You want to make the most out of your Botox training class. Neurotoxin and filler training courses are a significant investment ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. No matter which course you choose, there will be an onslaught of new information and skills to process. This experience can feel a bit overwhelming. The best way to be able to absorb and process the most information from your class is to do some prep work ahead of time to prepare for your botox training. This will also set you up to hit the ground running and ready to inject your patients as soon as possible after your hands-on class!
Research your state laws
I do an in-detail how-to guide on my post How to Figure Out Your State Laws. But in short, you don’t want to pay thousands of dollars to then find out you cannot practice aesthetics in your state in the manner you want to. This happens more often than you think! NPs and PAs vary quite a lot in the way they can practice state to state. RNs will need a Medical Director in every state, but details of this can be different between states. In general, however, RNs will need to have either an NP, PA, or MD performing the pre-treatment assessments and prescribing the amounts and placement of the products. If you are a non-physician, ask yourself, “Does this financially make sense to start my aesthetics practice?”
I believe you can make a successful business in aesthetics starting from any degree. But, it doesn’t happen by chance. It happens because you have the right plan and people. Prepare for your botox training by knowing how you can practice in your state.
Find a Medical Director (if you need one)
You can see in my previous post How Much to Pay Your Medical Director. You will want to come up with an offer to approach a Medical Director. In some states, the Medical Director must be an MD or DO. In others, it can also be an NP, PA, or dentist. It can be challenging to find the right Medical Director. This could even be a complete roadblock to your business if you can’t find one. The best practice is to have your Medical Director already on board before taking your course. I can almost guarantee that learning the basics of injecting neurotoxin and fillers is more straight forward than figuring out the business and financial side.
Learn some clinical basics to prepare for Botox™ training
A great first book to read is A Practical Guide to Botulinum Toxin Procedures by Rebecca Small, MD. Take a look at my review of the book here. No matter what material you decide to start with, the important thing is that you actually read it! It will not leak into your brain by osmosis if you use it as a coaster for your wine. I know because I tried it! If you show up to your class and it’s your first time hearing the term “glabellar complex”, you are not going to be able to internalize the more advanced concepts.
There will be so much information to take in, you will likely go into complete overwhelm. So, do yourself a favor, and try to learn as much as you can before your hands-on practicum. For this reason, I think courses that offer their didactic portion ahead of time are preferable. Watch whatever you can ahead of time to prepare for your botox training. You can then access that material before and after. If you do not have access to videos from your course, take as much video as you can at your actual training that you can reference later.
Research malpractice Insurance
Getting your aesthetics-specific malpractice policy set up takes a little bit of time. I would recommend not having your start date for your policy kick in until after your course, maybe even a few weeks after. Your Mom and your best friend are unlikely to sue you. And those will be the type of people you start on. The quotes you receive can vary a lot. Compare a few different brokers’ options before you commit. Make sure you are dealing with insurance brokers who are familiar with med spas and aesthetic specific policies. They need to have worked with other NPs, MDs, RNs, etc. of your same specialty. This is a niche, and not every insurance provider will be familiar.
Set up pharmaceutical accounts
Pharmaceutical companies will tell you it only takes about a week to open an account with them. This is probably true sometimes, but for the most part, that was not my personal experience. There is a fair amount of red tape that can hang you up. Certain states have more than others. That’s why I suggest getting started on this earlier rather than later.
Your reps will be a great resource to you just starting out. Different pharmaceutical companies also offer training resources. You will be very thankful for these to reinforce what you did (or didn’t) learn in your training. Certain companies are easier to work with than others when you are a newbie. You will figure them out pretty quickly! Here are some rules of thumb for setting up your accounts. One company that has a reputation for being very easy to navigate is MERZ (Xeomin and Radiesse). If you require a Medical Director, you will need to have this person lined up before opening pharma accounts. I’d also like to clarify these accounts can be in your name as the injector even if you are not an MD in most states. There will likely be a verification form that your Medical Director will need to fill out.
Have a business shipping address
You also need to have a business shipping address, not your home. Some companies are more particular than other about shipping address, but across the board, you will want to find a medical office to ship to. Certain products (specifically Botox) come on dry ice. And all these products are pricey. You will need to either be there to receive the product and sign or have someone there who can.
I do not recommend actually ordering any products until after your course. Just get your account ready to order. Unless your injection course requires you to provide your own product, of course. You will learn about the differences in the products at your course and the pros and cons of each. Just because you open an account with a pharmaceutical company does not mean you are required to ever order from them.
Be aware, if you want to be able to use the term “Botox” on your site, you will need an active Allergan (Botox manufacturer) account. And by active, I mean you have to have ordered from them. When you place an order with any company, they will get the neurotoxin or filler to you typically the next day. You do not need to order product far ahead of time. And try to avoid the urge to buy in bulk when you are new. It can be stressful to have 3-4k outstanding when you only have a trickle of clients. But, to prepare for your botox training it is incredibly helpful to have these accounts set-up.
Here are some pharmaceutical companies to look at: MERZ, Galderma, Allergan, Prollineum
Set up medical supply accounts
This is similar to setting up pharmaceutical accounts. There will be reps, paperwork and time sucked into the process. This is less intense, thankfully. You may or may not need a Medical Director to sign off on your account. You will want to have a few sources for ordering medical supplies as well. I will also note, you can often find a product for cheaper on Amazon. When you are looking for a certain product, compare prices from a couple of places, they do vary. Also be aware it’s not unusual to have a $20 shipping charge, extra freight charges, etc. form the medical supplies companies like McKesson.
Here are some medical supplies providers to look at: Medline, Mckesson, McGuff, FACE Medical Supply
Set up your LLC
A Google search of “How to set up an LLC in my state” will provide you with lots of articles walking you through this process. I will point out a few things to keep in mind. You can pay a lawyer to set this up for you. This can also be done through something like Legal Zoom. You can also do this yourself by filing online forms with your state. It’s really not complicated or time-consuming to file the LLC application yourself. Save your extra money for all your other start-up costs.
To prepare for your botox training, you will need to have settled on your business name to open up your LLC. It will need to be unique to your state, and that can be checked as you go through the process of filing your application. If you change your name, you will need to file a DBA (Doing Business As) application. Not a big deal, but preferable to just get it right the first time.
Open a business bank account and credit card
Keeping business expenses and income separate from personal money is incredibly important. Especially, when you are talking about any sort of medical procedure. Do your best from the get-go to do this. At minimum keep meticulous documentation of your business-related expenses and income. A local, smaller bank will typically offer more resources to a small business owner. You will also be more likely to get approved for a business credit card through your local bank. Having a good relationship with a local banker and pay off dividends as well. They will help you navigate issues that may arise, help with loans, and let you know about resources and tools through the bank.
One good business card is the Chase Business Ink if you want to start there. Earn 60,000 bonus points with the Ink Business Preferred® card or $750 bonus cash back with the Ink Business Unlimited® card or Ink Business Cash® card. When you are starting a brand new business it can be hard to get approved even with good personal credit. If this is the case, your personal banker will help you get a card set up through your local bank.
Final Thoughts to prepare for Botox training
In summary, you want to be able to start injecting friends, family, and real clients as quickly as possible after your class. In order to do that you need to address business and clinical aspects. Have your business infrastructure already in place and have a baseline clinical knowledge of aesthetic injections in order to prepare for your botox training.
And here’s the part where we’ve got you covered.
Ready to start your injectables biz? It’s time to train, baby! And since we’re your go-to source for free tips and injectables training, here’s a link to our FREE course comparison guide. Our complete guide helps you find the best course for you.
Train with Injectables EDU! Not to toot our own horn (toot, toot), but we think we’ve got the best courses over here. So once you’ve done your due diligence, secure your spot for hands-on injectables training here. We offer nationwide training by our expert instructors – all with limited seats available. Pick a date and location that works best for you!
Ready to grow your injectables biz? Connect with us at the hottest injector training conference that helps RNs, NPs, CRNAs, and PAs understand how to build and grow a successful aesthetics practice at the 2024 Injectables EDU Summit.
