Side by Side
I attended the second annual Aesthetic Extender Symposium last weekend, and days later I am left with some distinct and positive impressions about much more than the aesthetics industry.
First, some background. The symposium was cofounded by Krystie P. Lennox, a physician assistant, and David J. Goldberg, a dermatologist who is also a healthcare attorney. These two professionals recognized a need to provide focused education and networking opportunities to the growing number of NPs and PAs who are providing medical aesthetic services. Facing down resistance from various forces in this specialty, they organized the first Aesthetic Extender Symposium in Miami Beach, Fla., in 2008. This year, the symposium brought 42 NPs, 68 PAs, 14 RNs -and 52 physicians - to South Beach.
Don't let the word "extender" in the title fool you. This symposium was focused on presenting the latest information on therapies, procedures and tools - not on who does what. This spirit of camaraderie was also evident in the prestigious faculty, which represented specialties that might not have stood side by side just a few years ago. The presenters included the president of the American Society of Plastic Surgeons (Roxanne Guy, the organization's first woman president) and the president of the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (Renato Saltz). Salz described "seismic change" at work in aesthetics, and he urged attendees to embrace it. He also invited NPs and PAs to attend the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery meeting in 2010, and noted that more than 500 of these professionals attended the group's 2009 workshops. (See http://www.surgery.org/ for information.)
Getting back to those impressions ... I think this symposium represents something that most NPs seek: strong working relationships with colleagues from various specialties and disciplines. I also think the event is an important component of the "medicalization" of aesthetics. Sure, there are potions and magic wands out there -and there are bad results. But in the best aesthetic settings, there is science. And that is exactly what the 2009 Aesthetic Extender Symposium delivered.
(Just as every presenter at the symposium provided disclosures about commercial relationships, I shall do so here: ADVANCE is the official publisher of the Aesthetic Extender Symposium.)