HELP-RN School or Esthetician Program first???

Specialties Aesthetics

Published

Hi,

I found this board and hope to get some great advice from all the knowledgeable people here!

First of all I majored in International Business and I'm 38 yrs. old. I was never passionate about my career and want to make a change.

I have always had te dream of having a small boutique type medical skin care clinic in upscale Del Mar or La Jolla (CA), which is where I live.

I have been thinking of imersing myself in Esthetician classes at a local school for 3 months (600 hrs), get licensed and rent out a room at a salon. This would allow me to tap into their clients, obtain experience, and grow a bok of business.

However, my goal is to have a small medical spa where I can administer Botox, fillers and laser treatments. I understand that I need to be an RN to do that and so I was thinking I can work a few hours here and there doing facials and attend nursing school for 2 years and get an Associates degree. With this degree I can take the CA test and become a licensed RN.

QUESTION- Can a non-physician such as an RN own a medical spa or do is it required that a doctor be present at all time?

So basically my goal is to be an RN but I think the Esthetician license would help me build up a small clientele before having the RN license under my belt. I think it's much smarter to go this route than doing the RN program, graduating and then be faced with the challange of having to pay student loans and no clients.

In conclusion, I read stories all over the place but am wondering which is the smartest route to take... HELP!

Thanks!

AMG

jadoredior

2 Posts

I have been a licensed cosmetologist since 1999. I graduate with a nursing degree in 2009. In between, I received a bachelors in business and started my own salon business. I am currently working as a surgical nurse in for a cosmetic surgeon.

If I had to do it over again would have gone to nursing school first. I would have then worked for a cosmetic surgeon. The office i work for provided me with the training and certifications.

The medical spa arena is saturated and there are plenty of people who can administer botox and fillers who are doctors. Patients are legally required to have been assessed by an MD before an RN can administer anything. MD are the only people who can order botox and fillers.

I urge you to research your area for RN and MD who administer botox or fillers and compare that number with the demographic that will be your potential patients (females, age 20-65, median income above 25k, and etc.). Find the ratio of providers to patients.

Botox is sold to doctors for $6-7 a unit and that is with the recommend dilution. The profit margin is around 4-8 dollars depending on the area you are in. Also think about your overhead, supplies and advertising too.

This is what i have observed in the area that i work in and can't say this is happening any where else. I believe it is better for me to share my observation and experience so that you can make an informed decision.

mjstymel

1 Post

Hi Armagi,

I have a business. We sell laser equipment to med spas and also to MD's. We are setting up our first procedure practice in Phoenix. Once that is run for two years - we plan to sell franchises of that first model. Florida just passed a law that medical franchises may only be sold to Dermatologists and Plastic Surgeons. I am finding as a national distributor of beauty laser equipment that for the most part - I can only sell FDA approved equipment and I can only sell to MD's.

A non physician (such as an RN) can definitely own a med spa. Lots of people out there have no medical background at all and are popping up all over with "med" spas. (that is what's causing the change in laws to be stricter.)

States across the country are watching them very closely and passing laws to make sure you have your practice set up correctly. If you are NOT an MD and are setting up a med spa - you can NOT call it a med spa or give any type injections or use laser equipment at all - unless you are overseen by a licensed MD. There are MD's out there (who for a monthly fee) will act as your medical director - and - now you have a med spa. There are spas out there who have no medical background at all - to get around it - they hire a medical director and also put an RN on staff. As long as the MD oks the RN, the RN can give your injections. So - you would be set up, have your own business and be making an income while you get your ducks all in a row.

By your ducks in a row, I mean - get your medical and esthetician background so you can do your own procedures and injections. I want to point out, if you instead take your esthetician training and go to a dermatologist or plastic surgeon and sign on as an esthetician - you will be able to do the basic procedures and get paid for doing them (without all the hassle of setting up your own business and running it according to the very strict guidelines that are being put in place all over the country if you are not an MD.

Sometimes, when employed with an MD (especially a dermatologist or plastic surgeon) it is to their advantage to help you with your continuing education. MD's (especially those two specialties) are always looking for not only estheticians, but also RN's. Right now, most hire two different people, an esthetician (because they are cheaper to bring on board) and also an RN (maybe on call - only when needed) for botox and injections (because they are more expensive). Most of the managers of these medical spas (run by dermatologists and plastic surgeons), if they are busy enough - hire a spa manager.

If while working for them - you move up from esthetician to esthetician with an RN degee - you are worth more and get paid more, if however you add a third aspect - and that is to take a two week certification course in laser procedures - then you are what I call the "triple threat"! If you have all three that's when these two specialties want you to run their spa - spa manager. When you have all three - you can do most everything yourself and he doesn't need an RN for injections, a laser tech for laser procedures and an esthetician for other procedures. I would (because of what I have seen) get your education in that order - esthetician - so you can get work now - RN - so you are one of the most valuable people on staff - and definitely laser so you can run the whole thing for him if you have aspirations of that sort. Laser is a two week certification course that I am told runs around $9000. I had someone mention to me - that there is a nonprofit website that gives you that training and certification for FREE. You definitely need to check into it for yourself - but - anything from -0- to $8999 is cheaper than the going rate - and this is a nonprofit website. It's Laser Training.

I will be actively selling medical franchises to dermatologists and plastic surgeons all over the USA in two years (once we have run the first one successfully for that time frame.) So, if you find yourself working for a dermatologist or plastic surgeon and the guy really needs to pump up his business - you may have him check into adding a franchise to his existing practice and his existing spa. We will be heavily advertising and the MD keeps everything in his own practice name while we quietly advertise for him on the side.

I thought about opening my own location as you describe. I have been doing nothing but research for over two years now. The laws are getting tighter and tighter and patients choose to file suit against your business because they say the procedure was uncomfortable, and agencies are coming out shutting down locations because they did not know their equipment was not FDA approved, or did not have an MD authorized RN doing their injections (they thought as long as they were an RN - that was all that was needed). It's getting harder and harder to do your own thing and try to hang any type of "medical" tag on it, unless you actually work for an MD.

And since they are now passing laws that only include dermatologists and plastic surgeons - I would lean in those two areas when working for a spa type setting. It looks to be the most solid for both the laws that are being passed and also for the amount of money you can make (those two tend to pay more.) After all of my research (especially of the lawsuits that have been filed) I won't go to an individually owned spa at all. I will only go to a spa based out of an MD's office. If the MD is putting his license on the line by having his own spa - I guarantee to you - he is going to be sure everyone working there is a very capable person in their field.

One more thought, I had a good friend who was a nursing specialist at the University of Phoenix. That university has a nursing division and most classes are online and you can do them around your schedule (like take your actual classes at midnight - whenever works best - and at a different time each day if need be). They do have clinicals that have to be taken in a classroom setting. They will not admit anyone without a 4 years bachelors degree. Once you have that (and I believe you said you did) - then - and only then - it is about a two year program. I hope this helps with your decisions! I'm at yahoo if you need me.

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