Physician Training

Physicians applying for hospital or other institutional privileges should be familiar with all appropriate literature and must complete a basic training program devoted to the principles of lasers, their instrumentation, physiological effects, and safety requirements. The following are recommended for all training programs:

• Inclusion of clinical applications of various wavelengths
• Hands-on, practical sessions with lasers and their delivery systems
• A minimum length of 8-10 hours
• A small faculty to student ratio (1:5 is ideal)

About 40% of training time should be spent on the practical sessions. However, training that covers multiple wavelengths, substantially different applications, or different delivery systems should devote 50% of the training time to hands-on sessions. After completing training, physicians should spend some time in a clinical setting with an experienced operator. Individuals in training should be encouraged to obtain laser experience as part of their residencies.

To learn more about LSO visit our Medical Laser Safety Officer Online Training web page.