Hello all-

Maybe I’m not reading DidTheResearch’s posting correctly but she stated “I am not a medical proffesional or aesthteician so i was thrilled to learn in most states i can do laser.”

In some states, she is technically right. HOWEVER she is taking a huge leap of logic in believing that any doctor in his/her right mind is going to “sign off that the techs can do the treatments.” without any type of medical or esthetic background.

To DidTheResearch- the “signing off” is how the doctor keeps their license and if you hurt/burn a patient his/her malpractice insurance company will get involved. THEY may not allow coverage to a doctor who employs a laser tech that has no medical or esthetic background. I have had to submit my estheticians and RN’s license to just about everybody to get coverage.

So if you pay $ to this school to get trained but no doctor will act as your medical director where does that leave you?

You stated, “I didn't worry much about the doctor part as since i was looking to work for a medical spa.” The “doctor part” is as important in a med spa as in a private practice, even perhaps more so, as the public is leery about using med spas for JUST THIS REASON.

Again I have to ask if you pay $ to this school to get trained but no med spa will hire you where does that leave you?

Perhaps a good place for you to research is http://www.medicalspaassociation.org/. They have a link to all of the states legislation regarding the med spa industry laws.

But even if you are in compliance with those laws it doesn’t really matter if you can’t get hired. Have you ever thought about starting out as a patient coordinator or a treatment consultant in a med spa environment to have an understanding of the challenges the industry faces, and how you can be a benefit to them?

BetterOffNow,

I have been on the www.medicalspassociation.com website and they are wrong on my state. The problems that you have with the states is that some states the state legislation has made some of the rules and then the state medical board has made some of the rules, and then the nursing boards and then the cosmetology boards.

The issue I have in my state is that they do not all agree with each other. So each board has its rules but they are not the same. According to our medical board I can have a nurse do Botox injections but the nursing board has threatened a nurse in our area to pull her license if she does inject.

I agree with your post 100% but I would even watch out for the information on www.medicaspaassociation.com as it is not 100% in touch with the states.

Thanks LH- You are right of course, and their information is also a little dated-but nice that it's all in one place and probably a good place for a newbie to begin research.

Interesting the nursing board in your state is, in effect, over ruling the state’s medical board. As a rule of thumb, I usually defer to a state’s medical board as the “last word” on who is allowed to do what.

Reminds me a little of that game ”Rock, Paper, Scissors”

It was kind of weird when the medical board tells me that I can have a nurse do certain procedures but then the nursing board tells the nurse they can't. It has been very frustrating.

I do let my nurse do laser procedures but the nursing board has even questioned that at times. The nursing board has more power than they should.

Have they actually ruled against any nurses that are operating under a medical director? Or are they just threatening too? It may be just one overzealous and officious spokesperson interpreting their rules but can't back it up.

It doesn't make much sense that a nurse has stricter rules than the MD who has the legal and medical liability over them.

Your payroll must be extremely high to accomodate these draconian rules.

I did extensive homework and found out
Regulations are diff in every state .
Many many states one may use
Laser without any medical background
And I saw small percentage (like Cali) that
required one to be a nurse.

Better off now just an FYI I spoke to a large
Number of laser techs working
In field under medical director
And it was very clear to me what was important
To those establishments was
Not background but training in lasers.
With all due respect a medical or aesthetic
Backround gives one zero
Laser knowledge and seems
All medical directors and owners of lasers
Are very aware. Spoke myself to several
Malpractice companies and
None I spoke to required one firing lasers to have
Any specific background. There
Are so many insurance
Spots I am sure one can always
Find what they need to meet their needs

BetterOffNow,

They have threatened at least on clinic I know of but have not taken any legal action.

Recent NLI grad,

This is not an argument to prove who is right or wrong. BetterOffNow and myself are trying to get anyone interested in laser training to make sure that they will qualify in the state THEY are planning to work. Do not take the training companies word for it. Laser companies and Laser training companies all have a vested interest in taking your money. They do not care about your legal status for operating a laser. They only care about their bottom line. If something happens they laser training company and the laser companies will not be held accountable you will be.

We have used www.lasertraining.org for our initial training of my nurses. It covers laser physics, laser tissue interaction, laser safety and clinical applications of lasers. The cost is going to be less as the course is on-line and you do not have all of the travel expenses. They also offer some advanced courses for specific training such as laser hair removal.

The most important training is the time the nurse spends with me working with the specific lasers. Every laser has subtle differences that will only be learned by using it.

To recent NLI Grad:

Please understand that I am not “bashing” NLI or their training program.

With all due respect to you, your statement of “a medical or aesthetic Backround gives one zero Laser knowledge” is misleading.

Everyone here knows a trained monkey could fire a laser-it’s certainly not difficult. The laser however, is not really my concern when I hire a laser tech. My concern is THE SKIN, and how the skin reacts. And unless you have some additional training besides 1 -2 week course you will not know how to handle adverse skin reactions.

I have started and managed 4 med spas- some having multi state presence, and I also do freelance consulting on Med Spa management throughout the country.

I hate to pull rank on you, but in my experience “All medical directors and owners of lasers Are very aware” is simply not true.

Malpractice insurance is not like car insurance where you can shop around to get the best rate. It is a significant cost to a medspa business, and one that can take several days to get a quote as there are several factors that come into play.

As one professional to another professional, I will be as blunt as possible: You’re getting played.

With all due resoect better off now your knowledge base seems very limited. You may be a biz guy but anyone with exp with lasers knows you are off base with your comments on skin.I feel info from betteroffnow was very inaccurate and misleading. What is relevant with skin and laser is knowing how to skin type and assess your client before they are treated to give them safe treatments. For example a skin type 5/6 for hair removal would ideally be treated with a 1064 laser(ideally) if one is tan they would not be treated at all, if one looks fairskinned(like a skin Type 2) but their folks are american indian or Italian we would treat them with much more caution since they have more melanin production. I know countless nurses and aestheticians and I have never met a nurse that had a nursing course on fitzpatrick skin typing which is Gold standard for assessing ones skin. Some (but not all) aesthetics schools teach fitzpatick skin typing and usually spend a few hours to a day on it. How do I know above well I have many aesthetician and nurse friends as
well I have attendee many skin shows and have lots of laser friends whom have fired lasers for years! I can alsoTell you
every single aesthetician whom attended national laser with me told group there was far more teaching of fitzpatrick skin typing over the 2Week program at NLI then they ever learned at aesthetic school! You are right firing a laser is easy and the important Thing is skin, agree, however one will learn more in two weeks about skin with regards to laser at NLI then
Any other venue at there. I have heard same from countless people. The reality is regardless whether one has two
Weeks skin knowledge base or 2 years as in any biz one has to be in working world gaining as much real world experience as possible. Regarding laws of course one should confirm they can fire a laser in their state! Nli had great info on regs in all states but one should still confirm!! Also sometimes it's difficult to figure out board that oversees laser
As diff in all states so call local medispa chains like American laser, sona, ideal image and ask if they know who can fire in your state an even better source is to call lAser rep from big companies they usually know as they sell them! Lumenis
And palomar and cuter are some!

Hi Went to NLI-

-I am a biz girl not a biz guy.

-My comments about the skin actually were referring to the skin type and to the ethnic heritage. And I agree with you that very few medical professionals such as nurses and even most MD's are as well educated regarding this issue as they should be. Additional training on the Fiztpatrick typing is extremely important.

-In my state, only a 1200 hr medical esthetician is legal to fire a laser. A large part of the additional course work is the Fitzpatrick skin typing. I have turned down nurses looking for work as a laser tech because they don't have that critical knowledge.

-I find it interesting that because I disagree that a 2 week certificate is not enough to train a laser tech to get and then keep a job in this industry that my "knowledge base seems very limited" and that I have no "exp with lasers"

-I was trained by and then launched and ran one of the biggest centers at American Laser Centers when they first started almost a decade ago, so I am confused by your statement that my information is "very inaccurate and misleading"

-While you are entitled to your opinion, I am also entitled to mine.

-The difference, of course, is that my opinion is based on experience not NLI propaganda.

-In the 4 medspas I oversee today I would not hire anyone with only a 2 week certificate from NLI and no other medical or esthetic background.

-My former staff at ALC have gone on to manage other locations, as well as manage locations in the other chains that you mention. None of them would hire anyone with only a 2 week certificate from NLI and no other medical or esthetic background.

-I do some consulting work for smaller practices in many different states, and I would strongly discourage them from hiring anyone with only a 2 week certificate from NLI and no other medical or esthetic background.

-I don't believe that it is misleading anyone to state that even though the law may say that you can fire a laser in your state, getting hired to do that is based on more than the law.

I am an Esthetician in St. Louis, MO looking to get some training in Lasers. In my research NLI is the school that has been thrown at me over and over again. I'm having a difficult time, deciding whether or not to go to this school. After going on here reading all the neg and pos reviews this still has not helped my decision. I too wonder if some of these bashing comments are true. Does anyone have any other suggestions of schools in the mid west that might be good? Or worth spending the money? Thank you!

MLM: I have sent a couple of doctors who had not been exposed to lasers yet to the training institute in Ohio shown below. They have a very affordable program and I have heard good things about their program as a basic orientation to light based devices, etc. Check out their web site and check with them about programs and pricing. The owner of the business-- Greg Absten-- has a very extensive background in the industry.

Professional Medical Education Association, Inc.
"not-for-profit continuing education" ....... est. 1978
Ohio: 3136 Broadway, Suite 101, Grove City, OH 43123
PO 997, Grove City, OH 43123
Florida: PO 522379, Marathon Shores Florida 33052
Tel: (U.S.) 800-435-3131, 614-883-1739, 305-851-8081 Fax: 305-946-0232
E-mail: Info@LaserTraining.org

MLM . It appears there are some people possibly doing some self promotion here. My advice would be to contact all the schools in question whom have been around a MIN of 5 + years, have variety of equip, teachers with extensive experience and THEN get handful of referals of past graduates so you can get solid information from non biast parties. Its well known Natonal Laser is the premier school world wide but i still suggest you explore the referals first hand on the phone as anyone can post good or bad and its tough to tell if parties are competitive schools trying to sway biz or not. Best of luck

I just read post about amercian laser centers past manager would not hire someone with only a two week laser education. However, i do know after doing a TON of homework that the two weeks of "just" laser that NLI provides is MORE Laser then i have seen anywhere in existence. I also recently ran into a whole group of NLI grads that were hired from American laser centers so while you may hire one way, countless others are very content with the 2 week certificate. Opinions are fine providing people realize they are just that, opinions of one person and should not be construed as representative of a larger crowd. I feel this individual stating such remarks is most likely a competior of NLI trying to steal business(prob a school owner somewhere with lots of time on their hands). Its very simple to find out quality of a educational provider by calling around for referals. I was told by a individual at ALC there are tons of NLI grads employed by them nationawide so this info is a bit silly i will comment no further on this as when people have to talk like this lady it makes a pretty obviously statement. My suggestino to all on this business is do your own homework and do not listen to anyone that is capable of making "comments" about another as one really wouyld need to know whom the person speaking is or it carries no merit. Do you own home, do you own research, call your own referals and make an informed decision.

To Do Your Own Homework-

-If you actually did in fact “Do Your Own Homework” you’d see from my past 3-4 years of postings that I don’t own a school or any type of competitor of NLI.

-If you read this post you will see that I am not the only one here who has this opinion, and this is not just the “opinions of one person and should not be construed as representative of a larger crowd.”

-You are absolutely right when you state “do not listen to anyone that is capable of making "comments" about another as one really wouyld need to know whom the person speaking is or it carries no merit.” Of course since no one knows who you are either, I’m not sure how your opinion has any more merit than mine.

-And again you are so right when you say this ”is a bit silly”

-Your words of infinite wisdom have inspired me. Like you “i will comment no further on this as when people have to talk like this lady it makes a pretty obviously statement.”

I went to National Laser Institute and it was an amazing experience. My admissions rep told me prior to going that this industry was not for the lazy. She did not tell me what I wanted to hear, she told me exactly what I would learn and be certified in. Do the research, any school you go to is going to cost at least $75/credit hour. If they don't, you are going to get what you pay for. The Comp course is 112 hours of education which would take you months anywhere else. It was an extemely medical and intense program where I got a lot of hands-on training with over ten types of lasers. They also taught the same skin typing system as most licensed aesthetics schools, which I was impressed with. The instructors were awesome, and I found a job with a Cosmetic Surgeon here only 6 weeks after. I did not call places though as they are extremely busy with patients, I took a week and drove around to all the places I wante to work and introduced myself in person. With doctors, their late afternoons are pretty slow (4-5p) so that is what paid off for me. If you plan on sending out a resume here and there or calling/emailing people you will not find a job. But when you go and introduce your personality to your potential employer it takes the legwork out of it for them. I am on hourly plus commission $25/hour plus 12% commission. We price very competitively where I work so we see 8-10 patients per day. Going to NLI was the best decision I ever made.
Megan

My freind actually JUST called me this eve as happy as could be as apparently she lined up a laser job before she even finished her program at National Laser! Definately not the norm in any venue but pretty awesome story i thought i would share.(While she was at school she got lead she pursued) I would assume thats the quickest anyone would ever receive work and she definately admitted she got lucky. She also mentioned National Laser has very strong relationships with the laser vendors nationwide and are willing to give out their contact info as the laser reps are often the first ones to hear of job openiings in the various states they represent. I thought that was pretty cool too that they were wililng to share these resources openly with students. They really do go above and beyond any other schools i have ever heard of. On a different note my freind said NLI will be first school in country to add course on ultrasound fat reduction which apparently medicis(restylane maker) uses in diff country and NLI has acquired first rights of any school in US to educate on such tecnology which seems to be next generation of cellulite and fat reduction. Something to be on look out for to add to your future practice as weight loss is a big market and even if something works a little bit consumers would be hungry for such. This really is a FUN biz!

I have also been hearing about another laser tech training program in Scottsdale, AZ called IMAJ that offers both a "fast track" laser tech course (128 hours total training consisting of 2 weeks online tutorial and 2 weeks hands-on training, but this course does not meet the certification requirements to allow you to be a laser tech in Arizona) and an Arizona certified course which meets the certification requirements to be a laser tech in Arizona (264 hours total training consisting of 1 month of in-person (i.e., no online) tutorial and 1 month of hands on training). The fast track course costs $4500 and the 2 month course costs $8500. Has anyone heard of or attended IMAJ and how it compares to NLI?

Did the research,

You are definitely wrong for the State of Washington; at minimun, you must either be a license Aesthetician or a Register Nurse (both requires a medical director on the premises) to operate lasers. Today, there are no professional title as a "Laser Techs" in this state.-- Many years ago, previous "Laser Techs"- Technicians that has been performing lasers for Doctors or Laser Center must have documented working/experienced hours via W2s or a legal documentation signed by the Employer.- Only documented Technician were able to be grandfathered in as an Aesthetician. If not done correctly; Lasers can seriously permanently damage the deep layers of the dermis. Everyone PLEASE check with your State rules and regulation.. --WA also requires an Ethetician to do body waxing (anything below the face)... Let a lone to fire a laser machine? Seriously? Do your research before you get sued.

BetterOfNow,

I may need a consultant in the near future. Do you do any consulting in Washington State? If so I would love your information. Thank you in advance.

Hi DanielleLA.
You can contact me at pegsgirl@gmail.com. I'm happy to help.

Sandy beware of Imaj there has been countless negative reviews posted on quality of education online. When i was doing my homework i spoke to a few grads that were very dissapointed. Two of them people paid for hteir course and after they completed went to different laser schools for better education. Do your homework. Best thing to do is all the schools you are shopping ask to speak to past graduates for references. If they can't give you several watch out.

Lasertech: how do I find the quality of education website? I tried searching on google, but I pulled up a bunch of off-topic stuff. Thanks.

Hi. Wasn't a specific website just random postings. But i would also take postigns with a grain of salt as i believe some schools probably go rip on others online to try to win over business. My suggestion is any schools you checking out ask their admissions rep for a few names of RECENT(key words recent) graduates ideally in last class to see how their experience was. I know National Laser is largest in world so they should have no problem supplying some names if you request. If your focus is laser, i would find schools that focus just on laser not aesthetics too as its hard to for any school to be the "best" at more then one speciality.

I am a 21 year old male. I have my Arizona State esthetician license. I have 10 different laser certificates.
I am very bright. Please let me know if med spas only hire females.
I have had 3 interviews at salons that told me their clients would probably not want a male.
What is everyone's experience? I cannot believe that there are no men who work at med spas. Please help
me out.
Thanks
Desparate

There are men in biz for sure but ratio is
Prob 90% female 10% male since bikini
Laser is popular and most females want
Females not males doing those services.

Desperate and Male

Why don't you try marketing yourself in areas with a large gay man population. Or see if you can build up a gay clientele and take them to a spa and offer to do gay day or something. I am certain if you can show there is a market for this that some spa would bring you all on. It's all about the bottom line (no pun) and many gay men/cross dressers would love to get hair removal done in a spa that respects them and doesn't treat them like an oddity. An stereotypically many gay men have money to spend. Just a though.

That's actually an awesome suggestion!

Lots & lots of interesting comments here. I just "graduated" from NLI in September 2010 and have had no luck finding a job. This is extremely disappointing as the Admiission Rep I worked with made HUGE promises about the career potential. I live in a large metropolitan area with tons of MedSpas, tourists, etc. Unfortunately, what I am finding is that no one wants to talk to me since I have no Aestheticians license. Not even ALC, who I would only work for to gain enough experience to go elsewhere anyway.

Based on what I have read here and assuming the people making positive comments aren't just NLI staff paid to monitor sites like this (I strongly suspect that to be the case), I feel your overall experience depends on 2 things:

1) how truthful your Admissions Rep is - keep in mind he/she is in a Sales position. Louis pays these people a paltry base wage. If they don't produce, they are on the streets. So they are motivated to take your hard earned money. Buyer Beware!

2) Do you already have experience in a similar field, Aesthetician, Hair Stylist, etc? Do you already have a Doc's office waiting to hire you? Do you have the financial resourses to purchase equipment and start your own practice? If you answered yes to any of those questions, you will probably have an positive overall experience. If not, you will probably regret handing over $8850.

I will not deny that the training at NLI is good and it was a fun experience. However, that does not change the facts of my personal experience. I & several other members of my class were grossly lied to by our various admissions reps. Anyone who thinks Louis is interested in anything but himself and his wallet should pull their head out of their ass. Seriously!

My advice... RUN, don't WALK away from NLI. Do not waste your money!! Anyone who feels the same way, I and my attorney would LOVE to hear from you!

Everything IS A RIPOFF IN THE U.S. these days. From schools to manufactures...

I just applied to attend NLI for the December class, all though I have not signed the load agreement yet.
Gullible I am wondering who your rep was if you don't mind saying?
I have been told a lot of things from the rep I am talking with and I am wondering how much of it will be true at this point.
I was told they help assist in finding you a job...or have contacts that need people all the time..ect.
It may depend on what state you are from also.
I haven't signed the loan agreement yet, and am looking at other schools...but I don't find but a few to compare with NLI.

Sheila - My rep was Marty. That is exactly what I was told during our discussions. However, once I was in class, I never heard a word from him. As we were nearing the end of the training, I began leaving him messages asking if any jobs had come up. He told me about American Laser Center in Las Vegas. I called them and they require you to be an aesthetician (they have a pretty crappy reputation anyway) and a Docs office in Mesa, AZ who was opening a MedSpa. I called them and same story... wanted an aesthetician. That was the last I head from him.

NLI will tell the "locals" that they will put you to work in their MedSpa. Here's what you have to do in order for that to happen... 1) prospect for your own clients until you have enough to do 5 fractionals, 5 photofacials, aprox 10 hair removals. Once you got them on board, they will schedule you to be shadowed by an instructor (don't even ask why this is necessary after you've graduated from their school) at a time convenient to her/him. You have to have at a minmum enough people to fill a 4 hour time block. I was offered a Wednesday morning, so basically would need to ask my friends who still have jobs to take time off work. For all that work, you get to keep 20% and the instructor gets 35%. If, by chance you don't fill the time or someone is a no show, you still pay the instructor 35%. After you've managed to jump through all those hoops, you get to work at their place as an Independent Contractor.

This is a fact that I was mislead... I was told I could go to work for them after I completed school and THEY WOULD BOOK MY APPTS.

Like I said, run far... run fast. They only want your money. It really doesn't matter if they are a more comprehensive school. Fact is, a monkey could do that job. The certification is a bunch of bull that means nothing in the real world.

Thanks for info!
My rep is a guy named Rick, I have actually talked to two doctors that I know to see what they
think the chances of a job are once I am done with classes. One the head of dermatology at UC and the
other the doctor who did my DOT therapy, I am waiting on their reply's they want to look the website over to
see what is being promised and what accreditations they have.

I'm sorry you haven't found a job yet...but I hope you will soon.

Oh, I found a job just not in laser. More money, work from home. :)

DO NOT WASTE ANY MONEY ON THIS SCHOOL!!! Unless you have a job lined up. Doctors still only use RN's to do laser and very few allow an aesthetician to do it and if you do find a doctor that hires an aesthetician they want 2 years of experience. The laser clinics only pay 12.50 an hour which is about what you would make at McDonalds!!!!

So unless you already have a job. DO NOT waste your time and money. Dont listen to the admissions reps either. They say ANYTHING to get you in then deliver NOTHING!!

Besides Louis uses his school as his personal disgusting dating pool...GROSS

I am considering taking the classes at NLI. I am currently an RN in a Med/Surg unit and am wanting something more. I have always been intrigued with this field and would like to know if I do take this course how can I make myself be more marketable when I am done and is it worth it. I seen there are several MedSpas in my area as well as Plastic Surgeons, would it be beneficial to call one of these facilities and see if there is a market for RN's looking to get into this career or is it pretty difficult.

Do not waste your money on this school. The admissions reps get paid nothing. Louis, the owner, does not pay his employees decent wages. Works them to the ground and doesn't care about anyone else other than himself. I am surprised he runs a successful business when he's about as intelligent as a bag of rocks. I wish I could punch him in his twitchy face for wasting my time.

$8,000 for laser training? Give me a break -

I had an incredible experience at NLI. I graduated
In Sept and just landed a cool job last month ( nov 2010)
The ciriculum was excellent, instructors had
A ton of experience and flow of course was
Nothing but first class. I enjoyed this program
Far better then my 4 years at UNLV. Also owner Louis
Was of highest integrity seemed to genuinely
Care about all the schools students. It's a shame
That when people don't get jobs right away they
Blame the school/owner and gripe about cost.
Schools can only provide education. I know NLI
Has a graduate services dept that assists with
Resumes, counseling on how to seek employment
Etc etc but they never promise job placement nor did UNLV.
Everyone knows jobs are given simply to
The individuals that win over the employer in that
Brief interview. I am Excited about this biz and plan to be in it forever!

From my own personal experience, being on the "client end" of the food chain, I would be VERY leery about going to NLI. I looked into this school about 2 years ago and it's just, again..."all about the money." I have had numerous laser procedures done by my laser tech/RN in a medical spa office here in upstate New York. I asked my tech how much and where she got her certification. She told me she had been an RN previously for 20 years and had received her training from her sister-in-law who practices in Syracuse, New York. Don't ask my why but I GOOGLED her name (you can read about it yourself, Lynda J. Bobnick) and found out she has a criminal record for stealing Fentanyl (Morphine on steriods) from the hospital where she was employed and falsifying records to hide the crime. She was tried and the Judge let her go (on an offense punishable from 4-5 years jail time). Maybe the judge was her uncle but what I am trying to say is research and investigate these people, schools, businesses, and get-rich-ponzi schemes before jumping in and getting burned. Even the B.B.B. has come under investigation for taking bribe money from unscrupulous companies to give them an "A" rating. There are so many fly-by-night scams going on out there, you really have to research everything before getting your shirt taken right off your back!

I am debating between the 8 day Core Course vs the 14 day Comprehensive and currently live in State of TX. I
would like to make the best decision the first go around and want to be covered for most states if possible so
does anyone have good advice on the best choice here? I need to make a rather quick decision! Thank you!

Dear "Y": Based on your question I am curious how much knowledge you have about the regulation of lasers and other medical devices- both state and federal. In order to provide feedback it would be necessary to know what your credentials are and what your goals are. If you have absolutely no medical license you need to know that in the majority of states you are not going to be able to legally operate ANY of these devices. A couple of states - including Texas and Arizona- make some exceptions to this general rule. But the special exemptions this small handful of states have carved out are extremely limited and you need to know exactly you will be allowed to do-- and what the job prospects are - if you are going to spend the money and dedicate the time to taking these courses. There is a great deal of information on these topics on this site if you use the search engine to do some basic research.

@ Y - Did you read any of the previous posts? Are you kidding? DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY at NLI!!! Seriously, don't!! I honesty believe anyone who has posted positive comments here is a plant. One recent post was from Megan stating she was in the Sept class. I was in the Sept class and there was NO Megan! However, there is an Admissions Rep named Megan... hmmmm...

Hello all, I am a licensed aesthetician in NY and NJ and I am thinking to take some courses for Lasers and find the best school in us. Can anyone advise please. I can travel! Also what you think about National Laser Institute? I really appreciate your advise. Thanks so much!

I ,.... as many others signed up for the two week course at NLI, and the additional 2 days after for peels, etc. I paid my money ($10,440) plus airfare, plus motel for 16 days, plus your own food x 16 days. Basically, this was a $12,000 dollar venture for such a short course. However, everything I wanted to have knowledge on or do, requires you do be an RN or Dr. If all you want to do is remove hair off body parts, your in luck. However, each laser in any setting is different or varies for different techniques. I have been told time and time again, THAT THE BEST EXPERIENCE WOULD BE FOR SOMEONE TO WORK IN AND AROUND THAT SETTING, THEN HAVE THE LASER COMPANY THAT HAS THEIR EQUIPMENT THERE , TRAIN YOU FOR FREE. Hands on, is really what it takes. NLI, like any other "quicky' school is in it for attracting people who want a career change without going to lengthy courses, and appealing to those who want to make money quick.

All the positive comments about the NLI are people who are hired to monitor websites for negative comments. I know this because I know someone who works for the school doing just that. I feel bad for the people who have wasted their time and money!!

National laser was amazing! The only complaint
I have is that I didn't take this course a year sooner!
Anyone that could possibly say different
I assume would gripe about any trade
School they attended as negative individuals
Usually find sour stuff in all they do and
Are never hirable. People get hired off
Themselves not the school or marketplace.
Highly recommend this place to anyone
Considering Laser nothing else compares

Nancy

Curious as to how many male techs there, or that someone knows of, that are doing laser hair removal and tattoo removal. I work full time as an ultrasound tech, but have 3 days a week that I'm off and where I'd like to be more financially productive. I realize in a hospital setting when I have female patients, they're obviously there for medical reasons and have no problem disrobing in front of me, but how is it different in a spa setting -- if there are any? I'd like to get into the industry, but only if it wouldn't be a problem for me finding a job. Any other modalities I could look into besides hair removal and/or tattoo removal? Any insight would be greatly helpful.

In regards to NLI, I went there and have my biz up and operating. It is just a company making money in a booming market. I have no regrets going to the school, it is five minutes from my house. It is a very easy course and I really expected it too be harder. THe person above is right, you will be working with equipment that could be different than what you will learn on but they tell you that! A certificate is a certificate as long as you follow your state rules. Have a plan of action before you go so you now what jobs are out there. Phoenix medical is Larry Helwig's company here in phoenix, (too far of a drive for me) they are wonderfull!!! I will be taking future classes from them. They sell Sciton and have they own opinion of what lasers are good just like NLI. Larry Helwig is a actual R.N and loves what he does. What ever you do don't settle for cheap and learn to operate a laser the right way. FYI- to get trained on a laser is $1500 unless you but it new or the doctor pays. Good luck everyone. Sciton rocks, however to much money for my start up.

NLI is a beautiful facility and was a rock solid education. I was impressed
at all aspects of the program it was top
Notch. I had about 30 students in my group
And I must have chatted with 80% of
Them and all loved the course. They are
Very ethical operators and did not promise
Any of us jobs or try to sell us lasers. They
Did promise us a great education and that
Upon completion we Would feel confident

In our ability to prescreen clients and
Safely and effectively operate lasers. We got
What we paid for and so much more!