Many universities offer courses in aesthetic medicine, such as Queen Mary University of London, UK, and The University of Manchester, UK
Aesthetics is a practical subject, similar to many other healthcare specialties. Within the specialty, new skills are often gained through attending learning experiences led by aesthetic sector educators, such as clinical trainers. Many practitioners often see trainer, examiner and assessor roles as part of their natural clinical progression within the specialty, often akin to becoming a specialist or consultant within a medical specialty.
It is easy to think that a trainer can just turn up and dispense their knowledge and expertise to learners. While there are some brilliant trainers out there, we have all attended courses or sessions that were less effective. If you consider why this is, then you will conclude that there are many reasons for this variation. Furthermore, trainers may find themselves acting in an assessor or examiner capacity. There are specific regulatory requirements around who can be an assessor or examiner. It is essential that assessors separate themselves from their teaching role to remain impartial. These roles require additional skills and attributes—experience and knowledge alone are not enough.
This article aims to explain the currently landscape for educators within aesthetic medicine, and looks to summarise the key requirements, attributes and skills required at the various levels to become a successful trainer, educator and examiner.
Roles within training organisations
Training in aesthetics occurs in many different settings, including the following.
Training course providers
Private training organisations operate throughout the UK, with aesthetic courses offered ranging from basic injectable training through to skin care and associated therapies. This usually results in the learner being awarded a certificate of attendance or completion of a continuing professional development (CPD) type course. These schools generally operate with educators who have some experience in the modality being taught. No specific training requirements govern the faculty, with each school often making an independent decision as to who their trainers may be. As an aesthetic educator, it is important to check the organisation you work for has appropriate indemnity in place for their trainers, who, in some cases, are directly supervising other healthcare professionals with practical elements of the course. In some circumstances, this may be something to seek through your own provider.
Level 7 academies
Some aesthetic sector training course providers are able to offer formal qualifications through an awarding organisation, a third-party company in the private sector, such as Industry Qualifications or Vocational Training Charitable Trust (VTCT). These organisations formally manage students enrolled on courses and are themselves governed by and registered with approved regulatory bodies, such as the Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation (Ofqual). Trainer, educator and examiner requirements are often dictated by the course curriculum and regulator requirements. Many Level 7 postgraduate course providers currently require their trainers to have obtained a formal teaching qualification (at Level 3 or greater) and have a minimum number of years' experience in the specialty to be successfully registered as a trainer with their academy. There are also often other requirements where trainers may not be able to assess or examine students within the same organisation. It is important to understand these requirements and potential conflicts when seeking new roles or undertaking educational activities. Furthermore, it is often good practice for the educators on a course to themselves have achieved the same level of training, or greater, than the teaching role requires.
» Many Level 7 postgraduate course providers currently require their trainers to have obtained a formal teaching qualification (at Level 3 or greater) and have a minimum number of years' experience in the specialty to be successfully registered as a trainer with their academy «
Higher institutions
Several universities offer courses in aesthetic medicine, such as Queen Mary University of London, UK, and The University of Manchester, UK. These courses do not generally provide a professional competence framework, but go beyond this to offer integrated knowledge and the application of critical skills enveloped within high quality professional behaviours (The University of Manchester, 2020). There is an expectation for students on these courses to acquire a comprehensive knowledge base that can be applied to their future or current clinical practice. In turn, this requires the educational faculty to be academically robust. Trainers within these courses often come from the existing health and life science departments at the university. Furthermore, the team is often led by university academics, such as clinical or research professors with specialist interests in the field of aesthetic medicine. The associated educational team frequently consists of sector specialists and trainers who are able to provide their extensive experience and clinical knowledge to the course for the benefit of the students. There is usually a formal interview process for lecturer positions within the university, which will scrutinise the applicant's teaching, research and general academic credentials. Most specialty lecturers are appointment on honorary or formal contracts within the university.
Sponsored routes
A significant proportion of the educational opportunities for aesthetic practitioners occur through the sponsored route. Most clinical product manufacturers, distributors and suppliers in the sector will be represented by clinical product specialists or key opinion leaders (KOLs). These are not always healthcare professionals; however, most well-known injectable brands tend to rely on an aesthetic practitioner-led trainer workforce. The trainers normally operate at regional, national or international levels on behalf of the company. These roles can help practitioners promote their profile among peers and to their patients through public facing activities. The companies employ various methods to select their KOLs. Often, good relationships with members of the sales teams (such as your local sales representative or business development manager) can help get you noticed. Also, a strong history of their product use shows that you are a potential expert in the field with their product and experienced at delivering the associated interventions. There is no requirement for sponsored educators to have any formal teaching qualifications or an academic research background; however, you find that some KOLs come with an extensive CV of both.
Remote education
Due to recent global changes, all educational organisations are due to be confronted with new challenges, especially within the learning environment. There has been a perceptible growth and appetite for remote learning opportunities over the last few months, such as distance learning courses. Private sector postgraduate course providers have had to adapt to deliver educational content to their students in different ways. Many organisations have developed webinars or online modules to disseminate their course content to enrolled students. These educational opportunities often require a panel of trainers, frequently drawn from the organisation's educational team. However, remote education is an opportunity for new trainers to break into the sector by sharing their knowledge and working with organisation to develop new valuable educational content.
Assessor and examiner roles
Assessment in the aesthetic sector is becoming increasingly important. Current postgraduate providers for aesthetic medicine qualifications (such as Level 7 courses) require examiners to perform assessment roles during objective structured clinical examinations, known as OSCEs. This requires the examiner or assessor to have a comprehensive understanding of the course learning objectives and assessment outcomes. These individuals may find there is a conflict in training the same individuals they are assessing. There is a role for them providing ‘in course’ feedback to the overall assessment process. Increasingly, validity of a course will require external assessors, as well as internal assessors. It is likely that there will be a requirement for them to hold an assessor qualification, at a minimum of Level 3.
As general medical specialties move towards credentialing and certification of sub-specialists within certain professional groups, aesthetic organisations and societies are also looking towards appropriate assessment methods and processes to meet these needs. The British College for Aesthetic Medicine (BCAM) is developing an examination for practitioners to obtain full membership to the college, which would lead to the formation of an assessment process requiring examiners. Similarly, the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses (BACN) is looking into stratifying the organisation into various tiers of aesthetic nurse specialists, and appropriate examiners and assessors will play an important role in supporting this process. Likely requirements include several years' experience in the field, clinical competence in associated interventions and formal education, training or assessor qualifications, or even fellowship to the Higher Education Academy.
Considerations for aesthetic trainers, examiners and assessors include:
- Understanding of role and responsibilities
- Good communication and language skills
- Comprehensive knowledge of the subject matter
- Understanding of course or session objectives
- Consideration of an appropriate learning environment
- Eliciting the learner's needs at the start of an educational activity
- Positive attitude towards education
- Supportive nature within training and assessment activities
- Time management and session planning skills
- Reflective practice.
How to boost your chances for landing an educational role
There is no clear pathway to becoming a successful aesthetic trainer, examiner or assessor. As discussed, selection is often very specific to each individual organisation. However, certain certifications and memberships could help:
- Formal teaching or training qualification: the British Society of Aesthetic Examiners and Assessors (BSAEA) currently offers the only education and training qualification specifically for aesthetic practitioner (L3AET), regulated by Ofqual (BSAEA, 2020)
- Membership to appropriate aesthetic and educational organisations, such as the BACN, BSAEA and the Higher Education Academy
- Active patient and practitioner following, helping to evidence current skills and clinical standing in the wider community
- Good relationships with specific manufacturers or distributors; it is important not to neglect this and maintain communication with your preferred product partners. This may one day lead to an educational role with that organisation.
Summary
Education and training in aesthetics can be extremely rewarding. In an increasingly competitive environment, it is important to consider the path to becoming a trainer or assessor carefully to maximise your chance of achieving a training role. Additionally, a good understanding of teaching and learning theory will help practitioners to deliver successful training sessions and meet required learning outcomes. Completion of education and training courses, as well as memberships to appropriate academic, professional and educational societies, can all help to show commitment towards an academic aesthetic career and evidence good teaching or assessing practice.