I am often asked, what is the importance of taking advanced education and what is the difference between advanced education and continuing education?
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I am often asked, what is the importance of taking advanced education and what is the difference between advanced education and continuing education?
Continuing education is a broad term for certain types of studies beyond the initial training. It includes career training, workforce training, personal enrichment courses and self-directed learning. Continuing education is when a professional takes classes to remain current in their career and develop serviceable skills. This can vary from seminars to one-time classes to online courses. Some states require continuing education as a requirement to keep a technician up to date on changes in their industry.
Advanced training is a special form of continuing education that differs significantly in scope and quality from basic or continuing education. Advanced education refers to higher levels of learning that extend beyond basic education and staying current. In an advanced training program, the student deals with learning content that qualifies them for more complex, responsible tasks in their area of expertise. For example, when a nail technician takes infection control training to update their cleaning and disinfecting protocols, this is considered continuing education. Whereas, advanced education is when a technician takes a class to advance their skill set, learn new techniques and practices to enhance their service such as advanced pedicuring.
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Why Advanced Education?
Advanced education is essential to attain a competitive advantage for the salon or spa who offer pedicures in today’s competitive industry. Trends are leaning heavily towards fitness, wellness and general well-being. With rapidly changing lifestyle trends affecting the skin and nails of clients’ feet, current knowledge may be insufficient to resolve or adequately address their issues. Along with the changing lifestyles, there is an exponential number of diabetics, seniors and immuno-compromised clients demanding foot care services today. This type of clientele is particularly vulnerable to abrasions and infections which in turn can lead to serious conditions including amputation. Consequently, pedicures are becoming a risky business. Technicians who wish to keep up with these trends must seek advanced education to provide a better understanding of what to look for, and how to properly provide a safe service for all their clients.
With the increase in social media, TikTok and YouTube University, it is becoming harder to find quality advanced education that stays within the scope of practice as a pedicurist and is not all product based or all about pretty nails. Technicians need to do their due diligence to find an advanced pedicure program that offers an in-depth training that fits into their pedicure business. To be clear, product knowledge education is imperative as technicians must have a solid understanding of how to use the products they utilize in the service. They also need to ensure the product knowledge includes in-depth knowledge other than simply how to use the products in the service. Product knowledge should always teach the technician how to look for signs of diabetes or compromised circulation.
Resources for Advanced Education
So many companies are teaching advanced education, both in-class and online, but which is the best advanced education, and which classes will benefit our businesses? One of the best places to start are tradeshow classes. These 60-to-90-minute classes give the technician snippets of advanced training and a snapshot of what the institute teaches along with their style of education. It also gives the technician an opportunity to talk to the educators or training representatives, to get a feel for the quality of the advanced training.
Another great resource for checking out educational opportunities is nail tech events, as these are usually smaller events focusing on nail and foot education. They usually offer one day classes, as well as one-hour classes during the show and provide an opportunity to speak to educators. Technicians can check out their offerings without the crowds of the larger tradeshows.
Next, technicians must decide if they prefer online or in-person classes, how much time the classes take and how much time they can dedicate for the class. Advanced classes can be expensive especially if travel is involved and there is time away from work. Price and time away from work are a consideration along with individual training versus group training. There are great online classes and programs. However, they take discipline and commitment to complete, as the technician, for the most part, needs to complete the curriculum on their own. On a positive note, there are no travel costs and these classes can be completed as time permits. If hands-on practical and working with other like-minded technicians is preferred, then in-person classes are beneficial as they allow the technician to learn new techniques with an educator present, plus provide an opportunity to bond with other technicians.
Once a technician has decided which style of class works best, they need to do their due diligence. Will this class cover the topics of interest that will increase their pedicure business such as diabetes or pedicuring elderly clients? Will the class include business aspects to help them increase their revenue stream and incorporate the new knowledge into their existing business? It’s best to talk to other students who have taken the class, listen to their feedback, check out the website and reviews, contact the school, ask to speak to an educator, find out what the classes include, how long the course will take and what is the return on investment for taking the class.
Adobe Stock/Yakobchuk Olena
Key criteria: Does the class offering advanced education teach the importance of in-depth consultations and evaluations before performing the service while elevating the technicians’ knowledge on how to offer a safe pedicure service? Does the class teach the use of proper pedicure implements and how to safely work with an electric file and bits? Does the class offer techniques on specialty and a la carte services? This information is imperative today with the number of diabetic and elderly seeking pedicure services.
Consider an advanced class that teaches wellness pedicures. A wellness pedicure is more than a basic pedicure, as it addresses the client’s footcare concerns and gives the technician an opportunity to make recommendations to their client based on their findings.
The wellness pedicure starts with a thorough consultation and evaluation, enabling the technician to understand the client’s constitution and requirements or modifications to the service. Advanced education enables the technician to understand which signs to look for and how to recognize skin and nail conditions that may raise concerns or change the nature of the service.
Once the evaluation is complete, the technician can make the proper recommendations for a safe pedicure, such as for how long to soak (or not soak) a diabetic, or the temperature of the water required for a senior with circulatory problems in the lower extremities. By having an in-depth knowledge of skin care products for the feet, they can also make the recommendation for the appropriate home care based on the client’s needs. If the technician has concerns, they should then refer the client to the appropriate medical professional.
Career Benefits
Advanced education is key to providing a safe pedicure regardless of the client’s constitution. Not only will technicians provide a safer, more thorough service to their clients, but they will gain their client’s trust and expand on their loyal client base.
Successful pedicure technicians are huge advocates of advanced education. One only need look on social media to find pedicurists who have exceled at their profession due to advanced training and staying abreast of industry trends. These technicians readily share their success stories and expertise.
Does advanced pedicure education benefit a nail technician? The answer is a resounding YES. As the Christmas season approaches and more pedicure services are being sought, the perfect gift under the tree for a nail technician would be an advanced pedicure education course to advance their skill set and learn new techniques so they can provide a safe service for their clients.
Vicki Malo, MBA, BScPod, CIDESCO is president of the North American School of Podology. Vicki has a diverse background when it comes to the professional service industry including salon/spa/clinic ownership, several classes and degrees for foot care and business plus lecturing around the world on foot related topics. With over 35 years of experience in the foot care industry, Vicki’s passion and expertise on foot related issues is very vast and she brings this wealth of knowledge to her all of lectures, seminars and classes.
