I’ve always wanted to give an interest or a passion a shot rather than be left wondering, ‘what if’.
Lindsay McFarland (Respiratory Therapy, '18)
As she sought to better understand her history of poor sleep patterns, Lindsay McFarland (Respiratory Therapy, ’18) embarked on a journey that led her from registered respiratory therapist to CPAP brand strategist and advocate on social media.
“I’ve always wanted to give an interest or a passion a shot rather than be left wondering, ‘what if’,” Lindsay says. “Thankfully, with the skills and experience that I got at Michener, I was set up to chase down many different avenues of success.”
The Path to Sleep Care
Following her undergrad at Queen’s University in physical and health education, Lindsay’s search to acquire tangible skills to help her find patient-centered work – and ideally a path into sleep care – led her to respiratory therapy and Michener.
“I really wanted to understand the fundamentals of patient care through respiratory therapy, and Michener did a really great job of delivering that knowledge,” she says. “And even when I felt like I was set on doing something a little different with my education, all my professors were supportive.”
“Thankfully, there are plenty of options available to you beyond being a bedside respiratory therapist when you come out of the program,” she says, “and I do believe having that background and the clinical experience provided allowed me to succeed in those other areas.”
Lindsay would find her way into the sleep industry with the largest manufacturer of CPAP devices. She started as a clinical specialist making presentations to physicians and clinical audiences.
“I think my clinical background allowed me to better highlight how these devices can help to improve patient outcomes,” she says.
Lindsay says she also gained valuable experience with marketing and promotions when she served as vice-president with Michener’s Student Council, where she was put in charge of organizing events and securing sponsors.
Subscribing to Online Advocacy
A life-changing moment for Lindsay came as she was in search of a creative outlet during the COVID-19 pandemic. She started posting videos of vintage furniture on social media, which was not widely viewed but did introduce her to developing online content.
When Lindsay decided to branch out into something more personal and share her own CPAP journey, things really took off.
“I would say it just kind of snowballed,” she says. “I started posting TikToks, and then within a month one went viral and it got around 3 million views.”
Lindsay says she loves making connections within the CPAP community and finding creative ways to help normalize the therapeutic sleep device. Her videos and posts can be found on multiple social media channels through her handle, @yoursleepbff.
“I think, as a young woman, there’s often stigma associated with CPAP and people don’t want to be open or honest about their diagnosis,” she says. “I’ll be honest, CPAP is really hard at times – and that’s true to my story.”
“I’m not always positive about it, but I think that’s why the content resonates with so many people – they feel the same way and are going through a similar experience.”
Lindsay gives full credit to her decision to share her experiences with landing her current position as a brand content strategist within the sleep industry.
Different Directions to Care
For those also in the pursuit of healthcare outside of a hospital setting, Lindsay says there’s no better place to begin than Michener.
“I genuinely do feel lucky to have attended Michener because it does such a great job of preparing you with the skills to start a job tomorrow,” she says.
“It’s always scary to make a change, and I feel like I’ve made a ton of them – from moving regions for work to making the switch into health marketing,” she says. “The one thing I remind myself is that I can always go back – there’s nothing stopping me from ever picking up my RT skills and going back to work in a hospital.”
“I do believe that I have those options, I have that safety net because of the training and education I received at Michener,” she says. “It’s a great feeling.”