There has been phenomenal growth, over the last couple of years, in the number of providers offering aesthetic training and sometimes it is difficult to tell the good training courses from the bad.
We are now more often seeing news articles like the below discussing the ‘ugly side of the aesthetic training industry’.
So how can you tell the good from the bad? Below are 5 key things to consider when choosing an Aesthetic Training Provider.
1. Are they regulated?
There are currently no legal requirements for training academies to be regulated. However, some training providers may choose to be registered with a regulatory body to ensure they are continually improving standards and providing the highest quality of care.
The Aesthetic Training Academy is the first and only training academy to be registered by Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS). All independent clinics providing aesthetic medical treatment in Scotland ran by registered Doctors, Dentists and Nurses must be registered with HIS, so we feel that is is only right for the Aesthetic Training Academy to meet the same high standards set by HIS.
2. Who is performing the training and what are their qualifications?
One of the most striking things identified in the above article, is the lack of experience that many of the training providers faculty have. Before undertaking any course research the faculty who will be carrying out your course. Reputable training providers should have a ‘Meet The Team’ section on their website listing who their faculty is, how long they have been performing aesthetic medicine and what their qualifications are. Look for faculty members who frequently lecture at conferences, host educational webinars, write publications for journals and magazines and are key opinion leaders for reputable brands.
3. Do they tailor their training courses to the experience of the delegates?
Most training courses in aesthetic medicine will cover the use of Botulinum Toxin and Dermal Fillers, however, there should be various levels of training to meet your experience levels. You should never attend a course and feel completely out of your depth learning advanced techniques or leave a course feeling like you have learnt nothing new. Most aesthetic training providers will now offer different courses for beginners and more advanced practitioners.
The traditional delegate journey for those just starting out in their aesthetic career at the Aesthetic Training Academy, is to undertake our ‘Getting Started in Aesthetic Medicine’ course. Many delegates then move on to undertaking additional supervised practice sessions or shadowing our faculty in one of our sister clinics. We recommend delegates practice the techniques and procedures they have learnt for a minimum of a year prior to undertaking our ‘Advancing Skills in Aesthetic Medicine’ course. Following this, many delegates return to the Aesthetic Training Academy to undetake an expert masterclass, focusing on specific areas of the face such as Tear Troughs or Non-Surgical Rhinoplasty.
4. Do they offer supervised practice?
Performing supervised practice on real-life models is key to successful aesthetic training. During supervised practice your trainer will be able to provide you with constructive criticism and tips on how to develop your skills and technique, to ensure you feel confident performing aesthetic treatments.
Do your research on how many other delegates will be on the course. Typically speaking the more people on the course the less hands-on experience you will have. You should never be expected to share a model with other delegates (e.g. doing a section of the models lips). At the Aesthetic Training Academy, we keep courses to a maximum of 4 delegates to each trainer to allow for as much observation of treatment and supervised practice as possible.
5. Do the trainers offer follow up support?
Upon completing your training, you should never feel alone! Many training academies will offer follow-up support from the trainers or access to private forums for discussions with other delegates.
At ATA we are always only a phone call away. If you have any questions or concerns about patients or carrying out your treatments you can call our Head Office on 01698 852 093 or email enquiries@ATAGlasgow.co.uk and speak to a member of the ATA team who will endeavour to help you.
If you have any further questions about our training or aesthetic training in general, please get in touch at enquiries@ATAGlasgow.co.uk!
