Alberta Trainer Promotes Increased Safety, Ongoing Support
With a passion for patient care and a keen interest in teaching, we knew Mark Harbora NP would be a perfect fit for our training and mentoring program in Edmonton. “When Tracey asked me to join the THMA national training team,” Mark said, “I couldn’t say no!”
It’s pretty clear when you speak with Mark Harbora that he has a strong opinion on what’s most important in medical aesthetics training. In-depth, individual education and ongoing mentoring and support are how we make sure people will practice safely, he says.
“The last thing you want is people going into practice and patients having complications or negative outcomes,” Mark told us on the phone from Grand Prairie, AB. “That’s not good for the patient, obviously. And it’s not good either for the injector and the medical aesthetics industry.”
I met Mark in April at a Prollenium cadaver lab in Vancouver. Right away we hit it off. Mark is a smart man, full of knowledge and enthusiasm for medical aesthetics and loves to educate. When I heard he left his previous training company, I knew he’d be a good fit for us.
“When Tracey asked me to join the THMA national training team, I couldn’t say no! I’ve always loved teaching, first as an NP and then in medical aesthetics. I’m super excited to be doing this with THMA because the courses they offer are the best I’ve seen.”
Medical Aesthetics Industry is “Ripe for Growth”
Mark applauds the importance of facial anatomy knowledge in THMA training. Plus, trainees learn about Health Canada regulations, scopes of practice, and proper and safe techniques.
“The hands-on component is also more focused with training often done one-on-one and not as a large group with only one instructor. It’s a big benefit to have a more personal and hands-on injecting experience in training. The more intimate setting with individual instructors and trainees is just a better way to teach and to learn.”
Albertans who take our virtual Foundations Course will be able to complete the program with Course component 4: Hands-on Training from Mark at Beauty Connect Pro in Edmonton on October 26. He will also be preparing to do Supplementary Courses training in PRP and DA Treatments later this fall.
Mark graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Alberta in 2011. He worked in critical care after graduating, mostly in cardiovascular intensive care. Hopscotching across the country, Mark did his NP education at Memorial University in 2016. After a stint in northern Labrador, Mark worked his way back to Alberta where he trained in medical aesthetics.
He says he had the good fortune to have a friend with her own clinic in Calgary. Under her tutelage, he learned how important it is to have good mentoring and ongoing education after training. From first-hand experience, he knows it’s a struggle for trainees who don’t have a clinic to work in and nowhere else to go to enhance skills and confidence in Botox and fillers injecting.
“Probably one of the biggest flaws with other training companies is they train and then let people go into the world on your own. They feel overwhelmed and a little bit lost. No one should be expecting to walk out of training as an expert. So a program like THMA that offers access to mentoring after training is extremely important. It ensures that they feel supported and safe in providing services.”
Enhance Skills and Boost Confidence with THMA Mentoring
So yes, Mark will be also offering professional mentoring to injectors at Beauty Connect Pro in Edmonton. That’s for THMA members as well as people who have trained elsewhere but believe the extra education will boost their skill sets and confidence. He’ll be a fantastic mentor in medical aesthetics.
The thing that brought Mark and I together in the first place, and set up this great opportunity for learning in Edmonton, will continue this year and next. He and I will be doing five more cadaver labs for Prollenium across Canada. The pleasure will be mine then, just as it’s an honour now to welcome Mark to the THMA medical aesthetics training team!