There are very few weekends throughout the calendar year without an aesthetic meeting or conference scheduled somewhere. Big meetings, small meetings, generalized meetings or specific topic meetings. Prices range from less than $1000 to upwards of $10,000 in some instances. Hotel costs are crazy, travel costs are sky high and learning objectives vary. Some have continuing education credits, and some are promotional.
So how do you find the right meeting for your needs and then bring home value for you and your patients?
First, identify your personal learning objectives for the year. Some providers sit down with their Clinical Director or Practice Manager to develop goals that will lead to enhanced clinical skills or support areas of growth. Identifying specific areas of development can give you strong learning objectives throughout the year so you can focus on your training needs and plans.
To identify your specific objectives for learning, first assess your patient needs. Are there treatment requests that you aren’t comfortable providing? Could you and your patients benefit from learning more about a specific product line or treatment area? Focusing on patient needs ss a great place to start when creating learning objectives. You can also reflect if there are particular areas of development that you want to learn. Maybe you are highly competent in neurotoxins but need more skill and technique development with the various dermal fillers. Or maybe you have strong clinical skills but would like to learn more about the business aspects of aesthetic medicine.
Once you have identified your development objectives, start looking for training or learning opportunities that will meet your needs. Remember that if you have a training stipend from your employer, this is a great way to use those funds and support your career.
There are a variety of medical conference and meetings each year, both in the United States and internationally. Some are strictly clinical content and others have business tracks as well. Some are focused on learning and honestly, some have a party and networking atmosphere.
Most meetings will post their agendas and faculty online many months before their meeting but often the agendas and speakers aren’t finalized until a few months before the meeting. You can browse previous agendas and reach out to others who have attended various meetings to get a feel for each of them. Many meetings also have ancillary workshops that you can attend for an additional fee or separate registration. If you are looking for hands-on training, check the pre-meeting workshops to see if there is a training session that seems right for you. Many conferences are also scheduling cadaver workshops before or after the primary meeting schedule, so that might be a key learning objective for you as well.
There are many Facebook groups for injectors, so if you have specific learning goals, don’t hesitate to seek advice on these group chats about which meetings might meet your learning objectives. Some to look into are Business of Aesthetics, Nurse Injector’s Circle, Advanced Aesthetic Injectors Circle, Injector and Laser Mavens, Aesthetic Insights with Terri Ross or the TITAN Aesthetic Networking Group. And of course, you can always post the question on Instagram and receive great answers as well.
Since most meetings will involve significant expenses beyond the meeting registration, make sure you plan your trip well in advance to be cost effective on flights and hotel rooms. And don’t forget about the meeting once you register! Most conferences can’t refund your money once paid, so be sure about your commitment and plan accordingly.
Read through the agenda and plan which sessions are important for you to attend. Many conferences and meetings will have an app that you can download and then you can create your own “calendar” to be sure that you don’t miss the sessions that cover key topics. If you are learning something new, try to do some research before you go so that all of the information isn’t new to you at the meeting. It is very easy to get overwhelmed!
Another tip is to plan time to visit the exhibitors at each meeting. They pay thousands of dollars to have booth space and if you plan your questions, you can learn a lot from the vendors. Sometimes they have “show specials” or samples of products, but they always have great information on using products safely and effectively with patients. There are also non-CME sponsored events at most meetings. These are provided by different vendors so they can promote training on their products or services. Often, they have national KOLs for speakers and can provide great pearls on using their products at no additional cost.
One of the best things about national meetings and conferences is the opportunity to meet other injectors and to learn from them. Introduce yourself to others sitting near you and offer to exchange information so that you can stay in touch after the meeting. Knowing other injectors around the country is one of the best ways to keep your networking strong and it is amazing how much you can learn from your peers as you listen to the meeting sessions as well.
Most providers come home with notebooks full of pearls, ideas and thoughts about how to implement what they learned into their practice and hundreds of pictures of slides with key points. But those are only valuable if you actually DO something with them when you get home!
One injector told me that she prints off pictures of slides from valuable talks and then pastes them into her meeting notebook so that the slide supports the notes she took. She shared that this process was valuable in two ways. First, she had all of her meeting information in one place. But more importantly, going through all of the information when she returned home allowed her to really digest what she learned.
Another injector shared that she always hosts a breakfast or lunch for her practice after attending a meeting so that she can share key points from what she learned. Sharing this information with her team gave them the chance to discuss how to implement ideas and to be sure that the thoughts didn’t get lost upon returning home.
A trainer noted that she asks everyone who attends her training sessions at meetings to always plan an “implementation” session with their local representative when they return home after the meeting. Sometimes a rep can provide product to practice what was learned, or they can sponsor a special day for patients receiving a newly launched product.
And if you have the opportunity to receive Continuing Medical Education credits for attending the meeting, ensure that you complete the paperwork required to get the credit!
Attending a meeting isn’t just about going to dinner or partying with friends. It should be about enhancing the knowledge in your chosen medical specialty and enhancing patient outcomes and the safety of your treatments. Most highly experienced injectors will tell you that they spend anywhere from $10,000-$25,000 a year on training to keep their skills sharp and knowledge updated, so know from the beginning that if you truly want to be an expert in the specialty of aesthetic medicine, it starts with investing in yourself. After all, if you don’t care enough to invest in you, why should anyone else?
Aesthetic Extender Symposium – www.aestheticextendersymposium.com
Aesthetic Next - www.aestheticnext.com
ISPAN – www.ispan.org
DERM NP/PA - https://dermnppa.org/derm2023-home/
Music City SCALE - https://scalemusiccity.com/
Learners and Legacies – www.learnersandlegacies.com
The Medical Spa Show – https://www.medicalspashow.com
LAMCA - https://cosmeticacademymeeting.org/
Vegas Cosmetic Surgery - https://www.vegascosmeticsurgery.com/en/home.html
The Aesthetic Show - https://www.aestheticshow.com/en/home.html
Despite 30+ years as a practitioner in the field of aesthetic medicine, when it comes to hiring an aesthetic injector, don't think you know it all! The value that TITAN brought to my interviewing process was INVALUABLE. We used the TITAN Screening with two of the candidates I was considering, and I believe it led us to the best choice! The small investment in this service far outweighs the risk of hiring the wrong individual. ***** 5 Stars! Now, on to utilizing TITAN for some training needs for our new injector as well!
TITAN gave me an “insider’s view” that helped me make a game plan and gave me direction that ultimately helped me get my current job. I would recommend Titan Aesthetic Recruiting to medical professionals not yet in the industry, novice injectors like myself, and seasoned Pros because Mary Beth and Kevin have the good of the professional as a whole in mind. They will be your best advocate not for their own personal gain but for your best possible outcome.
I recently completed the aesthetic injector training with TITAN and it was an excellent experience. The instructors were knowledgeable and experienced, and the hands-on training allowed me to feel confident in my skills. I would highly recommend this course to anyone interested in entering the field of aesthetic injectables.
The goal at TITAN is to set up and foster long term, mutually beneficial relationships between employer and employee. MB listens and won't just tell you what you want to hear. Spending time with her on the phone or in person may not get you the exact answer you want but it will provide the wisest answer that will prove extraordinarily helpful in the long run. She respects both sides of the negotiation process and is really a modern-day matchmaker between clinic and provider.
Great experience working with Mary Beth and TITAN! Mary Beth is well connected in the aesthetic specialty and very well respected. I am so happy with her help in finding my “dream” job.
I cannot say enough good things about TITAN Aesthetic Recruiting. It is very evident that the entire team has a passion for helping new injectors succeed. Everyone was incredibly helpful and informative. Mary Beth patiently answered my questions about the specialty and has served as a resource ever since. The curriculum flowed very well and is easily manageable while balancing with other commitments. I feel so prepared as a new injector and cannot imagine transitioning into the field without this strong foundation! I only wish I had heard about this program sooner. Thank you so much, TITAN team!
