As a college, BCAM is excited to be opening its doors to new Affiliates and helping to support the next generation of Aesthetic Doctors and Dentists in the UK and Ireland via the Academy. The Academy aims to raise the bar in terms of professional standards, Aesthetic education and patient safety by supporting, mentoring and enabling young Aesthetic Doctors and Dentists to go through our specially planned curriculum over three to four years.

Once BCAM Affiliates have completed their courses and the BCAM Academy Curriculum, whilst undergoing regular, supportive mentoring, and completing their logbooks and portfolio of evidence, they will sit a rigorous two-part exam (both written and practical) to gain entry to BCAM as Associate Members. Our hope is that one day BCAM and the BCAM Academy will be recognised as a Royal College and that the General Medical Council will credential Aesthetic Medicine, as a Medical Speciality. With the BCAM Academy opening its doors to new Affiliates in April 2018, we hope that we are taking a big step towards our goal of supporting younger Doctors and Dentists and pushing our speciality forward.

The goal of the Academy, as it is with BCAM, is to raise the bar in the Speciality and make sure, especially with the creation of the JCCP’s new register, that Doctors and Dentists, allied to BCAM and the BCAM Academy, will be leading Aesthetic Medicine into a new era: where patient safety and information, rigorous professional education and honed professional standards are what we focus on. Our hope is that through this work, and through BCAM and the BCAM Academy, other specialities, the GMC, the general public and the powers that be will see that BCAM and the BCAM Academy are leading the way in Aesthetic Medicine, raising the professional bar and setting new standards.

Our Mentoring Scheme will enable our Affiliates to have regular meetings with trained BCAM Mentors, as individuals or in small groups, and work through salient topics in Aesthetic Medicine both in terms of: research; clinical matters; case discussions; clinical and research literature reviews; business and clinic set up; treatment complications; Aesthetic Medical ethics; and current GMC regulations for Aesthetic Medicine, to name a few. There will be web-based advice, a dedicated on-line forum for the Affiliates, business advice and support for our Affiliates, as they build their clinics and businesses. The Affiliates will have access to BCAM Members willing to supervise, observe or demonstrate to our Affiliates, supporting them in their clinical and practical skills and their understanding and confidence in working as Aesthetic Doctors. This, as a scheme, is offered nowhere else to this all-encompassing level and we have hopes of making a lasting difference in the field of Aesthetic Medicine with the BCAM Academy.

We very much look forward to welcoming our new Affiliates, both Doctors and Dentists, to the BCAM Academy in April 2018 and to welcoming our BCAM Mentors to their role on the Mentoring Scheme. We are excited to welcome new Aesthetic Doctors and Dentists and support them in their pursuit of excellence in their field by setting high standards, providing quality education, enriching with support from experienced and highly qualified Mentors, and providing continual support and advice throughout their time in the Academy.