FAQs
Getting Started
Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis (HTMA) is a functional health tool that measures mineral levels and ratios in hair to assess nutritional status and metabolic function. It can identify how the body is operating at a deeper level than blood for a truly holistic picture.
A strong foundation in functional health knowledge such as an NTP, FDN-P, ND, DC, MD or otherwise, is recommended to take the Level 1 HTMA Practitioner course and beyond.
No, you are not required to be a trained Nutritionist to take the Level 1 HTMA Practitioner course or beyond, however, please be advised that the content of HTMA interpretation you will be learning is based on health concepts. A strong foundation in functional health knowledge is recommended as a base before taking this course. All of our Academy’s Practitioner courses are for qualified health practitioners / professionals only. If you are not a qualified health practitioner you may be interested in learning more on Minerals and HTMA with the Minerals 101 course (launching February 2026).
You’ll need a stable internet connection, a laptop or tablet, and access to a modern web browser such as Chrome or Safari.
Course Structure and Content
After enrollment, you’ll receive a welcome email with login details. Use your credentials to sign in to the student dashboard, where all modules and resources are available.
Each course includes classes that are divided into multiple video modules for ease of learning. The modules will include foundations, analysis, interpretation, protocols and case studies for reference. There will be short multiple choice quizzes at the end of the class for review and the final class will be exempt from a quiz as this will be followed by an online final exam to achieve your certificate of completion.
The Clinical HTMA Academy offers training on interpreting HTMA test results. You are encouraged to reach out to an HTMA lab (Traceelements.com – recommended) and create an account to access HTMA test kits. Alternatively, you are invited to apply for a student Practitioner Account with our partner company Vykon Customs (vykoncustoms.com) where you can order Trace Elements’ test kits.
There are no pre-requisites at this time for the Level 2 Practitioner course, or any of the Animal Specialist courses. We strongly suggest having a solid foundational background not only in either human or animal health and nutrition, but also initial HTMA training to get the most out of these advanced courses. The Level 1 HTMA Practitioner course is a great foundation in HTMA for advancement into these offerings. We would suggest starting there if you have limited or no training specifically based around Hair Tissue Mineral Analysis.
The self-directed courses (with lifetime access to the content and future updates) should take between 15-20 hours to complete. You can determine the amount of time you spend per class, as the course does not have a time limit to complete in full.
No, the course content is organized with sequencial modules. Once you complete a module in each class, the next one will open, etc. Once the full class is complete you will be guided to either the quiz for that class or your exam.
Yes. You’ll review real HTMA case studies and receive guidance on building practical interpretation skills.
The Level 2 HTMA Practitioner course does include some cross correlation with blood labs and minerals.
All students have lifetime access to course materials, including any future updates that may be released.
All courses are self-directed. If you are on a waiting list for a “newly launching” course, then these will be live sessions as a pilot for the final self-directed course launch. All live pilot programs only run once, so make sure you are on the waiting list to be notified first when they are ready to accept students.
Support and Community
Yes. As a student you will have access to our Academy’s private online student forum where our Practitioner Course Advisors are online for support. There are active student groups for each course with Practitioner Advisor oversight. Also, each GRADUATE receives 3 months of complimentary access to the Advanced HTMA Practitioner Community hosted by Lisa Pitel-Killah & Vykon Customs, for ongoing interpretation and protocol creation support. This is a great way to solidify your knowledge and confirm protocols as you get started with your HTMA practice.
All students have access to a private online student forum where they can interact, ask questions and get ongoing support.
Certification and Continuing Education
Yes. Upon successful completion of all classes, quizzes (80% pass) and final exam (80% pass), you’ll receive a digital certificate of completion. If you wish to purchase an official Certificate of Completion you can do that in our shop for any of the courses we offer.
Some professional boards recognize HTMA training for CEUs. Check with your licensing organization for eligibility ****Please list the ones we are associated with as well here****.
These courses are not official licensing courses, thus we can not advise whether a lab will accept the Certificate of Completion without any other health certificate. We encourage you to reach out to the HTMA lab you are choosing to work with to request their qualifications for obtaining an account. It is also important for you to investigate and understand the scope of practice you can provide according to the laws within your governing body, state, province or the like, including, but not limited to your insurance provider.
Enrollment and Payment
All major credit cards. We also offer 3 month payment plans.
Occassionally the Clinical HTMA Academy offers promotions. Be certain to sign up for our newsletter to ensure you don’t miss out on any upcoming offerings.
Yes, there is a payment plan option which is 3 equal payments over a 3 month period.
All course prices are based in USD. If you are in Canada you will be charged in CAD at the going exchange rate.
Due to the digital nature of the courses, we do not offer refunds. We encourage you to read the full curriculum for the course you are considering and reach out with any questions you have prior to enrolling.
Troubleshooting
Please confirm you are using the correct email for your login attempt, this should be the email you created your account with. If this is correct, you can simply click “Forgot Password” on the login page and follow the reset instructions sent to your email to regain access.
If a video will not load try refreshing the page, switching browsers, or logging out and logging back in. If the issue persists, contact us for support at team@clinicalhtma.com. If you are receiving any type of error message, please take a screenshot of the message you are seeing and include that in your email content. This can be very helpful to our team to support solving the issue.
If you are requiring any type of administrative or technical support, you can email the team at team@clinicalhtma.com. If you require support concerning course content, quizzes or exams, you can post your questions in your student group that is monitored by our Practitioner Advisors.