The Ketamine Research Institute Training Programs for Clinicians
Ketamine Therapy for Mood Disorders
Ketamine Infusion Therapy Gains Recognition
Ketamine infusion therapy is an exciting new development in the world of psychiatry. It has shown great promise in the treatment of a variety of mental health conditions, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
During the recent COVID epidemic, depression, anxiety, and post-traumatic stress disorder rates have all risen dramatically. Media outlets have been educating the public about the tremendous therapeutic benefits of ketamine and other psychedelics for the rapid relief of mood disorders and related conditions.
Health insurance companies in both Canada and the U.S. have taken notice and may soon start covering ketamine-based therapy treatments. As awareness grows around this new treatment breakthrough, many more people who suffer from mental health issues will be able to benefit from ketamine-based therapy that has been proven to be effective.
The Need For Well-Trained Ketamine Clinicians
The Rise of "Ketamine Clinics"
Ketamine-based therapy is increasingly recognized as a rapid and highly effective treatment of mood disorders — with success rates that exceed 75% or more — and patients who haven't received help from conventional approaches are demanding new treatment options. Unfortunately, to meet this demand the number of questionable "ketamine clinics" and "at-home" ketamine services has also risen.
Lack of Adequate Training
Sadly, too many clinicians may have taken shortcuts for various reasons and not sought out adequate training programs before embarking on ketamine therapy. This could be due to the apparent simplicity of the ketamine infusion, which lulled some clinicians into thinking that formal training may not be necessary. However, ketamine therapy is unlike any other medical procedure and has many complexities and unique aspects, something that many without adequate training fail to recognize.
It has become clear from recent research studies, news articles in the popular media, and several recent malpractice cases that many of those currently offering ketamine therapy to patients may lack adequate training, experience, and understanding of the unique aspects of this complex treatment. This has resulted in an increasing number of poor outcomes, adverse effects, and potential safety issues for patients.
Professional Organization Recommendations
To ensure the safe and successful use of ketamine, clinicians offering any form of care must be properly trained and educated. To help meet this growing demand, in 2017 the American Psychiatric Association released Consensus Guidelines outlining the qualifications and comprehensive training necessary to provide health professionals with the tools they need to safely and effectively use ketamine-based therapy in their practices.
Included in those recommendations was the need for didactic educational training and "hands-on" clinical experience administering ketamine infusion therapy under the supervision of more experienced clinicians. Allowing practitioners to gain both an intellectual understanding of ketamine therapy and develop the essential skills and techniques necessary to become proficient in the safe administration of ketamine to their patients.
Training Programs Vary Greatly in Content and Quality
Many organizations are offering ketamine training, but the quality of these programs varies. Clinicians who are new to ketamine therapy and seeking education may find it difficult to determine which ones are reputable and offer comprehensive instruction. Often, the programs are led by multiple clinicians with varying levels of clinical knowledge or experience. This can make it very difficult to form a cohesive and effective understanding of ketamine therapy.
It is important to look for programs that offer all of the training components recommended by the APA including didactic education, supervised clinical training, and individual mentoring. It is essential that any program offering ketamine-based therapy training includes real-world experience administering ketamine therapy under the close supervision of more experienced clinicians.
On-Line Programs versus Actual Clinical Training
On-Line Programs
Many training programs are being conducted "online" and have the apparent advantage of offering inexpensive, convenient, on-demand modules for training. Although this format is appealing, pre-recorded online program modules can't answer important questions that often come up during training sessions. In addition, they cannot provide the recommended and necessary supervised "hands-on" instruction as recommended by the APA. Lastly, they cannot provide personal clinical guidance on the proper uses of ketamine.
Clinical Training Programs
In contrast, "on-site" clinical training programs offer participants an in-depth, multi-day intensive educational experience and allow for direct interaction with experienced clinicians knowledgeable about the use of ketamine therapy. This type of training also provides the recommended supervised "hands-on" instruction, personal mentoring, and coaching to ensure clinicians understand the best practices to administer ketamine safely and effectively, as well as proper patient selection criteria.
Few Options Exist
Unfortunately, there a very few training programs available that have qualified and experienced ketamine clinicians who can provide this level of comprehensive educational training experience, and supervised clinical training in the setting of an operational ketamine infusion center.
Ketamine Research Institute is Leading The Way in Clinician Training
To meet this new demand, the Ketamine Research Institute (KRI) has developed an educational program specifically designed to train clinicians in the safe and effective use of ketamine-based therapy for mood disorders - the "Mini-Fellowship" Intensive Training Program for Clinicians. KRI's curriculum is based on best practices and evidence-based treatment protocols established by leading clinicians in the field.
KRI's program provides a comprehensive educational experience and includes didactic lectures, interactive discussions, case studies, hands-on clinical experiences at a fully operational ketamine infusion center, and ongoing personal mentoring from experienced ketamine clinicians as you begin your ketamine practice. The program is designed for both novice and experienced practitioners to gain important skills that will enable them to confidently and competently administer ketamine-based therapy in their practice.
Our Experience and Qualifications
The "Mini-Fellowship" Intensive Training Program for Clinicians is a sophisticated and advanced training program that results from over 35 years of clinical research and experience in ketamine practice. Over the past three decades, I have conducted clinical ketamine research and provided thousands of hours of continuously monitored ketamine infusions to individuals worldwide, gaining invaluable experience in various clinical circumstances. Our work has been presented at national conferences, academic, and governmental institutions providing educational programs in the use and future application of ketamine therapy.
In addition, I have served as principal investigator for pharmaceutical companies engaged in Phase III drug trials for psychopharmacological agents seeking FDA approval and served as clinical advisor to various organizations and biotechnology firms.
All of this experience is then distilled down and passed on to our attendees in the form of didactic lectures, small-group discussions, as well as hands-on opportunities to administer ketamine under direct supervision. We offer this wealth of experience and knowledge to participants in our program so they can return to their practices confident in their abilities to provide ketamine-based therapy safely and effectively. The bottom line is that we can provide you with the knowledge, experience, and skills necessary to be a well-respected and successful clinician providing ketamine therapy in your community.
Our Program is Unique Among Training Program
The Ketamine Research Institute training program is one-of-a-kind, custom-tailored, and specific to the professionals' intended use of ketamine-based therapy. It is particularly well suited for clinicians in the fields of Psychiatry, Primary Care, Integrative/Functional Medicine, and Emergency Medicine who are new to this modality and are interested in adding ketamine-based therapy to their practice as a rapidly effective treatment for various mood disorders, including depression, bipolar disorder, anxiety, and PTSD. Our program is one of the very few that comply with all APA and ASA recommendations for training in ketamine therapy.
All Training is Conducted on Site in an Actual Infusion Center
Our training program is conducted "on-site" and "in-person" in our infusion center, which allows you to become familiar with the environment in which infusions are performed, as well as get first-hand experience with all the necessary monitoring equipment, intravenous delivery systems and supplies necessary for the safe administration, storage, and handling of ketamine.
Precision Medicine and Target-Controlled Infusions
Our course provides a detailed understanding of the inherent but often overlooked intrinsic limitations of the standard ketamine infusion developed at Yale in 1994. This knowledge is critical to achieving the best therapeutic benefit for your patients. We employ a highly practical and "in-depth" approach to ketamine therapy, using basic and advanced principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. This includes a proprietary Precision Medicine and Target-Controlled Infusion approach to overcome limitations of the "standard" infusion and significantly improve the effectiveness of ketamine therapy — optimizing your ability to achieve success with your patients.
Training Excellence
We believe that providing safe, more effective, and better-tolerated ketamine infusion therapy is essential to become recognized as a highly skilled and successful clinician rather than just another "ketamine clinic." We are dedicated to helping clinicians become the specialists in this field that they strive to be through our comprehensive and intensive program.
It is our mission to provide clinically meaningful, evidence-based education and training to enable you to bring ketamine-based therapy safely and effectively into your practice — so you can make a more positive difference in the lives of your patients.
The Benefits of Our Program
Small Group - One-on-One Attention
We limit our course to six practitioners to facilitate a personal and tight-knit learning environment where everyone can actively participate and become comfortable with administering ketamine infusion therapy in an operational ketamine infusion center. While with us, clinicians have an opportunity to become familiar with and use all of the necessary monitoring equipment, venous access technologies, intravenous delivery systems, and supplies necessary for the safe administration, storage, and handling of ketamine.
Personalized To Your Needs
To the degree possible to maintain our educational objectives, the 3-day intensive training is customized to each practitioner's needs and skill level. It delves deeply into specialized aspects of ketamine pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics, including the effects of patient-specific metabolism, medication interactions, and genomic variables on ketamine metabolism and efficacy.
Our Advanced Didactic Component
Our specialized didactic training program is unlike any other available ketamine training. It offers clinicians not only comprehensive, in-depth classroom-based instruction, but more advanced topics in the pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic aspects of ketamine therapy. In addition, we focus on a Precision Medicine and Target Controlled Infusion approach to ketamine therapy that increases its effectiveness in everyday "Real World" clinical applications.
The Recommend Hands-On Clinical Experience
Administrating ketamine infusions safely and effectively requires a comprehensive understanding of how to personalize the dosing regimen, use precision medicine concepts, and tailor the infusion plasma concentrations of ketamine to achieve optimum therapeutic effects. Our clinical training guides you through administering ketamine while also providing the opportunity to learn the skills and techniques necessary to become highly proficient in this therapy.
The Ketamine "Experience" Component
Going a step beyond, we also encourage clinicians to personally experience what it is like to have a ketamine infusion. It is our experience that having a first-hand understanding of what ketamine feels like, and how it affects cognition, mood, and behavior can be extremely helpful and provide valuable insights into the "ketamine experience" when working with patients who are receiving this remarkable new therapy.
Our Mission
The Ketamine Research Institute's mission is to train the next generation of healthcare providers in evidence-based best practices for administering safe and effective ketamine-based treatments. We are dedicated to providing clinicians with comprehensive training that is accurate, up-to-date, and clinically relevant.
Ketamine Research Institute Training Program Includes:
All The Recommended and Essential Components of Ketamine Training Are Provided:
— Comprehensive didactic lectures covering topics such as advanced pharmacology, physiological effects, and clinical applications of ketamine.
— Interactive discussions tailored to clinicians’ specific practice settings
— Case studies and reviews of actual ketamine-based treatment protocols in real-world patients.
— Hands-on experience administering ketamine infusions at a fully operational Ketamine Infusion Center.
— The opportunity to gain valuable insights into the phenomenology of the ketamine experience by personally experiencing it for yourself.
— Ongoing personal mentoring from experienced ketamine clinicians as you begin your ketamine practice.
— Plus, access to extensive resources including additional educational materials, treatment protocols, our referral network, and more.
After the Course
At the completion of the program, clinicians will be certified by the Ketamine Research Institute as qualified ketamine therapy providers with supervised clinical experience. This certification is the first step in becoming a highly skilled and successful ketamine practitioner. We invite you to join our growing network of practitioners who are transforming patient care through evidence-based best practices
We believe our program is exceptional and exceeds all recommendations, didactic and clinical, published by the American Psychiatric Association and the American Society of Anesthesiologists, and also includes the added benefits of an experiential component to fully understand and appreciate the uniqueness of ketamine infusion therapy. We are committed to helping clinicians learn how to provide these treatments safely and effectively.
Here's What Our Graduates Are Saying
"I thoroughly enjoyed the course and thought it was a good mix of science and practical knowledge. And of course, it was very helpful as I had no clinical experience with Ketamine and just a little knowledge from what I’ve read...
It gave me a clear road map moving forward. I’m sure there is a lot still to learn, but you never know what you don’t know until it arises....Having access to your forms and waivers, etc. is huge!...
No other training offers an actual infusion for us to experience what it’s like. Having done it now, I can appreciate how difficult it would be to explain it without having done it."
— David Smith, MD - Internist/Family Practice
To Learn More About Our Programs - please click the links below:
The "Mini-Fellowship" Intensive Training Program
A Detailed Course Overview
Day 1: Ketamine-Based Therapy: The Current State of Ketamine Therapy
Day 2: Ketamine-Based Therapy: Efficacy versus Effectiveness
Day 3: Ketamine-Based Therapy: The Precision Medicine Approach
Our 2023 Course Schedule and How To Apply For Training
New Courses Beginning in 2023
— Ketamine Training for Experienced Providers and Anesthesiologists
— Improving Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy with Precision Medicine
and Target-Controlled Administration Techniques
The Origin of Our Ketamine Training Program
What Our Graduates Say About The Course
What Is Currently Needed.
There is a tremendous need for qualified medical professionals trained to provide patient-centered, safe, effective ketamine therapy for mood disorders. This 3-day intensive program aims to provide clinicians with the necessary skills, understanding, and knowledge to administer a superior and optimized ketamine infusion to their patients in an office or outpatient setting. The program covers all aspects of ketamine therapy that have practical clinical applications today and in the futureI. I hope you consider joining our group, and I look forward to speaking with you!
For additional information, please contact us at:
training@ketamineinstitute.com
Or download the program brochure and fax all required documents to:
850.602.9013
