We often get nurses who want to career change from their standard medical careers. If this is you, then here is the basic checklist that you should go through BEFORE you sign up for your Botox training.

State Regulations

State regulations are constantly changing. We always recommend that you contact your state licensing board about the legality of your practice. For example:
Florida – The board stated the Botox injection is outside of the scope of an RN’s practice.
Texas – The board has not restricted LVN’s injecting Botox, but have strict requirements.
California – Good Faith Exam law requires a physician, nurse practitioner, or physician’s assistant to examine the patient before performing certain procedures.
And so on. The laws are so varying that you’d have to be a lawyer to keep up with the constant changes.

Even if you are a nurse practitioner, there are strict requirements for the business setup and supervision requirements. Each state has different requirements regarding the type of relationship (e.g., collaborative, supervisory, or independent).
Don’t trust anyone regarding the latest state regulations except for your state’s licensing board.

CALL YOUR STATE LICENSING BOARD BEFORE YOUR TRAINING.

Getting a job

The field of aesthetics is highly competitive. While there may be many vacancies in your area, 99% of those jobs are looking for someone with… EXPERIENCE. So, the question is, how do you find experience when you are new. Well, it’s very difficult to get your foot in the door, but it is even harder to find the right door. The right door means that your future employer is compliant with all state regulations and supervision requirements. There are many news reports of nurses who were arrested for practicing illegally.

The nature of our training requires that a nurse or nurse practitioner have an office. We get many phone calls from nurses who don’t have an idea of what they will do when they finish their training. We ALWAYS tell them to wait to have the proper structure in place. After all, it is best to get your training and start injecting more patients the following week to reinforce your training. The worst would be to wait months before you start injecting independently because you were looking for a job.

So, we recommend the following: 

Get the correct supervision in place. Speak to a doctor that you like and convince her/him to join you on this venture. Having a partner will also reduce your startup cost (office space, supplies, and marketing). After all, you will need a medical director to order Botox from Allergan. You should get this set up first.

If you are a nurse practitioner and you can open up on your own, then you should find several day spas in your area to partner up and use their office space. The combination of using a business focused on aesthetics and customer service with a client list is a win-win situation. Also, many day spas may help you with marketing as you startup.

If you are still adamant about getting your training first and then looking for a job, then go for it. Good for you. Just be tenacious and don’t give up. It will definitely help if you live in a large metropolitan area like NYC or Dallas where there are multiple opportunities.

If you need help getting certified to inject Botox and dermal fillers, then contact us. We can even help you market your new business to drive new patients to your office. We have a complete turn-key medspa startup package for you.