Dr. Sachin Shridharani, the renowned plastic surgeon and SkinSpirit’s Director of Aesthetics Education and Partner, is a vocal advocate for advanced training in aesthetics.
“If you’re an athlete, you practice. In aesthetics, think of training as your practice time,” he said. “Your educational process does not end once your certification ends; your education actually occurs self-paced and on your own time throughout your career.”
Between seeing patients, speaking at conferences, and leading training sessions at SkinSpirit, Dr. Shridharani is in high demand, but he still reserves time to stay on the cutting edge of treatments and technology.
“Advanced training is completely critical, imperative and paramount because there is such a plethora of new technology, new treatments, and expanded indications that require you to understand the anatomy, the products, and partnering and pairing them with all the artistry— which continues to evolve and change.”
Read on to find out Dr. Shridharani’s tips for getting more value out of conferences, along with how he pencils education into his busy schedule.
Is Advanced Training Worth It?
Just like your initial medical training was an investment in your career, continuing education is also an investment in your work. And it’s something you can measure to demonstrate its value!
“At my surgical practice, for example, when we invest in education and bring something new on, we can track how many times I perform that new procedure,” Dr. Shridharani said. “I know whether that one day or weekend of education time led to X amount of treatments performed. These are things you can track to measure your ROI on training.”
Sharper skills, more opportunities: Advanced education helps you grow your practice and serve your clients. But if fear is a stronger motivator for you, just remember this final piece of advice from Dr. Shridharani “You are penny wise and pound foolish if you say you don't have time [for training.] It takes more time to deal with an adverse event than it does to train and master your craft.”
3 Tips for Selecting Quality Training
Training isn’t a vacation; it’s part of your job. Instead of picking a meeting based on its location, think about how it can improve your skills. Dr. Shridharani has three tips for selecting effective training.
First, look at the faculty and topics. “If you’re going to spend the time and resources, choose based on the faculty and when you’re there get as much as you can out of it.” Look for presenters who are publishing and presenting their own data.
Second, prioritize training that has a track record. If it's new, find out who is in charge and what their programming looks like before committing.
Finally, make time for cadaver training, so you can see and learn firsthand. “When you're hands-on, you are committing to be there; to focus. It is higher quality education especially when paired with cadaver labs. “
As for red flags, Dr. Shridharani is wary of any event with the title “global meeting."
“There are a lot of mediocre and sub-par trainings now,” Dr. Shridharani warned. “There are many people with social media followings that are large and so they are looking for ways to monetize that audience into training income. A lot of training like this is exploding onto the scene now, but it doesn’t equate to quality education.”
Protecting Time
For Dr. Shridharani, commuting is a perfect opportunity to learn about the latest developments in aesthetics.
“I have ‘protected time’ when I am in an Uber or on a plane. I’ll have PDFs printed and will read those in my downtime. I read every abstract, and take a deeper dive into what’s relevant,” he explained. “Flights are admin time for me, I use that time in a super productive way, I save all of my admin and education for my travel days and I allocate that time for reading and review.
As a respected plastic surgeon, Dr. Shridharani is frequently asked to present at conferences. While there, he said he also attends his colleagues’ talks. And one session he’ll never miss at a conference? Hot topics.
“I always make it a point to be involved in hot topics, and I look for what’s going to better my practice from the journals.”
Dr. Shridharani and SkinSpirit
Dr. Shridharani and SkinSpirit recently announced that they are teaming up to bring even more learning opportunities to aesthetic practitioners at SkinSpirit. Dr. Shridharani has partnered with SkinSpirit as Director of Aesthetics Education and Partner, where he will consult with the SkinSpirit platform which is known for industry-leading expertise including 30+ national trainers, a Medical Advisory Board and the SkinSpirit University advanced training program.
“We are thrilled to have Dr. Shridharani join us to further deepen our bench of experts within the medical aesthetic industry,” said SkinSpirit CEO and Co-Founder Lynn Heublein. “The addition of Dr. Shridharani to our team exemplifies our unwavering commitment to recruiting and appropriately training only the very best professionals in the field and promoting only technology and procedures that are safe, reliable and offer meaningful results to our clients.”
“I am honored to work with SkinSpirit,” Dr. Shridharani added. “There is no other company that has been able to consistently assemble the best talent in aesthetics. SkinSpirit aligns with my passion for educating, my uncompromising values and drive for excellence.”
You’re reading the (Sk)Insider – a weekly go-to for aesthetic pros curated by the pros at SkinSpirit! Subscribe here to get more (Sk)Insider posts in your inbox.
Related Posts
