Nurses are leaving hospital roles for careers in medical aesthetics.

Some nurses are moving from hospital bedside work into med‑spa and aesthetic roles, citing understaffing and strain during and after the COVID-19 period; a number report that pay can eventually match or exceed prior hospital earnings.

A growing number of registered nurses are leaving hospital bedside roles for careers in medical aesthetics and med spas. Interviewed nurses described persistent understaffing and workplace strain during and after the COVID-19 period as key reasons for their decisions. Some said they accepted initial pay cuts when they started in aesthetics, and later saw incomes rise to levels similar to or higher than their hospital pay. The movement has appeared alongside large nursing actions in places such as New York, which have put staffing and safety concerns in broader view. Reported details: - Anni Kim left a surgical trauma ICU role after over seven years and moved into aesthetic injecting; she reported earning roughly $130,000 a year after the transition. - Bea Ohanian, who worked on COVID floors early in her career, said it took about three years in Los Angeles for aesthetics pay to surpass her hospital income and that she now reports earnings above $100,000 annually. - A nursing leader with a doctorate in nursing leadership reported an uptick of hospital nurses moving into aesthetics and cited an estimated 10,000–15,000 RNs currently employed in med spas. - Published salary averages cited in the article show starting RN pay and average aesthetic nurse pay vary by state, with some aesthetic roles averaging higher hourly rates than entry hospital nursing positions. Summary: The reported trend is reducing the number of nurses working in some acute care settings and is part of a larger conversation about staffing and working conditions in hospitals. Undetermined at this time.