year didactic and clinical CCP
  • Five miles wide, two inches deep
  • A force multiplier for your education
  • Clinical vocabulary and OR culture
  • How to begin to think like a perfusionist
PSPS Is Not
  • A replacement for perfusion school
  • A board review course
  • A shortcut to certification
  • A critique of any program
  • YouTube videos with no structure
  • Reddit advice from strangers
Enroll Now — Cohort 2 Starts This Wednesday →

Cohort 2 • Wednesdays at 7:00 PM ET • Underway — enrollment open through October 15

Who This Is For

If you are serious about perfusion,
this is for you.

✓ Already accepted — starting soonYou got in. Now get ahead. PSPS gives you the foundation to make sure every lecture, every lab, and every clinical hour lands from day one.
Pre-perfusion applicants & anyone ready to commitPreparing to apply or reapply, or simply ready to commit — walk into your first interview knowing exactly what this career is and why it matters, with a real competitive edge.
Reapplying next cycleUse the time between cycles wisely. Arrive stronger next time.
RNs, RTs & Surgical TechsAlready in the OR. Ready to understand what is happening behind the machine.
HVTs & Cath Lab TechsAlready working around the circuit. Ready to be behind it.
ECMO TechniciansYou know the machine. PSPS gives you the foundation to take the next step.
Not Sure Yet?

Talk to Dr. Tony before you commit to anything.

If you are still deciding whether perfusion is the right career for you, Dr. Tony will personally get on a call with you — no cost, no pressure — to help you figure it out before you spend a dollar or an application on it.

Request a Career Counseling Call →

A real conversation with a 35-year CCP — not a sales call.

Before You Read the Curriculum

This is not ten PowerPoints
and a “see you later.”

Each of the ten modules below is a complete learning system — built, narrated, and taught by a 35-year practicing perfusionist. Not slides in a folder. Not a PDF and a handshake. Here is what comes with every module:

🎧 Fully narrated audio lectures
You hear Dr. Tony teach every module — tone, context, and the stories behind the science, not silent slides.
🧠 Mind-map study guides
See how every concept connects before you memorize anything — systems thinking from module one.
🀄 Flashcards
The vocabulary drilled the way you will actually study it — built for repetition, not reading.
✅ Self-check quizzes with instant feedback
Fifteen questions per module — every answer explained, so you know why, not just what.
📈 Infographics & quick-reference sheets
The numbers, circuits, and relationships laid out visually — one glance and it clicks.
🎓 Full slide decks
Every deck stays in your portal as your reference library.

All of it lives in one portal. Plus three live sessions and access that lasts the full cohort — go back to any module, any time. And throughout it all, you are mentored directly by Dr. Tony — not passed off to teaching assistants, not left to auto-graded software. One student, one mentor.

A TIME COMMITMENT — IN WRITING

“I built this course, I narrate every module, I run every live session, and I answer your questions myself. I am committing my time to you — so you become better, and so the patients you will one day care for get better care. That is the whole point.”

— Dr. Tony Shackelford, DHA, MHA, CCP, CCT

Curriculum

10 modules. Two per week.
One framework.

Complete each module at your own pace during the cohort period. Each one builds on the last — language, framework, mindset — so that by the time you finish, you are not just prepared for perfusion school. You belong there.

PSPS Module 01: Foundations for Success
MODULE 01
Foundations for Success

Philosophy, the Four Rules, mindset, patient-centered care

PSPS Module 02: What Is Perfusion?
MODULE 02
What Is Perfusion?

The job, the team, the OR, the history

PSPS Module 03: Anatomy You Need to Know
MODULE 03
Anatomy You Need to Know

Heart, great vessels, coronary circulation, cardiac cycle

PSPS Module 04: The Circuit — Components
MODULE 04
The Circuit — Components

Pumps, reservoirs, oxygenators, filters, heat exchange

PSPS Module 05: Getting Blood In and Out
MODULE 05
Getting Blood In and Out

Cannulas, venous drainage, RAP, cardiotomy suction

PSPS Module 06: The Physics Behind the Machine
MODULE 06
The Physics Behind the Machine

Poiseuille, Bernoulli, Reynolds — in plain English

PSPS Module 07: The Numbers You Will Hear
MODULE 07
The Numbers You Will Hear

Blood gas, cardiac output, DO₂i, hemodynamics

PSPS Module 08: The Language of the OR
MODULE 08
The Language of the OR

Drugs, procedures, terminology — words that will stop you cold

PSPS Module 09: Patient Safety & Error Prevention
MODULE 09
Patient Safety & Error Prevention

HRO, Just Culture, Team Perfect Perfusion

PSPS Module 10: Putting It All Together
MODULE 10
Putting It All Together

Integration, confidence, and clarity — leaving this course ready on day one

PROTECTED CURRICULUM

This original PSPS curriculum, recordings, study guides, mind maps, quizzes, and teaching materials are protected intellectual property of AGS Perfusion LLC. © 2026. All rights reserved. Individual educational use only; reproduction, redistribution, resale, republication, or course reuse requires prior written permission.

Three Live Sessions — Designed with Purpose GUIDED COHORT ONLY

Included with the Guided Cohort tier. Designed to keep you connected, answer questions, and help you apply what you have learned.

Live Session 1
Live Orientation
60 minutes
Set expectations, introduce the philosophy, explain how to get the most out of the course, and build rapport.
Live Session 2
Mid-Course Q&A
45–60 minutes
Answer questions, reinforce key concepts, address common sticking points, and encourage continued progress.
Live Session 3
Final Send-Off
60 minutes
Synthesize the course, discuss what to expect when entering perfusion school, and transition you confidently into the next stage.
DR. TONY’S TIPS & TRICKS

Earned over 35 years. Passed on to you.

Throughout the course, Dr. Tony shares his Tips & Tricks — short, practical pearls drawn from 35 years as a practicing perfusionist and years of teaching, including Teacher of the Year honors and students who went on to win awards for their own presentations. The kind of knowledge you will not find in any textbook — shared with you through direct mentorship, one student at a time.

The full collection is reserved for enrolled students inside the portal.

What You Will Earn

A certificate worth posting.
Because the work is real.

Finish the Guided Cohort and you will have something to show for it — a personalized Certificate of Completion from the Perfusion School Prep Series, signed by Dr. Tony. Many graduates share theirs on LinkedIn as part of their application story.

Sample PSPS Certificate of Completion, personalized with your name upon finishing the Guided Cohort

Sample shown with a placeholder name. Certificates are issued individually to Guided Cohort graduates upon completion.

Your Instructor

Built in the classroom.
Proven in the OR.

Teaching Philosophy

"Philosophy before physiology.™"

The first thing taught in every PSPS module is not anatomy, physics, or drug names. It is this: Who is the most important person in the operating room?

Not the surgeon. Not the perfusionist. Not the anesthesiologist. It is the patient — the one person in the room who cannot speak for themselves. Everything else follows from that.

AGS

Dr. Tony Shackelford

DHA • MHA • CCP

Dr. Tony Shackelford has practiced clinical perfusion for 35 years without interruption. He has taught at accredited perfusion programs and trained alongside the faculty your future instructors learned from. PSPS reflects the same philosophy he has used in classrooms and operating rooms for three decades: language first, everything else follows.

"My goal is simple: I want every prospective perfusionist — whether you are exploring the field, preparing for interviews, or already accepted — to arrive on Day One confident, prepared, and ready to succeed. The language comes first. Everything else builds on it."

— Dr. Tony Shackelford
🔗 Connect with Dr. Tony on LinkedIn →
CCP DHA 35 Yrs Clinical Practice National Presenter Just Culture Certified HRO Trained 100% Clinically Active Thousands of Patients Cared For Nearly Two Decades of Classroom Teaching Teacher of the Year Published Author Journal Reviewer Leadership Mentor
Our Commitment

Our Commitment to
Perfusion Education

PSPS exists to help students arrive at perfusion school better prepared — not to replace or compete with the curriculum of any accredited perfusion program.

Once you begin school, your faculty are your primary educators. Our role is to help you maximize the opportunity you have earned by providing a foundation that helps you understand the language, culture, and mindset of perfusion before your first day of curriculum.

Integrity Starts Here

One day you will be entrusted with protecting a patient's life. Professional ethics don't begin on your first day in the operating room — they begin with the choices you make today. Please honor this course by using it only as intended: one enrollment for one future professional.

Enrollment

Cohort 2 — October 2026

“The Foundation”

Guided Cohort
$595
Full experience with Dr. Tony
  • All 10 video modules
  • Mind-map study guides & flashcards
  • Self-check quizzes with instant feedback
  • Private cohort community
  • Live Orientation (60 min)
  • Mid-Course Q&A (45–60 min)
  • Final Send-Off (60 min)
  • Direct Q&A access to Dr. Tony
  • Digital + physical certificate mailed

Enrollment is individual and non-transferable. Access, materials, live sessions, community participation, and certificates are limited to the registered participant only.

Enrollment

Cohort 2 is underway — Wednesdays at 7:00 PM ET.

Enrollment is open through October 15. Join now and I’ll personally catch you up one-on-one before your first session.

Your information is saved before checkout so Dr. Tony can assist if payment is interrupted.

$595 one-time enrollment • Secure payment powered by Stripe

Cohort 2 • Wednesdays at 7:00 PM ET • Enroll through October 15

Straight Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Is PSPS affiliated with any university or perfusion program?

No. PSPS is an independent private educational program created and taught by Tony Shackelford, DHA, CCP. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to any university or perfusion program.

Does completing PSPS guarantee admission to a perfusion program?

No. No course can guarantee admission, and PSPS makes no such promise. What PSPS gives you is preparation — the language, fundamentals, interview readiness, and mentorship that make you a stronger applicant.

Who actually teaches it?

Dr. Tony Shackelford, personally — 35 years in perfusion. He wrote, recorded, and narrated every lecture himself, and personally mentors every cohort between sessions. No teaching assistants, no faceless course platform. Direct mentorship is the whole point.

How does the cohort work?

Ten modules released two per week on a set schedule, each with built-in study guides, quizzes, and direct access to Dr. Shackelford between sessions for questions and feedback. You finish fluent in the language of the OR — before day one demands it.