How To Be A Cosmetic Nurse: Your Step-By-Step Guide

If you think that assisting in cosmetic procedures like giving Botox injections and helping patients look as good as they feel is a career path you’d like to explore, why not train to become a cosmetic nurse? Also called an aesthetics nurse or plastic surgeon’s nurse, a cosmetic nurse works hand in hand with doctors to help patients.

With your cosmetic nurse training and a Botox training course, you can make a real and direct difference how patients look and feel. And it all starts with the right training for people who have the right core skills and makeup.

Cosmetic Nurse Job Requirements

To be a cosmetic nurse, you’ll need to be able to stand for a long time, have good bedside manner so you can work with patients and have a strong tolerance for being around blood. Your job will involve taking care of patients before and during surgical procedures as well as after them and administering some kinds of injectable treatments yourself. It’s a good job with the likelihood of easily being able to find steady work.

Education can vary from a one-year certificate program to a Master’s degree in nursing, and you will have to be licensed in the state where you work.

You also need certain personal characteristics, including compassion, attention to detail, patience, strong interpersonal skills, public speaking skills and more. Plus, you’ll need to learn peripheral skills like how to use computer software — particularly healthcare systems software and Microsoft Office. You’ll need good stamina too, because shifts are often long.

Determining The Career Path For You

A number of different kinds of credentials can lead you to a career as a cosmetic nurse, and the licensing requirements and prospects for employment vary significantly based on the level of training and experience. Additional skills like Botox training can also contribute to employability.

Practical and vocational nurses have the least training, but these nurses don’t get the best positions that are open only to registered nurses and to nurse practitioners. A nurse practitioner can perform many procedures that are otherwise reserved for doctors. Those who want to become cosmetic nurses can choose their training level and how far they want to advance in their career. Some first become licensed vocational nurses before becoming registered nurses — or they may pursue advanced training from the beginning.

After determining how to proceed, here are the steps to success:

Step 1: Get the right education.

For LPNs, the educational program is usually about a year and includes both work in a classroom and in supervised care of patients. Classroom education usually includes pharmacology, physiology, pediatrics and nutrition, among other things. Supervised practice is usually done at a hospital.

For RNs, a Bachelor’s degree in nursing is usually required, and this can take four years or more to achieve. Some RNs may have only an associate’s degree, but there are fewer employment choices for nurses with this type of degree. Those with an associate’s degree often get a Bachelor’s degree later.

To become a nurse practitioner, a Master of Science in Nursing or similar degree is required. Some states have additional requirements.

Step 2: Get a nursing license.

Licensing requirements for nurses vary from state to state and can depend on what type of license is desired. An LPN must pass the National Council Licensure Examination-Practical Nurse or NCLEX-PN exam as well as any specific licensing requirements of the state. An RN must pass the National Council Licensure Examination-Registered Nurse or NCLEX-RN exam and additional state requirements and must be a graduate of a nursing program approved by the licensing agency. Nurse practitioners must have a Master’s degree and an RN license.

Step 3: Specialize in cosmetic nursing.

It may be possible to get experience as a cosmetic nurse while still in school. Specific education may be offered in areas relevant to cosmetic nursing, including fat grafting, chemical peels and liposuction. Botox training may or may not be available while in school. Often, the first step in employment is to seek an entry-level job nursing at a place where cosmetic procedures and plastic surgery is performed. In some cases, LPNs can get these sorts of jobs out of school, while other employers require experience even for entry-level jobs in their practices. Employers will look for specific skills in assessing skin aging, doing Botox injections, handling clinical application and caring for patients after surgery.

Step 4: Consider certification.

It isn’t necessary for cosmetic nurses to have an additional, separate certification to work in cosmetic nursing or plastic surgical nursing. Certification can help with career advancement as well as professional development, however. No single organization provides this type of certification, but cosmetic nurses can choose to be certified by the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board, the Center for Nursing Education and Testing and other groups. It’s also possible to become a member of the American Association of Medical Esthetic Professionals for greater respect within the industry. Our Botox Training Course also includes certification from Dr. Katz, who is the inventor named on all the patent applications for Botulinum Toxins (Botox).

Step 5: Never stop learning.

Cosmetic nurses are required to have continuing education to get license renewals and to maintain other voluntary certifications. Things like online Botox training courses and instruction in how to inject dermal fillers are especially useful. There are a variety of other seminars and courses available as well, and a cosmetic nurse will take many such courses over the course of a career.

Following this process, a person without good job prospects can prosper as a cosmetic nurse for years or even decades to come.

Medical professional who wish to learn Botox for their business, call (858) 550-9533

See how our hands, on, online course works here