Providers need two things to legally inject a prescription substance like Botox® or Dermal Fillers.
First one needs LICENSURE. This is the state-issued license as a Registered Nurse, Nurse Practitioner, Physician Assistant, or Physician in any of the 50 states. In addition, Dentists (30 states) and NMD’s (4 states) may inject cosmetic Botox® administration in part of the country.
Second, one needs TRAINING. Training in these procedures is not included in any licensure’s schooling. Therefore, all providers learn these procedures after graduating from the licensure program. A brand new website at Aesthetic-Training.com has just debuted in June of 2024 to help answer some of the most common questions and provide comparisons of the most popular training providers without bias or sponsorship.
All Training Programs Must Be Accredited
Educational content must be reviewed for standards of accuracy and lack of bias. Training programs partner with a continuing education co-sponsor to review and issue credits. In return, each class must state the number of hours eligible and the professional organizations that accept them. AMA Category 1 is the Physician’s gold standard, but other organizations like AANP (for NPs), ANCC (for nurses), AAPA (for PAs), and ADA (for Dentists).
An MD cannot take a course that only has AANC certification and a dentist cannot take a course that only has AANP certification. The accreditation statement must be clearly listed on every training course for sale. Here is an example of the complete credit statement with the number of hours, and co-sponsor information…
THIS ACTIVITY HAS BEEN REVIEWED AND IS ACCEPTABLE FOR UP TO 10 ELECTIVE CREDITS BY THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF FAMILY PHYSICIANS (AAFP). AAFP Elective credit is accepted by the American Medical Association as equivalent to AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ toward the AMA Physician’s Recognition Award. These credits are accepted by ANCC, AANP and AAPA.
Without this, then the certificate is potentially worthless when providers use it for professional liability insurance, or for job applications.
Choosing the Right Training Program
Since the pandemic, unaccredited niche providers of training have emerged. Search engine rankings do a poor job of screening medical content for quality, instead relying on backlinks, which can be easily bought, and social media references as a proxy for relevance. To fully research, one must search at least 5 pages deep for the following elements in each training program:
- Faculty Information. Accreditation best practices state that the faculty member for each activity must be stated. If one cannot research the qualifications and licensure of their instructor, then that company should be removed from consideration. A general list of teachers on a “faculty” page is inadequate. Faculty for hands-on courses must be licensed in the state where the course is located.
- Location Information. Is the street address of the training provided? If not, what are they trying to hide? To be compliant with accreditation, all events should have a public posted location.
- Class Size. The maximum class size and faculty to student ratio should also be clearly stated.
- Agenda. A detailed course agenda must be provided. This is important because physicians, by nature, design treatments. Nurses by training follow strict protocols well. Nurses teach Botox® and Filler typically as a protocol, but providers will be much more successful learning the science behind the procedure and individual treatment design which often breaks protocol.
- Complete Training. If their site offers “advanced” or “Tier 2” and “Tier 3” training, one should avoid them altogether. They are simply withholding information from the main course just to collect more tuition later. All of the areas that work can be taught in a single, evidence-based, training class.
Cheap Training is Never Cheap
Differences in cost and travel expenses of $3,000 should not be a reason to choose one over another. Choosing the wrong training will reduce patient retention rate. For example, saving $2,000 now and taking a substandard training but only retaining 50% of patients (instead of 80%) would result in a loss of revenue of over $40,000 in year one alone.
Finally, one should realize that certain descriptors have no legal standing and are simply used for marketing. Some examples of these terms show no legal status or exclusivity for any company or graduate of a training program… “Diplomate”, “Advanced Injector”, “Master Injector”, “American Academy of…”, “Fellowship”, “Member”, “Institute of…”, and finally “Certification” when a program is not accredited.
It never pays to enroll in a course that is protocol-based, full of slick marketing and empty promises, or taught by mystery people in a mystery location. Remember that search rank is not an indication of quality in this area. Do the research and find the best accredited certification training to start that safe and successful practice that satisfies patients.
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Author: Gregory P Zengo, MD is the Medical Director, PracticalCME Medical Training. He has also served on the faculty of Emory University School of Medicine in the Department of OB/GYN and has run a successful aesthetic and wellness practice for 24 years. He has treated over 12,000 patients and 1.3 million units of Botox®. He has been a national educator for diverse interests such as Saliva Testing, Bio-Identical Hormone Balancing, Ultrasonic Liposuction, PDO Threads, in addition to Botox®, Fillers, Sclerotherapy, Microneedling, and PRP.
Learn More about accredited small-group training, or live chat now with any questions and Take a look inside an accredited training program.
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Media Contact
Name
PracticalCME Medical Training
Contact name
Gregory P Zengo, MD
Contact phone
877-263-1234
Contact address
1582 Mars Hill Rd
City
Watkinsville
State
GA
Zip
30677
Country
United States
Url
https://www.practicalcme.com/
