Aesthetic Vs. Bedside Nursing

This post is all about the main differences when comparing aesthetic vs. bedside nursing.

Hey girl. In this blog post I’m going to cover the main differences [and similarities] between aesthetic vs. bedside nursing. 

Bedside nursing holds the majority of the nursing population. There are a ton of opportunities that open up for you once you have your nursing degree but it’s most common to start off at the bedside. But once you’re there, how do you know where you want to go next? Or if you want to even make a change at all?

Taking the leap from the bedside is scary, I know. But hopefully I can help you on your quest for more information. I, like you, was so curious about the aesthetic world but felt that it was super hush hush. Why all the gatekeeping?

Well I’ve got no secrets here! Let’s dive into the nitty gritty of the main differences between bedside nursing and aesthetic nursing. The things that MATTER to you and can help you finally make a decision. 

Let’s Talk About Schedule

There are a variety of different schedules that a bedside nurse might have. Maybe you’re working one of these already. 

• 8hr shifts/ days, evenings, or nights
• 12hr shifts/ days or nights 
• 10hr shifts 
• M-F 9-5 schedule

The same goes for aesthetic nursing. if you’re opening your own practice working by yourself you could work all day everyday. you could work a M-F 9-5 and just always come to work when your clinic is open. or if you’re on a more commission based pay scale you may be able to make your own schedule.

I’d say overall, an aesthetic nurse’s schedule is most likely more flexible than that of a bedside nurse. But it can also change at a moments notice. Your schedule of clients being light or full can change when you come in to work or when you leave.

You might be at a clinic where you need to be there whether you have clients or not. Or maybe you only make your wages hourly so you WANT to be there whether you have clients or not.

In my case, I came from the hospital where I would work 3 12 hour shifts every week. I did both day shift and night shift at different times in my career. Now, I can kind of make my schedule whatever I want it to be. Obviously having a routine is nice. So I do keep the same days off every month. But I work 4 shifts a week, almost never more than 6 hours per shift. So I’m working much less. But still making more money. so, score! Haha

Let’s Talk About Income

Who loves safety and security? ME! You too? Ya figures, everyone does! That’s what you’ll have with a bedside nursing job in the hospital. Guaranteed hours every week, guaranteed paycheck that’s relatively the same every time, guaranteed benefits, etc. There is nothing wrong with having a “regular” job for the security of it…I mean, that’s what the majority of the world does!

This can be so variable in the world of aesthetics. Every situation will be different when it comes to income. There are three main pay models in aesthetic nursing:

1. Hourly based pay
2. Commission based pay
3. Some mixture of both

This will probably hold a lot of weight in your decision making process, as it should. So make sure you FULLY understand how you’ll be paid if you’re venturing into the aesthetics world. Let’s look into each of them more in depth.

Commission:

This is where self awareness is VERY important. Are you getting into aesthetics because you’re creative, have an aesthetic eye, and a passion for making people feel their best? Are you a hustler and a self promoter? If this is you, you’d benefit greatly from a commission based pay model. Your work ethic and your skill level can now directly impact your income.

You, like me, may thrive in a more competitive environment. You’re not necessarily competing with your coworkers but with YOURSELF. You have so much control of your income if you’re in a commission based pay model. If you hustle, if you’re the best, you’ll be busy and in high demand. Which, in turn, means you’ll make more money. 

Hourly:

In the hospital, the jaded nurse, the newbie nurse, and the badass nurse all make the same amount of money. The nurse that is time efficient and helpful makes the same salary as the nurse that is frazzled and always running behind schedule. This is great if you’re lazy and cranky [lol] but not so great if you’re a hard worker and you’re actually good at your job.

In aesthetic nursing, this is technically the same concept. Are you not confident in your aesthetic eye? Are you not great at self promotion or absolutely HATE social media? If yes, then an hourly wage may be best for you. 

A quick word on benefits:

Because the world of aesthetics isn’t a heavily regulated sector of the medical field, there is a huge variety in workplace environments. There are giant chain laser centers, plastic surgery centers, small and large med spas, independently practicing providers that may rent a space in a salon, etc. The list goes on. So you can imagine how variable the benefits are at each different space.

Benefits, healthcare, and retirement will vary on a case to case basis and you need to do your due diligence during your interview or hiring process to make sure you’re completely educated.

Related Post: 5 TIPS TO WRITE AN AESTHETIC NURSE RESUME

More Ways to Make Money:

When I was working my bedside nursing job, I felt stuck. I didn’t want to manage a nursing unit, I didn’t want to become a nurse practitioner, and I didn’t want to teach. There was literally nothing else for me to do but work the same job day in and day out. How depressing, right? 

It was for me anyway.

If you enjoy networking and creating opportunities for yourself, you can do that as an aesthetic nurse. Your income potential can be limitless. Here are some ways I know other practitioners are making extra income:

• You can eventually practice independently (with a medical director if you’re an RN), and open your own clinic. 
• You can train for the different brands that produce injectables. 
• You can speak or teach at conferences. 
• You can offer shadow opportunities to other practitioners.
• You can offer private training.
• You can sell your own trainings online.
• You can offer a monthly membership for access to educational content you create. Like Patreon.

Let’s Talk About the Patients

I remember the first time I shadowed an aesthetic practitioner. Every client came in happy and healthy and delighted to hand over money to get stabbed in the face with needles. I couldn’t wrap my mind around it.

In the hospital, you’re meeting everyone at one of the worst times in their life. Either they’re sick, or their family member is sick. They feel awful and they’re most likely there because they HAVE to be.

Then there’s aesthetics. Welcome to the world of ELECTIVE procedures. As an aesthetic nurse you get the opportunity to get to know the people you’re treating, and they get to know you as well. It’s fun! Well, it’s fun if you like people. Haha. I definitely wouldn’t recommend this career path to anyone who generally doesn’t like mankind.

With all of your treatments being elective, comes the ability to be selective with who you treat. Obviously this will depend drastically on WHERE you are working. But generally, if someone gives you the creeps, seems difficult, or has unrealistic expectations, you can turn them away.

Can you imagine getting a rude patient in your assignment at the bedside and being able to refuse to treat them?! Sounds glorious right?

Let’s Talk About Creativity and Autonomy

If you are a creative, then I already know, the hospital is sucking your soul dry. The most creative thing you get to do in the hospital is cleverly manage your time. And after your shift when you’re drained and exhausted the last thing you want to do is put energy into a hobby to fulfill your creative side.

In aesthetic nursing, your job is to literally be creative for money!

This is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on what type of person you are. You can be taught HOW to inject, but the where and why can’t really be taught. This has to be an innate understanding. You need to have an aesthetic eye. You have to understand the contours of the face. So if that ISN’T your forte, then you’ll have a tough time in this field.

You also get the opportunity to work autonomously. Your clients come to YOU for a reason. They trust you, and in turn they trust your recommendations. You can develop your own style. You get to develop treatment plans for your clients. It’s extremely fulfilling to see a client from their initial introduction to injectables and literally transform their confidence. 

If you’re an RN, and not an NP, you do need to practice under the supervision of a medical director. This can be an NP or an MD. Although it isn’t direct supervision, legally you need someone who can prescribe medications and perform Good Faith Exams (GFEs) for your clients. All injectables, afterall, are medications. 

Let’s Talk About Education

When we’re looking at aesthetic vs. bedside nursing, the expected education varies greatly.

As a bedside nurse, you’re required to renew your license every two years. Maybe you’re proactive and you take courses that are of interest to you to secure your learning credits. Or maybe you’re like the majority of the nursing population and you pay a small fee to pass a few easy tests and get your credits all at once the week before your renewal is due. Lol, can anyone relate?

Your place of work likely has yearly modules for you to complete and maybe a few throughout the year when a policy changes or a new device is introduced. Education wise, that’s about it.

The aesthetic industry is changing at light speed constantly. Wherever the money is, the research is. Aeshtetics, being almost COMPLETELY elective, is a boat of potential money. This means that practices are frequently changing, new techniques are being discovered, new products are being created, and new devices are making advances ALL THE TIME.

You literally can’t fall out of touch or you’ll become irrelevant as a provider. 

This places a lot of pressure on aesthetic nurses to continually seek out education and training opportunities. Sometimes your workplace may fund and set this up for you, but sometimes you’re going to have to invest in yourself. 

My advice is to happily pay for education and it will come back to you tenfold. 

I’m not even through my entire first year in aesthetics and here is a list of trainings I have attended. [For context I am based in California, USA]

• In office trainings with Galderma (x2)
• In office training with Sculptra
• Sculptra training in Napa, CA
• In office training with Radiesse (x2)
• In office training with RHA (x2)
• Viora Med laser training in Texas
• Ultrasound for aesthetics training in Illinois
• PDO thread training in Los Angeles, CA
• In office fern technique training with Tom Van Ejik from Amsterdam

Not to mention months of shadowing my fellow injectors and almost daily videos of Patreon members that I subscribe to.

Let’s Talk About Social Media

There are no questions about it, if you want to be a big dog in the aesthetic industry then you NEED to be on social media. And really, not just exist there, but thrive there. Instagram, in particular, will be extremely important if  you make the leap to aesthetic land. 

Instagram is the most visual social media platform. It’s where new businesses and influencers grow to success on a daily basis. This is where your future clientele will find you. This is where you’ll showcase your work AND your personality. The beauty of this is that people will feel that they know you before they are even your client. And they know what to expect because they’ve vetted you before coming for a treatment. 

Do you have to be a social media expert? No. 

Does it help? Yes.

If your income is based on your sales, then it would greatly benefit you to be driving as MANY people as possible to your client schedule. There is no better way to do this than with social media. You can absolutely grow an aesthetic business and a clientele base through word of mouth. But it will be a slow process.

If you aren’t dependent on being busy, then great. But if you’re needing a great income as soon as possible then this is how you’ll get there.So if you decide that YES, you will put forth effort into creating a social media presence, and YES, you want to grow as quickly as possible, then understand that you will be working or thinking about work all the time. Creating content and responding to DMs as you grow will consume a lot of your time. But if you’re passionate about your work then you’ll WANT to work all the time, trust me.

This post was all about the main differences when comparing aesthetic vs. bedside nursing.

more resources:

I have a YouTube channel that goes more in depth on all things aesthetic nursing.

Here’s a link to that: https://youtu.be/wSSOHF7u-FA

I also have an in-depth guide that is formatted like a sample resume with suggestions for filling out all of the sections that you can purchase here: https://sowl.co/s/r5JSa

Trust yourself and go for what you want <3