How I Became an Aesthetic Nurse And the steps you Can take to get here too

Let’s start with my personal journey, the route I took to become a Nurse Practitioner specializing in Aesthetics. I can remember being in the 2nd grade and being asked to draw a picture of my future career and I drew myself taking care of patients. In the 4th grade I took an anatomy class and fell in love with it and then in high school I shadowed my neighbor who was a Nicu nurse at the hospital. I always knew I would be in the medical field.

Growing up, I was always more of a girly girl and had a love for everything beauty and fashion. I can remember always wanting to try little face masks and soaps from Walgreens when I was in middle school, lol! When I was in high school, during my elective anatomy class I made the decision that I would go to college to become a nurse and, I did! Pretty early into my bachelor’s degree, I decided I wanted to work in the aesthetic world. It felt like the perfect balance of medical & beauty, two things that excited me! I envisioned myself working for a plastic surgeon (dreams do come true!!). I had professors try and steer me away from this side of the career, one who thought that aesthetics nursing wasn’t “real” nursing but it didn’t change my mind. I was really in love with the concept that when we feel our best we project the best version of ourselves. My mission is to help people feel amazing in their own skin.

I graduated with a BSN and went on to take my first RN job in a hospital, working in the NICU. I always loved babies and after doing our practicum during school I knew that when it came to the hospital setting this is the kind of nursing I wanted to be doing. I ultimately still had my heart set on aesthetics in a private practice setting but I wanted to gain some core, critical thinking nursing skills by working in a hospital first. Even as an aesthetic nurse, those core nursing skills are invaluable.  I highly recommend that all new RNs work in the hospital for at least 2 years before they move into a specialty like Aesthetics. It will just make you a much more well-rounded nurse and caregiver, I’ve also found it helps build trust with patients.

While working in the hospital, I started looking for some part-time injecting experience. My first step was going out on my own and taking several different injection courses. I want to point out that there is no such thing as a “Botox Certification.” Meaning, if you are an RN, you are legally certified to administer Botox. It is a drug, it would be just like administering penicillin – it’s in your scope of practice! However, the point of the certification course is to gain knowledge as well as show potential employers you are taking steps to educate yourself to be a great nurse injector. I felt that by having the Botox/Filler Certification on my resume, this would hopefully set me apart from other inexperienced nurses applying for the same position. So, on top of working full time in the hospital, I decided to go out on my own and put in extra time, work, and financial commitment to learn about the field.

After this, I was, at first, only able to land a very part-time position at a medical spa. I did this on some evenings and weekends and even though it was tiring to work both jobs it allowed me to get my foot in the door and start learning the ropes of the field. I was able to get some good on-the-job training and experience.  

After 2 years of working in the hospital and working part-time as an injector at the medical spa, I had one particularly rough night at the hospital. I was exhausted physically and emotionally, and on my way home from my night shift, I decided it was time to move into the aesthetic world full time. I’m a very compassionate and maternal person and the hospital setting was taking a toll on my mental health.

I made it my mission to land my dream job here in Saint Louis. I interviewed and explained that even though my injection experience was less than 5 years, this was my dream job and I was willing to do whatever it took to be successful in his practice. I was eager, willing, and ready to learn. They took a chance on me, and I made sure they would not regret it!  

After working for about a year, I decided I wanted to go back to school to get my Masters in Nurse Practitioner. I wanted to be able to open every door of opportunity for myself in the field. The big thing for me was to be able to prescribe medications if necessary and perform specific treatments which required the advanced designation to do so. Again, not 100% necessary to work in this field, just a personal preference! Let’s get into some more specific questions.

After 10+ wonderful years, I made the tough but exciting decision to chase my dreams and open my very own practice – Racquel Aesthetics located in Chesterfield, MO. I always say that we only get one life, one chance, one shot and it was time to listen to my heart and take mine. My goal at my practice is simple… give the gift of confidence and beauty to as many people as physically possible and to make sure that I am able to play a small role in driving that impact as an aesthetic provider.