If you are a nurse interested in providing aesthetic services, then knowing state regulations is a must. You just cannot provide botox and filler as and when you want since every state has different rules related to aesthetic services. However, one thing remains common: certification, which is mandatory in every state to acquire to perform services. Let’s explore various state regulations for nurse practitioners offering aesthetic services.
Understanding Scope of Practice
The scope of practice means the level of service you can provide to the clients. Aesthetic services need skilled hands with great knowledge of the anatomy of the body. However, this does not end here; you must know the step-by-step process to execute the procedure in a more appropriate way to give natural results. The scope of practice can be such as:
- Full Practice: In this, nurse practitioners can perform the procedure from the start till the end all by themselves. The states like Arizona, Oregon, and Washington allow NPs to provide aesthetic services without requiring a physician on-site or even on staff. When NPs get this level of independence in providing services, they are free to open their own botox and filler clinics. But again, they are required to provide certain documents with certification to prove your skills.
- Reduced Practice: The reduced practice gives the authority to work in collaboration with a physician or have a written agreement with a physician for certain aspects of care. NPs can not work fully independently in this case. There are certain parts of the procedures that require a little intervention from the physician, and this is where collaboration is required. States like California and Florida offer such services to NPs.
- Restriction Practice: This type of law imposes more restrictions on the services of NPs. They are not supposed to work independently, but rather need supervision while performing the procedure. The supervision physician must be present in the clinic room for the NPs to perform the procedure from start to end.
Supervision and Collaboration Requirements
The rules of supervision and collaboration are common in many states. The need for a physician at certain steps of botox or filler procedures is mandatory. This oversight is designed to ensure patient safety, as cosmetic procedures can carry risks if not performed by a qualified practitioner. To minimize the side effects, collaboration is required. A physician is a more experienced doctor with a board certification, which is proof of the hours of training and a deeper knowledge of facial anatomy.
Educational Regulation
There are different educational requirements that need to be fulfilled by the NPs to perform the aesthetic procedures. They need to undergo a certification to get the hands-on experience of performing these procedures. If you are not well educated or do not acquire a certification, that means you do not have deep knowledge and understanding of facial anatomy.
Certain states can give the liberty of performing the procedure under supervision, but you need to have a certification, which is mandatory in almost every state.
Final Thought
Aesthetic procedures are gaining popularity over the years due to natural results. The NPs are the new heroes, performing the tasks but under certain rules and regulations. Where there are states giving a full green flag to the nurse practitioners to perform the procedures, there are states restricting the services to be performed under supervision.
By meeting education regulations, NPs can perform the procedures, as it gives them a complete knowledge of the facial anatomy and complications related to the procedure.
