Life and Work with Carli Reidhead

Today we’d like to introduce you to Carli Reidhead.

Carli, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I had a hard time deciding what career path I wanted to take. I come from a supportive family that encouraged me to do what I loved but I wasn’t sure what that was. I knew I wanted to help people in some way, so I began nursing school in 2014. While going through school, I worked in three different places. I worked part-time as an orthodontist assistant, and also as a nurses aid at an orthopedic office, and on the weekends, I worked at a psych facility as an LPN (very contrasted jobs). Out of the three, I loved the orthodontist office the best, which worried me when thinking of moving forward in nursing school. I questioned whether I was on the right career path. Regardless of being unsure, I graduated and did what all my other classmates did- applied to a residency. I moved to St. George Utah and worked on a cardiac and neuro unit. This was a VERY stressful job for me. If was rewarding in many ways, but not what I wanted to do. I became very discouraged and wondered if I should do something else altogether. I missed working in a field that made people feel their best, leaving with confidence and exuding happiness. This is where my true passion started. I applied for jobs in cosmetics and thankfully, I found one with an amazing plastic surgeon in Gilbert, AZ. Here, I learned about facial anatomy, helped with procedures, and began injectables such as Botox and fillers. I absolutely love this industry because patients come seeking services, and leave SO happy. It is my favorite thing about my job. The patients become friends and it makes coming into work feeling like I’m not actually going to work. I am so happy I found what I am passionate about in the career that I chose.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was not the easiest road for me. It was a huge struggle to get through school because I didn’t take out any loans and worked 2-3 jobs for four years straight while attending school. While taking prerequisites I would wake up at 4 am, go to work until two, then straight to school until about 7 pm. Nursing school was incredibly intense and stressful as well while working three jobs. However, it was ALL worth it. Every odd job I had along the way helped me in some way find myself and what I knew I liked/disliked. I questioned myself so much, but looking back, I know that it was exactly how it all needed to happen. My advice would be to not quit! Even when you’re not exactly where you want to be right away because things take time and the best things are worth the wait.

Please tell us more about what you do, what you are currently focused on and most proud of.
I specialize in cosmetics, specifically in Injectables that include neurotoxins (botox or dysport) and facial fillers. I am different than many injectors because I have been working with a plastic surgeon along the way for the past two years. This gave me knowledge in facial anatomy which is extremely important when injecting. After all, it is patients faces that I am working with and I would never want to do any service that I was not fully trained for and comfortable with. It gives my patients peace of mind knowing I didn’t do a weekend course and jumped into doing what I do. I also have the option of having our plastic surgeon in our office when needing a second opinion. The flow works well for everyone and patients seem to enjoy coming to see me.

What advice would you give to someone at the start of her career?
I would say to get as much experience as you can, perhaps prior to school. Shadowing others in the field you’re interested in is something that I absolutely recommend. It will give you an idea of what you would be getting into and the pros and cons of each different jobs. And definitely keep going even when it is hard because it WILL be worth it.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://azskindoc.com/
• Phone: 9282431564
• Email: carlireidhead3@gmail.com
• Instagram: Cosmetic_injector_carli

 

Image Credit:
Photos by @courtney.brimhall

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