Why Pursue a Career in Aesthetic Medicine?

Did you sign up for aesthetics training? Did you get certified in Botox and dermal fillers? Are you planning to become an aesthetics nurse and embark on a whole new career adventure? Yes, you. And why not? If you’re reading this article, we’re betting that you’re probably perfect for a career in aesthetic medicine. And by the time you finish reading this, you’ll practically know for sure. 

And if you’re wondering who “we” are, we are AAAMS—The American Association of Aesthetic Medicine and Surgery—the premier, fully-accredited platform for Botox and filler training and certification. For more than 15 years, we’ve been helping RNs, NPs, PAs, physicians, and even dentists launch successful careers in aesthetic medicine. And when you’ve been an industry leader for as long as we have, one thing becomes clear: some people are just much more naturally suited to aesthetic medicine than others.

Over the years, we’ve noticed that our most engaged trainees and our most successful graduates tend to have five things in common which we’ll share below. If you find yourself relating to these five things, you’re a person who will absolutely love working in aesthetic medicine. 

5 Things Our Most Successful Aesthetic Graduates Tend to Have in Common

They’re determined to find a better work/life balance.

For hospital nurses, working conditions have become increasingly intolerable and often exploitative. For over a decade, the practice of “flex staffing” (a euphemism for short-staffing) has put nurses in a chronic position of habitually working extended hours and managing an overwhelming number of patients. This is causing nurses to quit the profession in record numbers. But for those who say they love their patients but hate their job, aesthetic medicine is an ideal solution. A career in aesthetic medicine means no more flex staffing, no more unpredictable hours, no more having to constantly work weekends, no more having to deal with impersonal bureaucracies, and so forth. 

They want to expand their practice or switch specialties without investing an arm and a leg.

Typically, expanding your practice or switching specialties entails massive time and expense. But aesthetics training is the optimal solution for those with the savvy to recognize there’s a way to make an end-run around these obstacles. Because aesthetics training builds on your existing medical skillset, you can get a Botox certification with only a fraction of the time and investment required for almost any other practice expansion or career pivot. Our trainees that approach aesthetics training as a strategic, calculated investment in their long-term career path are invariably those who end up leading the pack. 

They’re on a quest for greater professional autonomy.

Many of our most successful graduates first decided to make a move to aesthetics because they were frustrated and fed up with cookie-cutter treatment approaches that limited their professional autonomy. They were sick of having their professional judgment overridden by restrictive policies, treatment algorithms, or other profit-driven approaches that were out of touch with the real needs of patients. Making a move to aesthetic medicine changed all of that. Crafting an individualized treatment plan for each patient is a necessity, and the authority for doing so lies solely with the injector. Moreover, some of our more influential graduates have taken their quest for greater professional autonomy to open their own aesthetic businesses and become their own bosses.  

They tend to describe themselves as a “people person.”

Those who are happiest in aesthetic medicine deeply enjoy and value forming genuine connections with their patients. Perhaps more than any other specialty, aesthetic medicine requires creating an environment of trust and collaboration between provider and patient, and for that, you have to be a people person. (The result you’ll be generating for your patient will depend as much on understanding their personal preferences and concerns as on your professional judgment and skill set.) 

They’re naturally interested in things like art, design, decor, fashion, flower arranging, architecture, and other aesthetic pursuits.

This is a biggie. Although our aesthetic courses and certification processes ensure that every one of our graduates can perform Botox and dermal filler injections safely and effectively, there will always be those who go above and beyond in distinguishing themselves (as is the case in any profession). These trainees share a natural interest in aesthetics—not just medical aesthetics, but in aesthetics proper, as expressed through a love of art, design, decor, fashion, flower arranging, architecture, or what have you. Even if they have no formal training in these disciplines and are simply “aesthetic enthusiasts,” it’s this disposition that is perhaps the key predictor of the capacity for true mastery in aesthetic medicine.

Still Not Sure You’re Perfect for Aesthetic Medicine? You Can Find Out Virtually Risk-Free!

If you found yourself nodding your head yes throughout this piece, you can bank on being perfect for aesthetic medicine. But if you’re still unsure, that’s completely okay, and there’s a way you can find out, virtually risk-free, by signing up for our mini-course, Introduction to Aesthetics. It will give you a peek into what it’s like to train with us, what you can expect from a career in aesthetic medicine, and whether you want to move forward.

In the meantime, check out our website to learn more about us and why people love training with us, explore our courses, and see how our fantastic Aesthetics Network will support you along every step of your journey!