For information only. Not meant as advice in any form. Please consult your medical professional or lawyer.
Med spas have sprouted up over the last couple of years offering alternatives to traditional surgery and introducing a variety of new cosmetic treatment solutions to the public. But practitioners getting the green signal for opening a med spa isn’t as easy as it seems — there are several legal regulations and boxes that need to be ticked to get your license to open a med spa.
So can a registered nurse (RN) open a med spa? The general answer is no — legal regulations tell us that a med spa owner must be a qualified aesthetic practitioner or medical doctor who specializes in aesthetic medicine. But registered nurses can still take necessary measures like acquiring certifications in aesthetic specialization and securing the needed permits from an acknowledged regulatory board in order to run their own med spa.
Can a Registered Nurse Open a Med Spa?
Med spas are where medical operations that are generally carried out in a doctor’s office are combined with the pampering of a day spa. As it combines operations that call for medical oversight, the clinic must frequently be run under the direction of a medical professional like plastic surgeons or dermatologists in order to ensure medical safety first and foremost.
Owners of med spas must be specialized and licensed medical practitioners under strict regulations. This means that you can’t start a medical spa on your own just by being a medical professional, like a registered nurse. You’ll need more experience and expertise; specifically, a specialized set of skills and training in aesthetics.
Qualifications Needed to Open a Med Spa
The ease of starting med spas and the fact that this market segment has been expanding steadily year after year have contributed to their popularity. But despite being medical professionals, many registered nurses come to realize that their medical spa businesses actually can’t operate due to their lack of aesthetic expertise.
Medical spa business owners are subject to health rules and regulatory obligations while performing medical aesthetic procedures like injections, laser treatments, or other technologies to improve the client’s look as they wish.
The kind of medical spa and the services the clinic provides will determine the level of training needed to run one. Aesthetic spas that provide mostly or only non-invasive, superficial procedures are typically less strict in terms of standards than clinics that do surgical treatments.
To qualify, one often needs to be a medical doctor that specializes in aesthetics or a registered nurse who works under a certified medical doctor’s supervision.
Some procedures like Botox injections, dermal filler injections, laser treatment, chemical peels, microneedling, skin tightening procedures, and radiofrequency therapy all require specialist certification in order to be performed on patients in medical aesthetic spas. To provide these treatments or run a med spa, registered nurses may need to complete substantial specialized training in aesthetic medicine.
Additional Certifications That an RN May Require to Open a Med Spa
The ultimate standard for licensing when it comes to starting or operating a medical spa is certification from an acknowledged medical board. In addition to the normal medical degree, you can increase your reputation and qualifications to open a licensed med spa by earning extra certifications.
For instance, you’ll need to complete a thorough training course to gain the knowledge, precise skill, and capacity to deliver Botox injections and dermal filler injections. Enrolling in these specialized training programs can assist you in improving your skills so that you and your patients can achieve their cosmetic goals. The following academic credentials can assist you in becoming a cosmetic nurse.
- Registration with the AHPRA
- Graduate Support with Aesthetics CPD
- Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing (if not already acquired)
- Experience in performing cosmetic procedures as a nurse
- Graduate Diploma of Cosmetic Nursing and Injectables
Additionally, there are certificates in particular areas of aesthetic medicine that allow registered nurses and non-practitioners to carry out aesthetic operations with the approval or delegated authority of a licensed doctor. With the use of these licenses, a registered nurse may establish a medical spa as a joint venture with a licensed doctor who will serve as the main owner.
Advantages of Owning a Med Spa
Owning a medical spa has a number of benefits. According to a study by the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, 1 million laser hair removal procedures, 7.4 million injections for wrinkle treatment, 700,000 microdermabrasion procedures, and 1.3 million chemical peel treatments were performed in the United States every year.
About 80% of these businesses in the med spa sector are independently owned rather than being a part of a chain. The entrepreneur will have the freedom to design an effective and aesthetically beautiful business without having to worry about competing with larger med spas.
Owners of a medical spa can pivot their business into retail operations as well. This can increase the annual earnings of the med spa as it’s valuable to sell both budget-friendly and higher-end skincare products. It will also allow you to assist your customers in developing their ideal skincare routine. Other benefits of opening a med spa include:
- Very little cost to establish as a start-up
- Opportunity to do work that is rewarding
- Option of picking and choosing your clients
- Ability to control workload
- Build a local community around your med spa
- A simplistic business model with high returns on investment
- Ability to differentiate yourself as an expert in the field
The Work of an RN at a Med Spa
Your responsibility as a medical spa registered nurse is to perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures. In addition to providing treatments, med spas place a strong emphasis on comfort and elegance. You must always exhibit excellent customer service abilities. Among the duties of a certified med spa nurse are:
- Offering clients services that suit their requirements
- Performing beauty and cosmetic treatments
- Administering skincare procedures.
- Facilitating care for post-op patients
- Managing and assisting during surgery
- Ensuring sterilization of exam room and inventory
- Scheduling appointments for patients.
How Much Do Med Spa Nurses Make
A certified med spa nurse can earn a good living from their work. The average yearly compensation is about $70,266 while the top annual salary is close to $118,955. According to the AmSpa 2019 Medical Spa State of the Industry Report, the average medical spa makes $1 million annually, and top practitioners can make up to $4 to $5 million.
Get High-Quality Courses and Medical Equipment to Open a Med Spa at FACE Med Store
Non-invasive treatments have proven to be excellent alternatives to surgical procedures, and for the best results, these procedures call for extensive training. Training is the best approach to ensure that patients can put their trust in their healthcare professionals to get the outcomes they desire.
At FACE Med Store, we provide a variety of online facial training programs, including training courses in facial neuromodulator injections. We also offer courses in PRP therapy, IV therapy, mesotherapy, dermal filler injections, and fractional radiofrequency procedures. Get your training courses and top-notch medical products from us today by giving us a call or visiting our website for our catalog.
