So you’ve decided to start or upgrade your passion into a career in medical aesthetics. Fantastic! We’re very excited to have you join the only industry that combines helping people achieve their skin healing goals, science, and beauty. You’ve typed in “medical aesthetics schools” to your favorite search engine and you’re hit with hundreds of listings all across the world. You suddenly feel overwhelmed and have no idea who to contact for the best programming. Before you close your browser and give up for the day, we’ve put together a short list of questions that should help guide you in finding your dream school.
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What type of school are you looking for?
The main three types will be college, private college, and on site training within spas. The differences are very dramatic.
With a regular college you will be expected to do a 2-3 year full time program, including all the basic college courses like maths, sciences, English, and your electives. Class size is roughly 20+ students with one instructor. They will be accredited and insured.
Private colleges focus solely on their trade and offer incredible flexibility for start times, course structure, and practical experiences. Class sizes are usually 2-10, with 1-2 instructors per group depending on size of class. They will be accredited and insured.
On site trainings are most often a one day crash course into specific treatments, class sizes can range from 1-30, and more often that not have no insurance to cover teaching, students, and models. They most likely are not accredited, meaning when it comes time to insure yourself or your business, you will not have enough hours or appropriate schooling to qualify.
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What kind of courses do they offer?
Now that you know what type of school, the next time is figuring out what classes you need. Some institutions will offer base aesthetics only like massage and waxing, some offer all aesthetics, and some focus on medical aesthetics only.
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Do they have a website?
This is very important to check accreditations, locations, details, and enrollment information. Without a functioning website and just a social media presence there is no way to verify the legitimacy of the facility and the educators.
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How easy is it to figure out what classes you need in what order?
This may seem silly, but with so many treatments available today the course selection can be overwhelming. If the catalogue is not laid out in a way that makes sense, it can be easy to select classes you don’t want, need, or you can’t enroll in because of timing.
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Is there a direct connection with coordinators?
Another point that may seem silly, but personal contact is key in this industry. Just like when you go to a spa for a treatment and meet the receptionist, the coordinator is the first person you contact for schooling. Are they friendly? Knowledgeable? Comforting?
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How skilled are the educators?
Similar to booking with an aesthetician in a spa, you want to feel connected with your teachers or instructors. How many years experience do they have as aestheticians? As teachers? What are their professional qualifications? Are they good technicians or teachers or both?
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What equipment is being used?
Health Canada is very specific about what equipment is approved for use here, and has a very extensive database for just that purpose. Is the school you’re considering using approved technologies? Are the names recognizable? Can you find the businesses websites for more information?
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What brands are being used?
Similar to equipment, products are very important to the services and education of medical aesthetics. How many working lines do they have? Too many and it becomes overwhelming, too few and you don’t have the variety for every concern.
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How often is the program reviewed and updated?
In an industry that is constantly being improved, the curriculum has to improve with it. Some boards delay updates (sometimes by decades!) meaning the treatment protocols might already be disproven and the treatments no longer used.
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What happens after you graduate?
Maybe as important as the schooling itself, what happens next? Do they have assistance for connecting you to employers? Starting your own business? Creating your own products? How invested are they in your continued success?
Hopefully this provides you some guidance and some food for thought. Are there points we’ve missed? Let us know your thoughts and any questions you have when looking for your dream career education.
