Even in a small clinic, there was so much paperwork

8 medical questionnaires, 8 consent forms, 8 prescriptions, a treatment clinic to arrange and a top-up clinic to schedule.

My first thoughts were: “If this is just one clinic, how am I going to manage 5 a week? I’ll have paperwork coming out of my ears!”

My second thoughts were: “How will I document each treatment? How will I update things after top-up? How will I know when a client is due again? How will I securely store all the information? What do I do with the before and after photos on my phone?”

When you’re in the NHS, the processes are in place for you, so there’s a clear way to maintain records that makes it easy to follow the clinical pathway. When you’re running your own business, you don’t have that safety net.

I decided to find a software programme to help me

But there was a problem – I couldn’t find one that worked the way I needed.

I knew about CRM systems, which store client details and appointments, so I investigated the options. But nothing really met my needs (which didn’t seem that complex). It was just that software out there wasn’t built for aesthetic practitioners – it was for aimed at other industries. My requirements were similar but not the same.

Plus, some of those systems were expensive, and I didn’t want to pay that kind of money for something that didn’t work the way I needed it to.

The solution: Make my own software, specifically for aesthetic nurses

I found a software developer and discussed my needs: a system that had client details, appointments, medical questionnaires, consent forms, before and after photos and treatment notes, all together in one system.

I also wanted business reports so I could easily monitor my costs vs sales, how many clients I had, who my biggest clients were and when their next appointments were due.

The software didn’t need lots of bells and whistles – it had to be simple to use. It just had to do what I needed easily and well.

The software made my life so much easier

Here are some of the ways:

• • I was no longer spending evenings and weekends on paperwork
  • My clinic was more efficient thanks to electronic signatures for medical questionnaires and consent forms
  • No more scrambling through photos and papers to see my client’s history.
  • I could access everything at anytime, from anywhere
  • I never ran out of consent forms
  • I felt more professional when in clinic – having accurate details to hand on my iPad
  • I was confident I was working within NMC and insurance guidelines because I had a secure way of maintaining records – this was a big worry for me because my phone and computer alone just didn’t feel secure enough
  • I felt in control of my business because I could monitor things financially and be proactive about follow-up appointments – the reports showed me in seconds what it would take me hours to figure out manually
  • As my business took off, I loved monitoring the reports to see my client numbers grow each week.

I knew I wasn’t alone

By this time, I was 2 years into my independent aesthetics business, and I thought: “I can’t be the only aesthetic nurse that needs this system.”

After speaking to other practitioners I knew, it was clear that I was right – there were lots of others in my situation. Along with Max, my new partner, and our development team, we worked hard to improve the software – listening to feedback and taking on board the needs of other aesthetic businesses.

5 years later, Aesthetic Nurse Software is used nationwide by lots of happy, successful aesthetic nurses and practitioners. We’re a community with growing businesses, delivering exceptional patient care.