What Is a Esthetician Nurse Salary

Author

Dr. Stephen Cosentino

PRESIDENT OF EMPIRE MEDICAL TRAINING

Qualified nurses are in short supply across the healthcare industry, and aesthetic medicine is no exception. From medical spas to plastic surgery practices, providers have more open nursing positions than they can fill.

So if you’re ready to make a career change, consider becoming an aesthetic nurse, also known as an esthetician nurse or cosmetic nurse. These medical professionals help people look and feel their best every day — and make good money doing it.

What Is the Median Esthetician Nurse Salary?

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the median registered nurse working in the United States earned $77,600 in 2021. That’s an hourly rate of $37.31.

The average annual salary for an aesthetic nurse is comparable, since most aesthetic nurses are RNs. But your salary as an esthetician nurse will depend on where you choose to work, your duties, your seniority level, whether you work full-time, and other factors.

How Much Do Esthetician Nurses Make to Start?

Like most fields, anesthetic nursing rewards experience. Junior cosmetic nurses tend to make less than their more senior counterparts.

How much less? That depends on where and how much they work, as well as the geographic location. 

Generally, compensation is higher in areas with higher cost of living, like major coastal cities. But supply and demand play a role too, and cosmetic nurses willing to work in areas with fewer aesthetic professionals may be able to command higher starting pay.

In any case, junior esthetician nurses typically assist or lead on cosmetic procedures like hair removal. More senior nurses and those who’ve obtained additional professional credentials may have a wider range of responsibilities — and earn higher pay.

Which Esthetician Nurses Earn the Most?

Being a Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist (CANS) earns you a foothold in the cosmetic nursing field. But depending on the Botox® laws in your state, your CANS credential might not earn you the right to supervise Botox injections and other types of minimally invasive cosmetic procedures, like dermal filler injections.

To get there, you might need to get your Nurse Practitioner (NP) license. According to the BLS, the median NP salary is about $124,000 per year, or about $46,000 more than what the median registered nurse makes.

As you work towards this goal, invest in additional aesthetic competencies — not just Botox and dermal filler training but also deeper medical aesthetics modules like cosmetic laser and PDO threads training.

The more certifications you accumulate, the more marketable you’ll be.

Steps to Become an Esthetician Nurse

Becoming an aesthetic nurse isn’t easy. After taking and passing the NCLEX RN exam, you’ll need to get your RN license and work under the supervision of a qualified medical provider who regularly performs cosmetic surgical procedures and minimally invasive treatments.

Once you’ve accumulated enough practice hours, you’ll need to take one of the two cosmetic nursing exams offered by the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board. Only then can you call yourself a true esthetician nurse.

Is it worth the effort? If the median esthetician nurse salary is any guide, the answer is a resounding “yes.”