Plastic Surgery Nurse Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a plastic surgery nurse job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a plastic surgery nurse. Feel free to use our plastic surgery nurse job description template to produce your own plastic surgery nurse job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a plastic surgery nurse.
Who is a Plastic Surgery Nurse?
Plastic surgery nurses are also known as cosmetic surgery nurses. They are registered nurses who specialize mainly in cosmetic and reconstructive surgery and they possess relevant certifications in such. Their main responsibility is to assist surgeons in invasive and non-invasive cosmetic procedures and reconstructive treatments. Plastic surgery nurses generally specialize in caring for patients once that are recovering from treatments after a cosmetic surgical procedure has been carried out on them. Before they embark on a surgical procedure; they work closely with patients and surgeons to itemize treatment plans and post-surgery recovery and care plans. They also take records of a patient’s medical history and conduct physical examinations on the patient. In the course of the surgery, they assist the surgeon n handling equipment and monitoring a patient vitals. Once the surgical operation is done, the plastic surgery nurse keeps a keen eye on the patient to monitor for any signs of complication. They are also responsible for changing patient bandages and administering medications.
They also provide emotional support to patients once they regain consciousness from a surgical procedure. Plastic surgery nurses specialize in caring for patients who undergo cosmetic surgical processes such as:
- Breast argumentation, reconstruction, reduction
- Abdominoplasty
- Face/neck lift
- Liposuction
- Hair transplant
- Gender reassignment procedures or transgender procedures
Plastic surgery is a lucrative field and it continues to trend globally because the demand for it is high. Patients seeking an enhancement of their appearance may have an inferior mindset if they don’t adopt a plastic surgery procedure on the body. Plastic surgery nurses are mostly involved in pre-surgery and post-surgery of patients as the patient’s appearance continues to change to suit their heart desires.
Plastic surgery is not just about enhancement of the physical appearance but it can also be done for health purposes, for instance, for the removal of cancer. Many breast cancer patients are in necessity of plastic surgery after mastectomy, or sometimes patients with traumatic injuries may have to undergo a procedure to reduce scarring. Plastic surgery nurses usually aid these patients to help them have a speedy recovery. Health professionals in the field of plastic surgery must have a strong desire to improve a patient’s perception and self-image. The nurse must be very neutral and should avoid condemning a client’s desire to enhance his or her beauty but should address clients respectfully.
Plastic Surgery Nurse Job Description
What is a plastic surgery nurse job description? A plastic surgery nurse job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a plastic surgery nurse in an organization. Below are the plastic surgery nurse job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a plastic surgery nurse job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The duties and responsibilities of a plastic surgery nurse include the following:
- Screen patients for surgery
- Review the medical and surgical history of patients
- Administer treatments such as peels, Botox, or light and laser treatments
- Formulate the procedure and operating room for a surgical procedure
- Control patients during and after procedures
- Educate patients on how specific procedures and what to expect in the pre-surgical and post-surgical procedures
- Follow-up patients after procedures guarantee to heal
- Collaborate with physicians regarding possible barriers to surgery
- Educate patients and families on post-operation expectations and healing
- Provide support to patients and families while building a positive self-image
- Provide sensitive, non-biased, non-judgmental environment for patients to undergo cosmetic procedures
- Keep abreast with current cosmetic surgery standards of care and practice
- Guarantee a safe, aseptic environment to avoid post-operation infection/complications
- Work with the entire care team to ensure physical, mental, and psychosocial needs are met
- Communicate with patients about procedures and what they should expect before, during, and after the procedure
Qualifications
- A Bachelor’s or associate degree in nursing
- Registered nursing (RN) license
- At least two years of proven experience as a Registered nurse in plastic surgery
- Certification in plastic surgery nursing may be beneficial
- Extensive knowledge of cosmetic and reconstructive surgeries
- Excellent communication and interpersonal skills
- Empathy for patients
- Flexibility and ability to learn quickly
- Ability to multi-task
- A friendly and Non-judgmental attitude
- A professional attitude
- Ability to collaborate or work with a team of experts
Essential Skills
- Manual Dexterity: Plastic surgery nurses administer non-invasive treatments and perform other procedures on some parts of the body using their hands and other equipment. It is highly paramount for them to possess the ability to handle surgical equipment appropriately without any error; they must master this procedure because they deal with human lives. Mishandling surgical equipment during a surgical operation can spell grave disaster for the career of a surgical nurse. Dexterity is an essential skill that will help you work safely and give patients the perfect aesthetic result.
- Communication Skills; communication skill is a core skill that a plastic surgical nurse needs to have to discharge his or her duties appropriately. A plastic surgery nurse communicates to clients about pre-surgery and post-surgery procedures and they also listen to clients both verbally and facially. Possessing excellent communication skills as a plastic surgery nurse will help you to pass across a message about a surgical procedure vividly to clients. Communication skills also help you to communicate with other health professionals such as doctors and surgeons.
- Compassion and Interpersonal Skills: Plastic surgery nurses must make their patients feel at ease during a surgical procedure. Showing your patients compassion especially those with a medical challenge will make them feel that all is well and also help them to possess a positive experience. A plastic surgery nurse is not supposed to be judgmental when a patient wants to enhance their beauty but to encourage them to build their self-image.
In addition, you should also build a bond with patients and extend a friendly gesture to them at all times. You should be very hospitable and make a patient feel loved during the entire process.
- Paying Attention to Detail: Plastic surgery nurses are expected to be very focused when handling a surgical procedure because this profession does not give room for mistakes. They are responsible for monitoring or observing vital signs, administering anesthesia, and taking notes to document a procedure. Paying strong attention to details guarantees that a patient is safe and also notifies the surgeon in charge of the operation about any potential complication and also document the patient’s vitals
- Organization: Plastic surgery must employ organizational skills in the course of carrying out their responsibility because they are responsible for preparing surgical operation rooms, keeping records of a patient’s medical records, sterilizing equipment, and arranging surgical instruments for a surgeon to use. A well-organized plastic surgery nurse makes the surgical procedure easy and efficient.
- Team Spirit: A plastic surgery nurse assists a surgeon or health professional to perform a surgical procedure on a patient; the plastic surgery nurse must possess the team spirit ability to adapt to working with a team of health professionals to carry out an efficient surgery. To achieve this, a plastic surgery nurse must abide by all the rules stipulated by the surgeon in charge of a surgical procedure to make the procedure run smoothly.
How to Become a Plastic Surgery Nurse
Plastic surgery nurse follows a similar route to normally registered nurses to become plastic surgery nurse but they may be different processes because it is a specialization that requires additional certification and experience. Here are some steps highlighted below on how to become a plastic surgery nurse and they are:
- Obtain a Bachelor’s Degree
The first step to becoming a plastic nurse is to enroll for a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing which will qualify you to become a registered nurse. Before your enrollment, you need to checkmate your state nursing board to guarantee your enrollment at an accredited college or university that offers such a program. This can help you meet up with the educational requirement to become a registered nurse (RN) or nurse practitioner (NP), which is a very important step you have to take to become a plastic surgery nurse. It takes the duration of four to five years to complete a Bachelor of Science degree in nursing. There are some courses you will enroll in during the degree and they are; Anatomy, health care policy, physiology, biology, clinical study, nursing research, general surgery, and general patient care.
- Get a Nursing license
The next step to embark on is to acquire a nursing license and you must take note that each state has different nursing requirements and so know the state you want to work at and their license before applying. You may be mandated to enroll for a background check and also submit your college transcript to complete the application process. If you plan to work in multiple states then you may need to complete an application for a Nurse Licensure Compact. Conduct research on your state’s nursing board requirements to have more knowledge about the application process.
- Pass the National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses
This is the most significant stage, you will need to work hard to pass the National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) which is a standard exam that every state regulatory board uses to qualify a nurse to become a licensed nurse. This is very technical because it encompasses questions such as multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, and matching questions designed to test your knowledge about a specific procedure or a safety protocol. Although there are a lot of preparation states conducted by the body to equip candidates to take the NCLEX-RN.
You can also use online search engines to look for sample questions on NCLEX-RN to prepare you for the exams. After you have taken the NCLEX-RN exams, you will have to wait for the exam result which takes six months before it gets released. Once you receive the notification that you pass the exams from your state nursing board then you are now qualified to start applying for jobs as a registered nurse.
- Get the Requisite Experience as a Registered Nurse
The job description of a nurse is highly practical and it is very paramount for you to get experience as a nurse to fit in, most plastic surgery nurse start their career by working as registered nurses for two or three years to help them hone some salient skills that will boost their career. You may also be mandated to complete one year of experience working as a cosmetic nurse before you can apply for certification as a plastic surgery nurse. Below are some ways you can gain relevant experience as an aplastic surgery nurse:
- Helping a plastic surgery nurse at a medical spa center
- Helping a plastic surgery nurse at an outpatient surgery center
- Specializing under a board-certified physician who specializes in cosmetic surgery
- Get Certified as an Aesthetic Nurse
Get certified as an aesthetic nurse because most hiring managers candidates who are certified because it demonstrates they are competent to handle cosmetic surgery. To receive an aesthetic nurse certification, you have to apply for the Certified Aesthetic Nurse Specialist (CANS) exam through the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board (PSNCB). Passing the exams proves that you have the requisite experience and knowledge to work with patients undergoing aesthetic procedures. The PSNCB as a body mandates plastic surgery nurses to take the examination after every three years to renew their license.
- Apply for Jobs
After you are certified, you can proceed to apply for jobs. To achieve this, you need to create a marketable resume that highlights your skills, academic qualifications, and expertise to impress your prospective employers. Make sure you also highlight your working experience, certification, and state license.
Once you have drafted your resume, look out for available jobs in your locality and you can also use a search engine to look for open job vacancies. Make use of the contacts at your disposal such as contacts of friends and families and also connect with professional contacts from your undergraduate days as a student. Once someone connects you with a potential employer, you will be given high preference during the recruitment process.
Where Can a Plastic Surgery Nurse Work?
A plastic surgery nurse work primarily in the health sector and in the following places:
- Hospital
- Medical spa center
- Outpatient Surgery center
- Private Medical Offices
- Dermatology
- Head and Neck (ENT)
Plastic Surgery Nurse Salary Scale
The salary scale of a plastic surgery nurse varies across countries and below are exams of some countries:
- In the United States, The estimated total pay for a Plastic Surgery Registered Nurse is $118,487 per year. Other benefits they receive are Health insurance, Life insurance, Vision insurance, Dental insurance, Tuition reimbursement, License reimbursement, Loan forgiveness, and an employee referral program. The salary of some states vary in the United States and below is an example of different states in the United States:
| State | Annual Salary | Hourly Salary |
| Arizona | $84,609 | $40.68 |
| Montana | $84,332 | $40.54 |
| Wyoming | $84,151 | $40.46 |
| New Jersey | $83,670 | $40.23 |
| Indiana | $81,402 | $39.14 |
| Massachusetts | $81,290 | $39.08 |
| Hawaii | $80,652 | $38.78 |
| Nevada | $80,132 | $38.52 |
| Tennessee | $79,762 | $38.35 |
| Connecticut | $78,976 | $37.97 |
| Washington | $78,868 | $37.92 |
| Minnesota | $78,862 | $37.91 |
| New York | $78,622 | $37.80 |
| Rhode Island | $77,736 | $37.37 |
| Alaska | $77,114 | $37.07 |
| Oregon | $76,556 | $36.81 |
- In the United Kingdom, The average Plastic Surgery Nurse earns a salary of £32,000 per year or £16.41 per hour. Entry-level positions start at £29,000 per year while most experienced workers make up to £36,000 per year.
- In Canada, The average Plastic surgical nurse earns $78,829 per year or $40.43 per hour. Entry-level positions start at $72,911 per year, while most experienced workers up to $92,108 per year.