Master Esthetician Training in Washington – Are we really qualified?
I wanted to thank Shannon for posting the following question and comment last week. It was a good perspective and wanted to share it. Please continue to comment on whether you agree, disagree or have further questions. I promise to respond.
“Hello Frank, Thank you for your updates on the new upcoming Washington esthetician licensing laws. There have been many questions and comments about the grandfathering process. However, I am concerned about those new to the profession, particularly those that will need to acquire the additional 600 hours of training. Are Washington educational facilities prepared to teach these additional topics such as medium peels and laser? Do they have the equipment and instructors with this expertise or are students going to be faced with going out of state to get additional training? What are your thoughts on this? Thanks. Shannon.”
My response:
‘Hello Shannon,
Thank you for your comment and question. In Washington, there are over 80 cosmetology schools that are currently licensed by the Department of Licensing. I am not sure how many will be adopting the Master Esthetic License, but of the ones that will, the quality of education will be wide.
For educational facilities to be approved to teach the Master’s Esthetic program, it requires the facility to be licensed by the Department of Licensing (DOL). Each facility will be required to have the resources to deliver the education (e.g. licensed educators, tools, curriculum, etc.) which the DOL will monitor. The intent of the DOL is to require a minimum understanding to perform services; they will test this through a written and practical test of the student once they graduate. Once the student is licensed, they are considered to have a fundamental understanding. In the case of laser and medium depth peels, the licensed Master Esthetician will be able to have the fundamental understanding to deliver under the supervision of a health provider, such as a physician. Right now, licensed estheticians are already able to practice laser and medium depth peels, under supervision. The additional hours and license is only to give the students more resources for fundamental education.
The question that I believe you asked was are the educational facilities qualified? By the DOL, if they are licensed, they are qualified. If we are surveying the medical spas and industry, they answer may be different. They will answer this by who they hire.
I always ask my students, because you are licensed, does that mean that you are good? I use an example of a driver’s license. Just because drivers are licensed, does it mean they are a good driver?
Each institution will deliver the education based on their philosophy. I can’t speak for other schools, but for my schools, I have always believed that we need to work closely with our industry leaders. In the Master Esthetics, we have consulted with medical spas, health care providers, industry suppliers to give us guidance on the structure of the curriculum to support our graduates. We are adding in more to our educational program as we gear up for this next tiered of Esthetics which will include partnerships with medical spas, industry leaders, revised curriculum, additional members and training for our educational team, etc. Other schools may be doing more. Some schools will merely add an additional text book. The student, medical spas and laser clinics are the true customers and will vote by where they attend and who they hire if they believe the facilities are prepared and if they go out of state. At the end of the day, it will be about creating value.’
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Thank you for reading my blog. I really appreciate the feedback and please comment below. I would love to hear if you agree, disagree or just your thoughts!
