From Float Nurse to Med Spa Owner: How One ADN RN Built a Thriving Business

Many nurses dream of owning a med spa one day, but Stephanie Dickens, an RN from Fenton, Michigan, fulfilled that dream—and she did it all without a Bachelor’s or a business degree.

Dickens is the owner of The Med Lounge PLC in Fenton, a successful med spa business that offers cosmetic injections, weight management resources, peptide therapy, IV therapy, a men’s health program, and vitamin injections. She serves a loyal following of clients in-person and offers delivery options nationwide.

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For a woman who laughs that she first became a nurse at the young age of 20 because she thought it would be cool to wear pajamas to work, she has built a business that works for her and her family, and she’s sharing her story for other nurses who have big dreams without the BSN or business degree.

Scrubs and a C-Section

Dickens with her family

Dickens tells Nurse.org that she first decided to become a nurse because she thought her neighbor looked “good” in scrubs.

“I never thought about being a nurse in my life until I saw that we could wear pajamas to work,” she laughs. “I was all in!”

For a young, aspiring nurse, being “all in” meant some serious dedication at that time in her life. She applied to nursing school while still pregnant, not expecting to be accepted. She was accepted, however, and the school’s timeline meant that the new mom had to start nursing school a mere three weeks after her C-section.

“I felt that I had to just go for it,” Dickens says.

Go for it, she did, starting work as a float nurse in the hospital, going everywhere from the ER to the ICU to Med/Surg to the PICU. “I didn’t have a strategy at that time,” Dickens recalls. Her goal at the time was to do what everyone said she should do and gain experience to find her way.

“I still had no idea what my path looked like or where I belonged,” she notes.

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Eventually, Dickens found herself pulled toward leadership, which she said was a “significant” learning curve. In the role as a nurse leader, she was able to grow and develop, although she notes that any type of leadership role is never instant and takes time to cultivate.

In the leadership roles she was involved in, Dickens explains that she was exposed to the operational and business side of healthcare, experience that would become invaluable to her later in life.

“I am so forever grateful that I was exposed and offered opportunities to observe and learn about the business side,” she says. “I don’t have a business background, nor do I have a bachelor’s degree, but being exposed to profit summaries, leadership seminars, team-building exercises, being led by strong business leaders, and allowing myself to fail time and again are things I am truly grateful for.”

Because of the opportunities she had as a nurse leader, Dickens says she felt confident that she could run a business and understood the work ethic and time investment it would require.

Displaying the same type of all-in mentality she did as a new mom entering nursing school fresh off a C-section, Dickens threw herself into opening her first med spa.

“Although I questioned whether I could succeed, I realized that I would never be truly ‘ready’ to run a business unless I tried,” she relates.

She opened The Med Lounge in 2022 and quickly expanded into a new space to serve her growing clientele. Dickens shares that the best part about her new role as a med spa business owner is the same as it was years ago as a bedside hospital nurse: making people’s lives better.

“Whether in nursing, leadership, or in life, being able to impact someone else’s life in a positive way is very rewarding,” she says. “That sounds cliché, but those stories are always what stays with me after 37 years of nursing. The clinical skills and accolades come and go, but the lives we touch are etched in memory forever.”

Dickens’ career path has led her to feel passionate about inspiring other nurses who may feel they lack the right experience or credentials to pursue their dreams. She encourages nurses who may dream of opening up a med spa or similar service that they don’t necessarily have to be a “business” person.

“With ongoing training/exposure, ongoing support, and ongoing relationship building, any nurse could be successful at building a med spa,” she says. “We tend to think we need the right credentials, but it’s the personal and professional development that truly matter.”

She is an advocate for nurses learning from other leaders and being okay with not knowing everything from the get-go.

“The most dangerous nurse is one who thinks they know everything and can’t learn from others,” she points out. “When I train someone, they always learn the phrase, ‘A good nurse always makes reference.’ We do ourselves and our patients an injustice if we do not have that in practice each and every day.”

Dickens doesn’t give that advice without understanding it personally, as she admits she wishes she would have relied more on support in her own early career days.

“The biggest thing that gets in the way of our own development is often pride,” she says. “I would try to humble myself as a young nurse.”

Today, she uses the same strategy that she would encourage other nurses to employ: “Use every resource and person as an opportunity to learn and never think you have all the answers.”

As a med spa owner and nurse, Dickens loves what she does. “I sincerely love what I do because of the people that come through my door,” she says. “There isn’t one day that I have watched the clock or not felt good about going in to work every day.”

And while she undoubtedly got to where she is through hard work and dedication, Dickens adds that her willingness to gain experience as a nurse in many different areas was a springboard into her future. She’s passionate about early career and nurses with dreams beyond the bedside, understanding that every clinical experience can be used to build the future you want.

“There are always growth opportunities in the clinical world,” Dickens says. “Empower yourself through relationships, work ethic, and size every opportunity to learn. Never underestimate yourself!”

🤔  Nurses, have you ever dreamed of opening a med spa? Share your thoughts in the comments below.