I am already an experienced doctor or surgeon: can I skip the foundation level course?

At Cosmetic Courses, we frequently receive enquiries from potential delegates wanting to know whether they can skip the foundation level medical aesthetic training (botulinum toxin training with an introduction to dermal fillers) and go straight to the advanced level techniques (such as brow lift, Nefertiti neck lift, platysmal bands, hyperhidrosis etc.) This question is usually posed by doctors or even surgeons who are very highly qualifed, so feel that the foundation course might be too simple for them and cover ground they already know.

However, we do strongly believe that all our medical professional delegates, regardless of sector or experience, need to start with the Foundation course. This is not to say that the Foundation course you do cannot be tailored specifically to your level and ability. We have good logic for this reasoning, which we shall explain in this Blog:

1. Although you may be very experienced within your own field, medical aesthetics is quite a different approach (technically and theoretically) to other medical professions. Quite often it is the most highly trained doctors who find they need to go over the groundwork in skin structure again! Sometimes you might have covered the necessary theories, but a long time ago during your initial degree or you may have approached them at a different angle to the way you will need them for aesthetics. Having a refresher can only benefit your understanding and ability to deliver fantastic results to your patients.
2. There is a much wider gap between the Foundation Level course and the Advanced Techniques course than many initial enquirers realise. It is only when we begin to explain the extent of the techniques and theories that we cover on this course that they see there may actually be a need for some homework in between the two in order to be confident enough with the required theory and methods to achieve good results. In fact, many of our delegates choose to attend 1-1 courses with Cosmetic Courses in between their Foundation and Advanced courses, to brush up on techniques they are unsure of before taking the next big step.
3. Cosmetic Courses do actually certify you in competence after each course so we have a duty to know that each of our delegates have the Foundation grounding in place before we can progress you to the next level. Whilst the vast majority of our delegates are entirely honest, highly qualified and skilled practitioners, there are always those who will try to claim they have more ability than they do. Therefore, we have to assess this level of medical aesthetic competence in order to be sure that we are certifying fantastic injectors to go out into the world and practice!
4. Cosmetic Courses have a reputation for excellence and very high standards of training. This benefits you in that the delegates we train are also associated with high standards of medical aesthetic ability. In order to maintain this, however, we need to be very rigorous about our training procedures and ensure that everybody follows each step of the courses.
5. We do not want anybody to be frustrated, however, by material which they already feel they know or to believe that they are wasting time and money. Please be assured that Cosmetic Courses are experts at tailoring courses to suit individuals’ needs. If you feel that you are at a higher level than a typical Foundation Level delegate, simply give us a call on 01844 390 110 and explain your experience and knowledge. We can then work with you to put together a tailored foundation level package incorporating new angles, theories and techniques or focusing on areas which you feel you are less confident about.