Conversations with Amanda Irish

Hi Amanda, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today.
I have been a registered nurse for 14 years. I don’t even know how it has been that long. During those 14 years, I have always worked in pediatrics. I started in pediatric oncology, where I worked for 5 years. Then my husband and I moved out of state, and I started a job in a pediatric ICU specializing in transplants. I worked there for 3 years, and let me tell you. I learned a TON. We decided to start a family, so we returned to AZ where I worked in the pediatric ICU at a local hospital. Fast forward to Covid. Nursing completely changed. We no longer had the staff, resources, supplies, or choice in what unit we worked or how we cared for our patients. We floated all over the hospitals, caring for adult patients with minimal, if any extra training. The pediatric departments were not as busy, as covid did not make as many kids so sick as it did in adults. So we were forced into units where we had zero experience. Families were forced away from the bedside, and nurses were their only voice. Covid is no longer flooding the hospitals, but since nurses stepped up during incredibly high census times, the hospitals’ CEOs learned, “Hey, we don’t need as many nurses as we thought. Let’s make them permanently take more patients.”

This tells me how I decided to take care of myself and think about my family and mental health. I took a nursing injector course with my cousin over a year ago. It turns out I loved it! The first reason started when I volunteered to be used as a model and had another student inject my face with Botox. And I loved how it made my skin look. It decreased my acne outbreaks and made my skin look tight and smooth. I knew I had to educate myself more in this field and see what else I could do to make myself and others feel more confident and love how they looked, with even subtle changes. But after my love of aesthetics, as an injector I also get to see people who want to see me, and I still make them feel better! I get to use my creativity and nursing skills in the way I choose, without anyone telling me how to use each minute of my time. I will say, this is almost a complete career change. I opened my own office, bought all my supplies, products, charting system, cabinets, and furniture, and did a lot of training and research. I still work at the hospital to supplement my income and keep my health insurance. But as I grow my clientele. I hope to step away from the bedside and focus all my time on aesthetics. The field is growing at an incredible rate, and new technology and skills are transforming as we speak. I am excited to grow and work with each client to help them feel more confident in their skin and age in a way that makes them feel powerful in their presence or enhances their natural features.

I also have to shout out to my husband, who is a huge support system. He financially supports us and supports me in my crazy idea of becoming a business owner! This journey has been terrifying, but with each client I see, the more I love it and the more confident I become in my skills and my decision to take my life into my hands. My hope and dream are to grow my business to fill my daily schedule and step away from the hospital and hire more injectors to fill the growing demand in the aesthetic industry. The treatments are endless, and I’m excited to grow and learn in this field!

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
Wow, no. Financially, I would compare it to starting college right out of high school. The amount of time/money you put into education and opening an office is comparable. I was comfortable if not the top experienced nurse in my unit at the hospital. Nothing that came through the doors phased me. I was confident and knowledgeable. I’m the nurse you ask if you have any questions. Now, I have so many questions. Everything is a learning experience; I missed that. I love learning. I needed a challenge again, and this is surely it. But hospital nursing has taught me to be a safe injector. I know what to look for and the anatomy, knowledge and skills needed to be a safe and skilled injector. I would never give that back to start injecting earlier in my career. But I appreciate the journey I took to get here.

Thanks – so, what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
Botox is my love, I feel confident in placement and dosing and how you will look at yourself after the 2 weeks it takes to set in. But I feel confident in my assessment skills to advise other forms of aesthetics. Dermal Fillers, plasma injections, or refer to other injectors that may have more products and devices than I have at this time.

But aside from my career, my family is what I’m most proud of. They are why I have chosen to change career paths and open my own business. I have 3 children, and they need a more available mom. I am not working nights, holidays, or weekends; one that can bring them to their sports and activities. I started a business thinking of my future and their future. I want to have the time and money to take them to their sporting events and financially support whatever their interests are. Not that hospital nursing cannot, but the availability does not. I am also not naive enough to realize that over the next few years, I will still miss out on a lot; starting a business does not give you much free time. But I’m looking at the long term, where I have an established practice where I can block out my schedule for my family and hire employees I trust to take over certain aspects of a business.

What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
Patience and confidence. Mostly confident, because let’s be honest. When you’re a new injector, no one wants to come to an injector that seems nervous or doubtful of their skills. But a close second is patience. You need to trust that your business needs time. You need more content, which takes time. And also, your clients want to come to an established business. Someone who has been around the block knows what they’re doing and isn’t going to mess up their face. I work on faces. I don’t take that lightly. I get it takes time for me to grow a clientele with referrals, a larger profile for people to see, and just an older “circa” date. But I know my limits, skills, and knowledge, and I will be transparent with my clients and tell them when I’m uncomfortable with something they ask me to do. I also have strong injectors backing me up, mentors, and experts in the field. I am constantly training and educating myself to bring skills into my practice. If I am uncomfortable with something, I know it can be done. I have resources I can call upon to teach, help and grow me as an injector.