Training with A.T.A.I is already far removed from the majority of academies in the UK; in Ireland there is no individual, company, or institution that provides training outside of the ineffective one and two day model. Practice based learning underpins out training methodology. It was in the understanding of the need for practice based learning and its ability to create professional, competent, safe practitioners able to make informed decisions that spurred us on to develop this programme in the first place.

We have now further developed the clinical placement methodology in creating a residency programme. The residency programme allows practitioners to work a day a week, even two in some cases if their schedule allows. As an added bonus the practitioner is also earning back their course fees. Our main goal of changing aesthetic training at its very core is very much taking shape.

Popularity of our courses is driving us to open more training locations, a practical support clinic in Bray opens in December 2019 and a new training centre in Cork City will be open early 2020. More training centres and support clinics are set to open throughout 2020 and 2021. This is also good news for the aesthetic clinic network as it means clinics have access to aesthetic practitioners that are competent, confident and ready to practice. We are gaining more calls from business owners looking for aesthetic practitioners and we will soon have a new resource to make this easier for businesses looking for staff.

Our overreaching vision is practitioners that are equipped with fit for purpose knowledge to operate ethically, efficiently, and safely to the benefit of the general public. However, we understand to reach that vision we also need to support the aesthetic sector. This means not only supporting our delegates with best in class training, but also means supporting the aesthetic industry as a whole.

We are getting to the end of an exhausting road of creating new learning materials for the majority of our courses. While our existing learning materials have been met with positive feedback there was huge room for improvement. We also wanted to create online learning materials for all our courses. We still have some work to do to cover all our courses but we are getting there. One of the biggest changes was the employment of a medical illustrator. This allowed us to bring in a new visual learning resource that we think is truly outstanding.

Online learning has facilitated increased flexibility for our delegates, it allows us to concentrate on practical skills while the learner gains a constant known theory deliverable.

Our delegates in aesthetic medicine train with Allergan Botox® and the Allergan Juvederm filler range. It was our position to teach people the main products and the sector leading brand used in the industry. While we will still follow this philosophy, we are introducing other botulinum toxin brands. Dilution rates vary, dosage varies, product spread varies; so while the core skills remain the same, being introduced to other brands increases the overall confidence of the practitioner. It is also the case that some practitioners may work for companies that use other brands. In our goal of competent and confident practitioners it makes sense that they should also be confident with other brands other than the original Botox®.

It’s over to you, when you are ready to hit the aesthetics ground running we are here to make that happen.