The Importance of Having a Background in Clinical Nursing for Aesthetics
No matter your career or industry, it can be extremely beneficial to have a diverse working background. Having experience in multiple areas of your field can provide you with an edge while looking for jobs and also allow you to provide your clients, customers or patients with exceptional care that they might not find with a less experienced professional.
This can be easily applied to healthcare. The more experience that a medical professional brings to the table, the more well-rounded and educated the care they provide can be. When looking at aesthetic nursing specifically, we believe that having a multi-faceted educational and working background can offer many benefits - setting you apart from the competition.
Before we look closely at the importance of having a background in clinical nursing for aesthetics, we will explore aesthetic nursing in more detail and even list the steps to becoming an aesthetic nurse.
What is an Aesthetic Nurse?
The role of an aesthetic nurse, also known as a cosmetic nurse, is to aid a physician in improving or altering the physical appearance of a patient. Most aesthetic nurses can also perform a number of procedures without a physician present, including performing injections such as Botox.
The following skills are essential to a career in aesthetic nursing:
Knowledge of Anatomy
Knowledge of Physiology
Communication and Teamwork
Attention to detail
Critical thinking
Organization
Time Management
Ethics and Confidentiality
The main goal of an aesthetic nurse is to provide the best possible medical care for their patients, providing them with support, guidance and information along the way. Aesthetic nurses must be driven, detail oriented and empathetic.
The Steps to Becoming an Aesthetic Nurse
Are you interested in pursuing a career in aesthetic nursing? Here is an outline of the steps you can take and the options available to you in Canada.
1. Complete a Nursing Program
To become an aesthetic nurse, you must become a:
Registered Nurse (RN)
Nurse Practitioner (NP)
Registered Practical Nurse (RPN)
Your career will begin with completing your Bachelor’s Degree in Nursing. Alternatively, you can also obtain your Nursing Diploma of Collegial Studies in Quebec.
While the workload and courses may differ from one educational institution to the next, you can expect to study psychology, anatomy and patient care, among many other important areas.
2. Apply for Licensure
Did you know that each province and territory in Canada has a nursing regulatory body? Each nursing regulatory body can differ based on location. Generally, you will need to apply for licensure in the province or territory that you will be working in. This applies to all areas of nursing.
3. Pass the NCLEX-RN Exam
Once you have applied for licensure in the province or territory that you plan to practice in, it’s time to take and pass the National Council Licensure Examination Registered Nurse exam.
While each regulatory body will have different requirements and standards for who passes and graduates, you can expect to be examined on how you:
Analyze a situation
Apply nursing knowledge
Perform under pressure
4. Get Nursing Experience
Before you can become an aesthetic nurse, you must first work as a nurse for a minimum of two years. If aesthetic nursing is undeniably the career for you, you may want to consider working with a dermatologist, plastic surgeon, cosmetic surgeon, ophthalmologist, or aesthetic surgeon.
To gain well-rounded experience in nursing, we suggest starting your career as a clinical nurse, which we will dive into in the next section!
5. Continue Your Education
While it is voluntary to continue your education, it can provide you with an advantage while looking for a job and enable you to provide patients with better, more well-rounded medical care.
Continuing your education can provide you with training and education for administering injections and dermal fillers, collagen simulators and volume enhancers, among others.
To obtain a certification in aesthetic nursing, you must take and pass the Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist (CANS) exam. This is done through the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board and will need to be renewed every three years.
Why Start as a Clinical Nurse?
To understand how having a background in clinical nursing can help to advance your career as an aesthetic nurse, it’s important to first understand and familiarize yourself with what a clinical nurse does.
What is a Clinical Nurse Specialist?
A Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) is a Registered Nurse (RN) who also has additional education or experience, such as:
A master’s or doctoral degree in nursing
Extensive knowledge, experience and skills
Clinical experience in a specialty area
Where Do Clinical Nurse Specialists Work?
Clinical nurses can work in just about every area of healthcare, including but not limited to inpatient units, hospital-based clinics, pediatric and adult long-term care facilities, oncology, cardiology, and mental health.
What Health Care Services Can a Clinical Nurse Provide?
Clinical nurses can provide services in many different areas of health care.
Client Level
Risk and complication assessments
Deliver therapeutic interventions
Monitor and assess patient outcomes
Advocate for health and social services
Plan and coordinate continued patient care
Guide and support the patient
Practice Setting Level
Lead initiatives to improve patient care and practice processes
Implement innovation and evidence-based practices within their team
Support and encourage others to use best practices
Systems Level
Help to influence, encourage and promote public health policies
Advocate for the use of health promotion materials
Help to educate clients, staff and patients alike
What Roles Do Clinical Nurses Perform?
Clinical nurses can perform many roles, such as:
Clinician
Consultant
Educator
Researcher
Leader
The Connection Between Aesthetic Nurses and Clinical Nurses
Now that you have a complete understanding of both clinical nurses and aesthetic nurses, it will be much easier to understand the connection between the two and why it’s so important for aesthetic nurses to have a clinical background.
Here are the top five reasons why aesthetic nurses should have a background in clinical nursing:
1. Well-Rounded Education
The more areas of practice within your career, the more education you will need to obtain. A more well-rounded education can provide you with a unique perspective and advantage over your colleagues and others who may be applying for the same position as you.
The more you know, the further you go.
2. Industry Experience
A minimum of two years nursing experience is required before becoming an aesthetic nurse. By gaining experience as a clinical nurse, you can bring forward many beneficial skills and a more diverse background to the table when entering the aesthetics industry.
For instance, an aesthetic nurse who started their career as a clinical nurse in women’s health may have the ability to better connect with female patients, perform more effective assessments and better support the patient - when compared to an aesthetic nurse who does not have experience in a related field.
3. Diverse Skill Set
As mentioned above, clinical nurses have an exceptionally diverse skill set. By practicing as a clinical nurse prior to becoming an aesthetic nurse, you can further develop this unique set of skills and bring them with you to a new industry.
4. Unique Perspective
Having experience as a clinical nurse can provide you with a different perspective when it comes to procedures, patient care and even clinical processes. This may provide you with an advantage, allowing you to further develop your career and establish yourself within a more superior role.
5. Confidence in Career Choice
Having a career as a clinical nurse can provide you with experience and information about many different fields of healthcare.
As you continue to grow and learn more about the different areas of nursing that you could move toward, the more confident you will be that aesthetic nursing is the right choice for you.
