Building your professional network makes you a safer injector and reinforces safe clinical practices. When med spa practitioners are all practicing safely, patients are happy with their aesthetic treatments and consumer confidence grows. Thankfully, community naturally develops when you attend clinical trainings and industry events.

The AIA alumni network is coming together for a special event featuring live injection with ultrasound assessment, two methods of dissection and the new facial anatomy and ultrasound textbook from Dr. Chris Surek, DO, FACS, and Dr. Steven Weiner, MD. Stay tuned for more about the AIA Alumni Reunion and Refresher.

Discover industry best practices

Whether you develop a back-and-forth over social media connections or join med spa community forums, you can leverage these resources to learn from the experience of other aesthetic professionals. People across the country and down the street are eager to help you for the prosperity of medical aesthetics. 

"We had some resources and some exposure to what other people were doing, but I think we really wanted to see that on a bigger scale. Leah [Moffard, spa director] sought out AmSpa, and it's been a really great resource for us. We've gotten a lot of great ideas. Our membership idea came from that—we implemented it, and it has really made a tremendous impact, especially during COVID, because we still had those membership fees coming in while we were shut down. It helped us to really stay afloat." Diana Brouillard, Dream Spa Medical

Get your questions answered

In a hospital or traditional medical setting, you are used to having a support team. Guidelines, established protocols, delegation and supervision, who can administer which treatments, everything is laid out for you. You have to build that yourself in aesthetics, and the AmSpa community is the place to make those connections.

AmSpa Members come together in the private Facebook Member Lounge to ask their questions with providers nationwide and chat with other medical spa business owners and practitioners from their state via dedicated channels in AmSpa Connect. You can put questions out there and a knowledgeable medical spa professional is going to answer you. Having a community of people who have learned through their own trials, adverse events, successes, and experiences is invaluable.

“People are so willing to share their experiences, good or bad, and really help you along the way. More so than receiving no response or any negative feedback, interacting with other medical spa professionals really helps people see what’s going on and get a feel for what’s working for folks and what isn’t. People have been very, very gracious to share their wisdom with me. It’s nice to be able to put those questions out there when you have time and then check it a day or two later and see that multiple people have responded to you to say, “This is how we’re doing it,” and be very generous with their knowledge.” Erin Hennessey, DNP, APRN, Blush Aesthetics

Grow alongside your peers

Aesthetic conferences and clinical trainings bring you together with peers at your stage and age of practice. In this niche health care specialty, guidance for new and not-yet-opened medical spa hopefuls is very different than the advice shared for top-performing, multi-location and franchise-level practices. Your community can be a combination of colleagues at all phases, but finding people who are in your shoes, who understand the issues you are dealing with, will be invaluable for your growth. 

“It’s crucial to build your support team in our industry. Whether you are needing another perspective, dealing with an urgent matter, patient problem solving, needing a friend, have a business question, or need connections in the industry, networking at The Medical Spa Show will connect you with the most amazing individuals out there. The support team I’ve made over the last 4 years have helped me through trying times, got me my current job, helped with my patients, and continue to teach me new advances in the ever-evolving industry. I’ve also been called to offer support to those who have needed help and didn’t have a team close by. You are as strong as the team around you! AmSpa provides so many opportunities to broaden your support team with the best of best!” Ally Rucker, ACNP, SkinSpirit - Salt Lake City

Lift up other med spa professionals

There is a sense of camaraderie among medical spa practitioners, who share a common goal of creating a safe and profitable industry. In medical aesthetics, you will find yourself among friends who might have been considered competition in other spaces. Part of that mission to promote a healthy, safe profession is to support your fellow medical spa professionals in the spirit of community. Elevate your community when you lift up others who share your ideals.

“If someone goes to another medical spa that isn’t compliant and they are harmed, that is also going to harm your business, because if word gets out that this person got this treatment and they were hurt by it, how many people are going to come to your practice for that same treatment? Word about these things tends to move fast in any community now that we have the internet and Google reviews and Yelp and so forth. So, to make sure everyone is getting great results and there is a good vibe around what you’re offering in your community, it helps if everyone is doing it very well and very safely.” Erin Hennessey, DNP, APRN, Blush Aesthetics

Keep each other safer

Connect with neighboring medical spas to make sure that everyone has the critical supplies they need on hand or a phone call away. This might look like an emergency phone tree with specialists in your area and others who share your clinical expertise or collaborating to maintain an adequate supply of the enzyme that dissolves hyaluronic acid filler.

“For patient safety purposes, for example, products such as Hylenex are very expensive. It’s much easier when you have four vials of Hylenex in your fridge, and then two or three other practices that are doing the same types of treatments as you are nearby and also have it; you can go to each other if you need something. You really have nothing to lose by establishing cordial relationships with other medical aesthetics practices in your community.” Erin Hennessey, DNP, APRN, Blush Aesthetics

Network for up-to-date clinical guidance

Networking with aesthetic clinicians who share the same dedication to patient safety will give you access to a pool of trusted colleagues who can offer advice, share their own experiences, or even step in to help troubleshoot clinical challenges. Providers report that they send each other clinical research papers and industry updates so the entire community is aware and keeps up with the latest industry standards and innovations, best practices, product formulations, and regulatory changes.

“When we lift each other up, share our successes (and failures), and prioritize collective safety, we elevate the entire field. And let’s not forget—our patients reap the benefits of this collaborative approach, receiving safer, more effective treatments as a result.” Taylor Siemens, NP-C, Vitalyc MedSpa and My Aesthetic Training

Partner with trusted specialists

Connecting with people who have specialized skills, training and education beyond your scope can pay dividends in your peace of mind and the safety of your patients. Elevate your standard of care by building a trusted referral network with specialists, bringing your patients the best care possible.

Bobbi Bullock, NP, is an aesthetic trainer for national manufacturers, so she understands very well the responsibility of practicing safely. As her med spa practice grew, that drive to provide safe patient care led her to reach out to “core 4” specialists in her area (plastic surgery, facial plastic surgery, dermatology and oculoplastic surgery), hoping to have someone in her network who could perform surgery in the case of an adverse event that went beyond her training or scope of practice. Luckily, she connected with an oculoplastic plastic surgeon who was eager to assist. For his expertise and allowing her to view the facial anatomy during a few plastic surgeries, she reciprocated by training his staff to inject and sending referrals his way. They formed a community to help each other, especially when treating aesthetic complications.

Later, an interventional radiologist she had just met at a Christmas party ended up saving her when she had a vascular occlusion trialing a new product.

“I called him, and I said, Hey, Carl, what are you doing? And he's like ‘Playing golf.’ And I said, ‘Is it a good game?’ And he's like ‘What's up?’ And I said, ‘I need your help,’ and he's like, ‘I'll be right over.’ So, there in 10 min, took my ultrasound. So I had the tools, took my ultrasound 5 min, fixed my chin, and then I was like, ‘How can I repay you?’ He wouldn't take any money, and so I gave him CoolSculpting, and then I gave him some trainings, and then he gave me some services. And so, it just really worked well, and he really saved me. He didn't disparage me. You know, it's okay to ask for help. It is.” Bobbi Bullock, NP, Bobbi Bullock Medical Esthetics

Mentor the next cosmetic injectors

Creating connections and fostering professional networks can help you break past feelings of isolation and help you and your peers thrive in this industry. 

Audrey Rose, NP, transitioned from an ICU setting to starting a concierge med spa and her own training institute, helping nurses break into aesthetics. She encourages community-building with a social media group, where she connects people to share resources and help. Over four or five years, they have all become resources to each other and grown together.

“It’s important to constantly learn and improve your skills in order to stay competitive and provide the best services to clients,” Rose says. “Networking and building relationships with others in the industry is also crucial for success. Additionally, don’t be afraid to take on challenging projects and push yourself outside of your comfort zone. This can lead to personal and professional growth—if you’re uncomfortable, you’re growing.” Audrey Rose, NP, Audrey Rose Institute

Find your med spa family

The emotional connection many med spa practitioners have with their patients is a strong selling point of this profession: giving patients a confidence boost is often cited as what practitioners love most about aesthetics. Beyond the advice and clinical troubleshooting you gain from your professional community, you also win the benefits of emotional support, reminding you that you’re not in this alone.

Alexander L. Blinski, MD, is a third-generation physician, so he has family he can reach out to for advice and support if there’s a problem or question. The open community in medical aesthetics, he says, can help others set up systems that provide the same type of support and understanding.

"You can create your own family in medical aesthetics," he says. "There's a huge network of injectors, and there's a great team of people who also just want to help other people. Everyone in medicine likes to help people, whether it's helping someone feel better about themselves or look better or cure their cancer, people in this field just like to help people. And I think either you have that, naturally, or you build it over the years." Alexander L. Blinski, MD, Plump

Bringing the AIA community back together

Celebrating six years of the Academy for Injection Anatomy (AIA), Dr. Chris Surek, DO, FACS, board-certified plastic surgeon and internationally renowned facial anatomist will be welcoming previous AIA Advanced Cadaver Course attendees back to the birthplace of AIA for a brand-new alumni event.

“Well, as I say, rising tide raises all ships, and I think that our course brings like-minded people together who are passionate, they want to learn, and we do have a lot of fun.” said Dr. Chris Surek, DO, FACS, founder and director of the Academy for Injection Anatomy (AIA), in an episode of Medical Spa Insider. “I love the banquets, too, at night. Everyone's relaxing and chatting and reminiscing, and they're having a lot of people who have met network through the course and have stayed in touch. And I'll get alumni reach out to me all the time, saying, ‘Oh, hey, Dr. Surek, I tried that technique today, and I love it,’ or ‘Thank you for teaching me this’ or ‘I met so and so, and we still stay in touch.’ It really is a community. 

“That's why the alumni event, I want to bring the community back together and I want to see some of these alumni come back to Kansas City and share in a special weekend. I think we have something very special here, and I'm excited to continue to foster it.”

Come together with injectors from across the country to network, celebrate your accomplishments, and gain further insights on facial structure at the AIA Alumni Reunion and Refresher from Jun 27-29, 2025, in Kansas City. For the first time at AIA, Dr. Surek will be performing a live injection with ultrasound assessment from Dr. Weiner. Space is limited, so reserve your seat today! Learn more and register at americanmedspa.org/aiaalumni.