Start and Grow a Profitable Botox®, Aesthetic Medicine or Medical Weight Management Practice

Can NPs Inject Botox®?

Yes, NPs can certainly inject Botox®. However, since Botox® is a controlled substance, your State may require that you work with a physician.

First, you should consult with your State nursing board as they will know the latest rules (they do change!). Basically, if you can currently prescribe (controlled) drugs, you can most likely offer Botox® to your current patients without having a medical director. 

Botox consultation on a young woman

If you cannot currently prescribe without a physician, you will most likely need to work with one.

Another check is to contact the producers of Botox® (Allergan) and Xeomin® (Merz) to see if you can order the toxins on your own, or if you need to work with a physician.

Listing of where NPs can inject Botox®:

States where NPs can prescribe and inject Botox® without any physician involvement:
AK, AZ, DC, IA, ME, MT, NH, NM, OR, UT, WA, WI, WY

States where NPs can prescribe Botox® with some degree of physician involvement:
AR, CA, CO, CT, DE, FL, GA, HI, ID, IL, IN, KS, MA, MI, MN, NC, ND, NE, NJ, NY, OK, PA, RI, SC, SD, TN, VT, WV

States where NPs can prescribe (excluding controlled substances) with some degree of physician involvement:
AL, KY, LA, MO, MS, NV, OH, TX, VA

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The Advantages for Nurse Practitioners who Receive Botox® Training

There are many advantages to being a nurse practitioner (NP). 

You are a respected and valued member of the medical community, usually the first point of contact for any patients, and you provide the high standard of care and compassion that one needs during times of challenge.

Unfortunately, being an NP also has its challenges: long hours, not much time for breaks, difficult patients and shift work can all wreak havoc on your life and your energy.

It’s no surprise that many NP’s are now added adjunct procedures to their practice – in many cases, to medical aesthetic clinics where they can utilize specialty Botox® training for nurse practitioners, to help patients. 

In most states, nurse practitioners can prescribe prescription drugs, so they can start their own practice without a medical director.  In those states that don’t allow NP’s to prescribe, they will need to work with a medical director. 

The best parts about these opportunities are not only the hours but the ability to perform specific procedures, such as Botox® and injectables, in an independent manner. 

It allows NP’s an opportunity to use their skills in a specialty field while enjoying the flexibility and autonomy of an independent practice.

Further, Botox® and Medical Aesthetics are growing in popularity, especially with the high population of baby boomers reaching a certain age and demanding to look and feel better. 

Overall, nurse practitioners who make the jump from the traditional hospital and clinical jobs to the aesthetic field may feel happier, more useful and more financially stable thanks to the profitability and popularity of this booming industry.

The Benefits of having a Nurse Practitioner Administer

As mentioned before, nurse practitioners are a trusted and respected member of the medical community. 

With their existing credentials, it is extremely easy for them to learn about the techniques for Botox® administration. 

All it takes is hands-on Botox® training.

What kind of training is needed?

Before nurse practitioners can begin administering Botox®, comprehensive hands-on training is needed. 

The IAPAM offers hands-on Botox® training for nurse practitioners and the program is taught by two board-certified dermatologists. 

The training should offer CME or CE credits (most CME are treated as equal to CE credits, like the IAPAM’s program).

Opportunity for jobs outside the traditional hospitals

As mentioned before, one of the greatest parts about providing medical aesthetic jobs for NP’s is that it is offering nurses a career outside of the traditional areas of medicine, such as hospitals and clinics. 

Aesthetic medical practices can have great working hours and offer independence and autonomy that an NP may desire to perform his or her duties.

The options for jobs are plentiful, with medical aesthetic practices opening up all across the country. 

It can be a full-time position with great Monday to Friday hours or can be a supplement to your shift work at a traditional hospital. 

Either way, the options are positive. 

Check out our blog on practical tips for NP’s who are adding aesthetics for a strategy to implement this new cosmetic procedure into your practice.

Tips on Finding the Best Botox® Training Program

Botox® training for nurse practitioners can take time to reach the appropriate level of service. This is because injecting Botox® alone is not sufficient. 

Providing a comprehensive and holistic service that has a positive impact on the patient’s life is essential. 

It is important the bear in mind that individuals who seek Botox® injections are looking to enhance their external appearance. And possibly increase their self-confidence. 

So it is important that the injections are administered in the right way in an ethical fashion and the patient’s satisfaction.

In order for nurse practitioners to inject Botox®, they must undergo the right training. 

Courses such as the one offered by the International Association for Physicians in Aesthetic Medicine (IAPAM) are well-regarded not just by the healthcare professionals but also by the patients undergoing procedures. 

This is because the training for Botox® not just empowers the candidate with the knowledge of Botox® injection strategies would also talk about running a successful practice in an ethical fashion.

In addition, the IAPAM also covers topics such as expansion strategies along with offering support once the candidate has had membership confirmed with the organization.

A side-by-side comparison of some of the top Botox® training schools - check out our Botox® training comparison guide.

Practical Tips for Expanding Botox into Your Practice

Once you have completed your Botox training from the IAPAM and you have been working hard to set up your practice you are going to have to step things up if you want to turn a profit.

Prescribing Rights/Medical Supervision

Once you’ve completed the proper Botox® training for nurse practitioners, make sure your practice is compliant with your state’s laws

Usually, if you have prescribing rights, you’ll be able to administer Botox® yourself. If not, you have to hire an on-site physician to act as a medical director when you administer the procedure.

Phasing In

Deciding to offer Botox® services and even completing your Botox® training for nurse practitioners program is relatively simple. 

Actually phasing those services into your practice is more complicated. Here are two of the areas you need to consider.

Going Slowly

Should you administer the injections and offer the service yourself? 

To begin providing patients with aesthetics, start by offering it as a side service that you administer yourself. 

Then as your clientele grows and your schedule fills up, bring on someone to help manage the patient load. 

You can have this person start as a part-time provider and then move them up to full time if there is enough demand.

Dealing with Insurance and Legal Issues

Most cosmetic and aesthetic procedures aren’t going to be covered by a patient’s insurance. 

When you use Botox® for medicinal purposes, like to help treat a patient’s migraines, you might be able to bill the patient’s insurance for the procedure. 

Check with the insurers you accept to find out exactly how they will and will not cover Botox® injections.

You should also consult with your own insurance to make sure that any Botox®-related procedures you administer are covered with your medical malpractice policy.

Botox® Marketing Strategies

Marketing your new service is, as frustrating as this might sound, more trial and error than anything else. 

How you let the world know that you now offer Botox® will depend upon where you are located, your patient pool, the patients you want to target, your budget, etc. 

That said, there are a few tried and true methods you can use to get started while you hone your other campaigns’ parameters.

Word of Mouth

This is by far the easiest and most affordable method of marketing that you can use to spread the word about your new service. 

Simply tell your existing patients, colleagues and network that you’ve added the service to your roster. 

Even if the person you are telling might not want or need the procedure, they may know someone who does!

Direct Mail

A simple flier or postcard mailed out to your existing patients is a tried, true, and tactful way to let your patients know that you are starting to add aesthetic procedures to your practice. 

Depending on the return you get from this initial mailing, you might want to increase your next mailing’s scope to include all of the residents in your local area. 

You can also put these postcards in your lobby and exam rooms for patients to read while they are waiting.

PRO TIP: You will increase your Direct Mail ROI if the postcards you send out includes a discount coupon for the first procedure or two.

Internet/Social Media Marketing for Aesthetic Practices

Every business needs to have a social media presence. You likely already have pages and accounts for your practice on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and maybe even Tumblr and Pinterest. 

Use these accounts to announce your new service.

Social Media posting is very important in a practice but it is very time-consuming therefore you will want to invest in a Social Media service to post to your platforms.  

Outsourcing your Social Media Marketing will help with your practice engagement and is a great ROI.

Using Google and Bing SEO

People use search engines to look up everything, whether it is a product they want or a service they require. 

A clinic’s potential patients are also Google and Bing Users. To get the attention of these users you need SEO marketing. 

SEO helps generate traffic and offers a high rate of conversion because the people who open your website by looking up SEO keywords are those who actually need your services. 

A practice can significantly benefit from using keywords targeted at the local audience and attract more patients to their clinic.

How Much to Spend?

The best way to calculate how much you should spend on a marketing budget is this:

  • Markup on average procedure x 10% of projected annual gross sales – rental costs for the year = minimum marketing budget
  • Markup on average procedure x 12% of projected annual gross sales – rental costs for the year = maximum marketing budget

Note that this is how much you should spend on marketing for your entire practice

The percentage you allocate to promoting your new Botox® services is up to you. 

A good starting point is usually 10% of your annual budget for the first quarter and then increasing that percentage based on your actual procedural volume for the next quarter.

There is no doubt that adding aesthetic services to your practice can increase your clinic’s value as well as its (and your) income. 

Botox®, in particular, is a profitable ancillary service to offer. 

Use these tips to help you add this service to your repertoire!

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