So you want to become an Aesthetic Nurse?
So you want to become an Aesthetic Nurse?
How did you become a Beauty Nurse? I am a nurse, how do I do what you do? I love what you do, and love skin, and want to do Botox, so what do I do? I have always wanted to do what you do, so how do I do it?
These are the questions I get daily! They are all really great questions, and I hope I can answer some of them for you in this blog.
➢ A Beauty Nurse is not a generic career title; it was just something I created for myself. Thus, I didn’t go to college to become a Beauty Nurse. I went to college to become a Registered Nurse (RN), and then entered into the Aesthetic Industry.
➢ A RN doing injections can have many titles such as the following: Aesthetic Nurse, Cosmetic Nurse, Nurse Injector, Cosmetic Nurse Injector, Advanced Nurse Injector etc. This area of work is so grey. There is no official title for this career!
➢ Being a nurse is far from glamorous; even a nurse in the aesthetic industry. I may not be coming off of 20-hour shifts caked in filth like I did in my early days as a RN, but being an injector is still really hard work. This career path is not all glitz and glamour like some may think.
Like any story, there is a beginning, middle and end. Before I was The Beauty Nurse, I was a 14 year-old kid caring for a person dear to my heart that was diagnosed with terminal brain cancer at the age of two. Her name is Mackenzie, and looking back now, I realize she sparked my interest in the medical field. My journey started with her.
At age 18, I was a dangly and uncoordinated girl with acne. It was my acne that led me to seek out a dermatologist. I remember this event vividly because of the warmth in how his nurse at the clinic treated me. I loved how her products helped my skin at the time, and was immediately more confident once the product made my acne disappear. I recall driving home and turning to my mother saying, “I want to do what she does.” Bless my mom; she would support any aspiration of mine, even if I wanted to be a professional softball player. Never mind the fact that I ran to third base instead of first during my first tee-ball game. My mom told me if I wanted to work with people’s skin and do what that nurse did, I had to go into nursing. So that’s what I did.
I went to Carroll College in Helena, MT where I obtained my BSN in nursing. While in nursing school, I worked as a CNA in a nursing home, as well as a CNA in the hospital. After nursing school, and once I passed my NCLEX board exam, I worked for seven years as a floor nurse in Missoula, MT and then at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane, WA on the trauma unit. I worked relentlessly in order to learn how to provide the best healthcare to my patients.
Throughout those seven years as a floor nurse, I never gave up on the idea of working in the aesthetic field. I scoped local newspapers and craigslist ads in search for a job that would open doors for me. Finally, a job as an operating room nurse for a plastic surgeon presented itself to me and I didn’t hesitate to apply. I worked two years with this surgeon, and consider myself blessed to have had him as my mentor. It has been ten years, and he is still a mentor to me. Through my experience with him I gained hands-on training, in depth knowledge of facial anatomy, and the chance to learn the art of injection. It was his knowledge I took with me to a medical spa, and eventually to a dermatology clinic where I worked for the past five and a half years.
My advice to you if you are hoping to enter into the aesthetic world, is to go to as many trainings and networking events as possible. Don’t hesitate to reach out to fellow injectors and make friends with like-minded individuals in your community. There should be no competition in this industry and we have so much to learn from each other.
A great resource I give to people who ask me about breaking into aesthetics is Titan Aesthetic Recruiting. Mary Beth Hagen started this company to help other medical professionals seek employment in this industry. Titan Aesthetic Recruiting aims to be the link between injectors and employers, and is a great tool to use if you’re looking to be recruited. Here is the website for you to checkout: Titan Aesthetic Recruiting.
Another great resources is Palette Resources. Palette Resources is an innovative educational program on nonsurgical facial rejuvenation that provides a continuum of learning opportunities and hands-on instruction for clinicians with any level of experience. Check them out here: Palette Resources
Skin by Lovely in the Oregon area has InjectionU training for aspiring and current injectors.
Jennifer Prince in Scottsdale, Arizona has Institute of Aesthetics which is another great training.
Lastly, my sister Katie Brennan, NP owner of Crafted Aesthetics in Helena, Montana has Crafted Academy where she trains aspiring injectors, beginner level injectors to advanced injectors. Reach out to her practice to get information on her next training courses.
Anyone who has a career in the Aesthetic Industry will tell you a different story of how they started. We all have taken a unique journey to get to this point today, and I am betting you have as well! There is beauty in the grey area of this field, because it provides space, for you and for me, to forge our own path and write our own story.
That story may not always be glamorous, just as mine is certainly not. All beginnings are different and sometimes the hardest part of the journey. All middles are even harder, but carry with them a splash of gratification and joy for knowing you’ve come far from that first step! The end is nowhere in sight, and for me, that’s OK.
I am in the middle of my story trudging onwards fiercely. That’s my journey.
My hope from me to you is that you find your own story and make your own journey. Your passion makes you beautiful. Let it lead your way!
Shine on beauties.
Shine on.