What are the appropriate qualifications for a practitioner? With Dr Doug Grose and Dr Eddie Roos

Trish: Hey everyone. I’m here today and I’m really, really excited, as I’m always excited, but today I’m especially excited to be talking to Dr Doug Grose and Dr Eddie Roos and they’re both members or Fellows of The Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia. And basically, I know that a lot of us don’t know what that is, but basically, it’s a college that has members that are all non-invasive experts across Australia. And we’re going to talk about why, when you’re looking at a practitioner, why you should actually look for someone who’s got the appropriate qualifications and are members of the appropriate associations, that is going to keep you safe as a patient, and make sure they’re doing the right thing by you and doing all the right treatments, and basically not ripping you off and doing bad things, basically. Welcome, gentlemen.

Dr Grose: Thank you.

Trish: Thank you so much for coming along today.

Dr Roos: Pleasure.

Trish: So tell us, what is CPCA? The Cosmetic Physicians College of Australasia. What is it and why was it actually created?

Dr Grose: I’ll start off, probably, and say, if I may. Basically, Cosmetic Physicians College came out of an earlier organisation, which was called the Cosmetic Physicians Society. And it was formed way back in the nineties. It started in Western Australia, interestingly, but very rapidly became nationwide. And part of its constitution was that ultimately it would form into a college with the added idea, as a society it didn’t actually offer education to a high level, it was just basically more a medical and political body than anything else. But we needed to have a college, which fulfilled the medical and political functions, but also educational functions of training people from either zero or from some point along their track, and taking them up to expert levels. So the college was formed about 2015. It had its first lot of members and fellows.

Trish: Okay. How can we know, as a consumer, that who we’re going to is going to actually treat us properly? How do we know we’re not going to a cowboy?

Dr Roos: Trish. The college members all are scrutinised by a membership committee. And for you to become a member, you have to demonstrate that you have certain skills and certain proficiencies in doing treatments. So we can categorically say that all our members actually fulfil a minimum set of standards that they have to achieve to become a member. So they are all certified by the college as being members, people who are well qualified and who have had appropriate training and experience in doing cosmetic procedures for the public.

Trish: Okay. So basically, there’s a certain qualification that someone has to have before they even are looked at by the college?

Dr Roos: Yeah. It’s a peer review system. They have to do a Statement of Procedures that they do and usually it would be, because we know most of the people that are around, we would know our members and we would know the quality of the work that they would be doing. So it is reassuring for people when they go to see somebody who’s a member of the college that, that person is well known to their peers and that they are proficient in doing treatments.

Trish: Okay. And also, is it right to say that the person that you’re going to is only going to be offering you treatments that they can legally actually do by law as well?

Dr Roos: Yeah, that would be the case. I mean, although we don’t govern our members, we do not police our members but we have a code of conduct that we expect our members to adhere to. So most of our members, or all our members are medical practitioners who would only practise the scope of their practise.

Trish: Okay.

Dr Grose: And also, would have to demonstrate each year that they are continuing to be involved in medical education and advancing their knowledge, or maintaining their knowledge. So they have an annual requirement, as most colleges do, to submit their continuing medical education activities for the year.

Trish: That’s what I was going to ask next. So basically, like an accountant has to do X amount of things to get his CPD points every year …

Dr Grose: Yup.

Trish: … as a cosmetic physician, you actually have a certain amount of hours that you have to put into training to prove to the community that you’re actually doing continuous improvement and staying up-to-date with all the happenings, and other goings on.

Dr Grose: Yes.

Dr Roos: Part of that is actually coming to the conferences, like this conference over here, lecturing at the conferences, doing peer reviews, visit our peers’ practises to see what our peers do in our practise. So that’s another side car for the public to know that, at least if somebody’s a member, that another member of the college would have visited that person in their practise, or the member has visited someone else’s practise.

Dr Grose: I think this is very important, what it is that’s just talked about. This concept of peer review is very, very important. It’s something that in high medical profession needs to embrace a lot more strongly than they presently do. Many people, all they have to do is fill out how many conferences they’ve been to, and how many hours of private study they’ve done, but nobody actually goes and watches them work.

Trish: Yeah.

Dr Grose: It’s much more beneficial to actually watch somebody work, or have them watch you work. And that’s something that we’ve definitely got as part of our function at the college to ensure that our members maintain a standard.

Trish: So, it’s almost like they’re accountable as well, to that mentor, whomever it is that goes to …

Dr Grose: Well, it’s just one their fellows, one of their people of equal ability, one of their peers.

Trish: Yeah.

Dr Grose: I use the term peer and that’s correct.

Trish: Okay.

Dr Grose: It’s a peer group review. So one of your peers who’s equally expert comes along and watches you work. It’s a great way of making sure that people are staying up to standard, particularly premises are in good condition, they’re properly set up, and proper sterility procedures, all that sort of thing.

Trish: All right. So how can someone who’s having a procedure done find out that the person that they’re actually going to see is actually a member of the CPCA, or an equivalent body for whatever treatment they’re after?

Dr Roos: They can visit the website, the CPCA website. And most of our members, all our members who are members and have fulfilled our requirements, will be sent a sticker that they would be displaying in the practise. So even if you have a look on the website, if you see that they’re a member, you would know that they are. Or, once you’re in the practise, you can ask them to see their proof of membership certificate.

Dr Grose: Right. Certificate.

Trish: Yeah, So basically, if we looked at their website …

Dr Grose: Certificate of currency.

Trish: … so, if we’re looking at the website we’ll see their logo on the website and that should …

Dr Grose: Well, if they’re basically on the website, that means they are current, yeah.

Trish: Okay. And they can have a little logo for the CPCA on their own website as well.

Dr Grose: Yes, correct.

Trish: Right. Awesome.

Dr Grose: And on their emails and things like that.

Trish: And what is that website?

Dr Grose: CPCA.net.au.

Trish: Awesome. All right. Well, thank you so much gentlemen. It’s been great having that little chat today. We always want to make sure that everyone’s going to the right person to do the right thing by them.

Dr Roos: Thanks Trish. Thanks for all the work that you do, as well, to ensure the quality of the standard of treatments.

Trish: I do it so I can look good. All right. So, if you do want to find out whether the practitioner that you’re seeing, the physician actually that you’re seeing is a member and you can’t find the website or it’s just too hard, just drop us an email to info@plasticsurgeryhub.com.au or you’ll see a link on our website as well. So thank you so much.

Dr Grose: It’s a pleasure Trish. Nice to talk.

Trish: Thank you.

*This transcript is taken from an interview with Dr. Doug Grose, Dr. Eddie Roos and Trish Hammond, founder of Plastic Surgery Hub. We have very gratefully reposted her work to inform and educate our customers. You can find more of Trish’s wonderful articles at: www.plasticsurgeryhub.com.au

Trish is a plastic surgery blogger. She is passionate about wellbeing, health and beauty, and doesn’t mind a little bit of ‘help’ from the amazing cosmetic and beauty procedures that are available today. Trish spends her days talking to women and men who are looking for suggestions and advice on procedures that are available to them. Cutting through the sales pitch and hype, a down-to-earth response on general information is what you will get.