From Novice to Expert Injector

This notebook guards against a clinician treating at a level of skill they have not reached yet. The patient pays when the gap between assumed skill and actual skill goes unnoticed.

PubMed Central carries a study that tries to put numbers on the climb: "In this study we establish an educational framework in aesthetic medicine by defining the progression from novice to competent and expert injector levels, suggesting 4 years of practice and over 790 filler and 550 neuromodulator injections for competence, and at least 6 years with 1840 filler and 1310 neuromodulator injections for expertise."

For clinicians around Parsippany, New Jersey who are starting out, the numbers are worth reading before you decide how fast to take on complex cases. A separate paper on resident experiences and perceptions of education in cosmetic procedural dermatology covers the trainee's side.

From first practice to expert level

Read these in order, from the length of the road to the paperwork that tracks it.

Years of practice before expert level covers the study's estimate for moving from advanced to expert injector.

Case logs and practical assessments covers how progress can be recorded and checked.

Renewing the CANS credential covers how often the CANS credential has to be renewed.

Knowing your own level

Before treating a patient, a clinician should be able to say honestly which level they are at and what supervision they still need. Practice on a cadaver and in medical simulation are two places to build that judgment before live cases. Plastic Surgery Practice also reported on a mentorship program for early-career aesthetic injectors from AAAMS.