What are the different ways to compensate RN cosmetic specialist. I am curious to see if there is a better and/or fair way to pay the RN's and still be profitable for the practice. Currently I pay a base rate of $32 an hour OR 20% of the total revenue brought in a 2 week period. Which ever is higher is the pay for those 2 weeks. Please if you would share with me other pay structures that are working for you, or have not worked.
Thanks

20% is a paltry amount, sorry but in Beverly Hills I make 50% before costs. If your RN's are worth their weight, pay them accordingly.

Thank you August.
Would you be wiiling to elaborate even more please?

Hey Jeff, what happened to the rest of this blog that used to be here?

Jeff Barson

Fair enough, thanks.

10% of billing has also been used

Having been in negotiations for the last months to join a practice who has a laser sitting idle.... this is quite the question. If you want a RN to perform txs and build your business, they have to be paid accordingly. I negotiated 40% and am being nickled and dimed continuosly. The RN is your partner, she is a billable unit and needs to be treated as such. It is very disturbing that MD's want to pay and treat us no different than an employee of their practice. You get what you pay for... having a profession who is paid well and is acknowledged as a provider will have more interest in growing your business. Keep that in mind.... employees come and go.... your partner to build and flourish a business who feels respected and well compensated will be there for the long haul!

I could not agree with kdermnurse more. I am a partner if I am your employee it is just my work ethic. Those if us who are in this business should be compensated accordingly.

I am a Nurse and I own my own medical spa, I have worked in MD's offices as a laser RN and now employ RN's to do laser. If you are paying hourly and the RN has to do nothing but operate the laser then pay what the current hourly rate is for your area. However if the RN is performing consultations, doing marketing, recruiting clients and self promoting, then consider an hourly and bonus structure. I have seen RN's hold offices captive because they believe they ARE the practice not considering the incredible costs associated with running an office from the laser lease/malpractice etc. I have always had a wonderful relationship with the MD I worked for and now the RN's who work for me as we have a mutual respect. I don't think that 20% would be horrible if the gross was high, he noted that he paid whatever was higher. Paying close to 50% or above would mean the employee is making more than the practice.

I totally disagree with much of this thread and in particular this post:

"negotiated 40% and am being nickled and dimed continuosly. The RN is your partner, she is a billable unit and needs to be treated as such. It is very disturbing that MD's want to pay and treat us no different than an employee of their practice. You get what you pay for... having a profession who is paid well and is acknowledged as a provider will have more interest in growing your business. Keep that in mind.... employees come and go.... your partner to build and flourish a business who feels respected and well compensated will be there for the long haul!"

RN's are NOT providers...And they are not partners! Unless they have joined a practise in a legal sense and have certain amount of money invested, are real partners of a practise. And yes some RN's are practising this way! kudos to them...and this is not directed to those special RN's who are true colleagues. But since most RN's are not invested in such a manner, are employees, this post to them. And sure some see this differently, but this my opinion as an NP with ten years of aesthetic experience, and who has personally invested my own time, training, money, purchased equipment, and partnered in a medical group with physicians and another midlevel. This is how I see things...

I am sure many RN's feel they they are equal to the providers they are working for, but unless they go back to school and get licensed as a physician, they are not! They are not because they do not share the same total responsibilities and burdens a physician faces. I won't list these as it should pretty obvious the difference between a physician and an RN.

And RN's should not be in the role of someone who ever diagnoses and decides a client's treatment plan. It's not in there scope of practise. If trained, approved by their employer, and is within their scope, an RN can implement a treatment as we instruct them to do. But they do not diagnose and cannot determine what treatments or services a client needs or should have. They are suppose to carry out what we want, after we see them, as their medical providers.

Also, RN's are not the drawing cards for medical spas, why would someone think this? RN's are not that billable. Physicians certainly can be! But an RN? ...that's a new one...lol...Seems arrogant at best to me to think this. IMO most RN's are not invested into the business or practise as I outlined. They have NOT put up their own money, a small amount even...by a laser or two and well have another discussion here. but RNs sure do make demands about how a practise is ran!...The cost of the building space, overhead, equipment, supplies, etc... and how a practise operates is not something most RNs understand. If so they'd not be asking these things imo. When an RN has truly invested, then I will have more sympathy for this scenario, and how much profits they deserve. But as an employee, with average RN wage that's fair, and if your physician wants to give you a bonus or perk now and then, that's very nice of him imo. But he sure doesn't owe it to you.

And what bothers me most is these RN statements is "you get what you pay for?" Wow really? Why ever go to an RN than for aesthetic services then?...lol And the tone in that group of statements, if the RN is unhappy with her wage she maybe is unethical and could takes it out on who? Does unsatisfactory work even? It's crazy to say you will one is more professional if only you have more of a cut of the practise pie! Want a cut, put up the money your physician did to create the place you are so unhappy about working in! Your professionalism should never waver because of money, it should be the same regardless what one makes!

Nurses wages have been stabilized for years, we're in a recession folks! People are not spending tons of money and aesthetic practises need to make concessions at times as a result. And I understand RN's wanting to make a decent living, we all do! But if the original poster is paying an RN 32.00 an hour, that is generous! That is a well paid employee! Way more then many RN's make. And this sense of entitlement attitude of the RN posting on here...Obviously she's not someone you can satisfy long term regardless of wages. Has other issues imo...But she ought to realize her employer can find a replacement very easily! And pay less to! And have more team work and professionalism overall. What a sense of entitlement some employed RN's have! And if this RN who posted this doesn't like my opinion, that's OK, I stand by my words even if you may want to flame me later on here for them. I say what I did with good reasons outlined. And I say to you if you want more money either buy into a practise, you put your money where your mouth is! i.e. your statement "you get what you pay for" ? yea right back at you! Take on some of the same business risks and responsibilities your physician or practise is... Or go back to school and become an Dr/NP/PA. Then you will be seen more on the lines of a colleague and not some disgruntled employee.

I have been to the best of the best (Park ave docs) to the worst of the worst! Just in case you wanted a customers feeling...Which by the way I think you WOULD!!
This is an art! Since I am well versed in fillers and botox I will speak about that art form only I have the ability to move hundreds of people in and out of medspa's...

The best I ever had was done by a nurse...I was told by many friends, family and doctors to never lose touch with her...She is superb...and turns out well trained by docs in a busy NYC office who have since lost interest in this art form. They are on to bigger and better (and more expensive procedures) but for me this is what I need and what makes me look amazing! So I will follow this nurse anywhere!!!!! And so will my many friends and their many friends! That is power to me and if I owned the medical spa I would pay my powerful talent WELL!

If a RN want to become a partner then I think she should have signed legal document in which it clearly states that she is in a partnership with other owner(s), that is, she is joint owner of the business. She should invest certain amount of money into the business and also share the financial or other risks with other owner(s). A good / skillful employee is NOT a business partner unless she meets all the partnership requirements set out by the law.