Medical Spa Success Requires Continuing Education

The aesthetic medicine field is constantly evolving. Equipment, procedures and techniques are changing along with the economy.  One thing I’ve seen as a critical  factor of the most successful medical spas is the importance place on both clinical and business training. Physicians need to look at entering the aesthetic field as a journey; you are not going to learn everything you need to enter the industry in one weekend, so you need to have access to accredited on-going clinical training, medical textbooks, DVD’s and reputable on-line resources in order to hone your skills, just as you did in medical school.

For those of you who are running an existing medical spa or aesthetic practice, continuing education is also very important.  Hands-on training is always the most preferred method of training in aesthetics. But, you can also gain much knowledge with online CME aesthetic medicine training as well. That is one reason the IAPAM offers its members  AMA CAT1 Aesthetic Medicine CME’s as part of its member benefits.  In addition, they also have many procedural video’s and clinical s available to its members.

In a recent article I wrote titled, “How to have a Profitable MediSpa: The Top 3 Medical Spa Myths,” I mentioned that so many times, physicians attend a free weekend training course in the hopes of learning everything there is to know about opening a medical spa or aesthetic practice. Unfortunately, the reality of the market place is that most of these seminars are often run by laser manufacturers or consulting firms, both of whom are ultimately guiding you to purchase their products and services. A physician may start along the information path by attending a weekend program, but one needs to have ongoing educational and peer support, and access to additional CME approved clinical training.

Jeff Russell
Executive-Director, IAPAM