What a Nurse Practitioner Does at a Med Spa

When we welcomed Katie this fall, a few patients asked the same question. What exactly is a nurse practitioner?

It's a fair question. The letters after a name in a medical office mean specific things, and you should know who is taking care of you.

What the letters mean

Katie's name reads Katie Hall, MSN, APRN, FNP-BC. Each part says something.

MSN is a Master of Science in Nursing, a graduate degree earned after becoming a registered nurse.

APRN stands for Advanced Practice Registered Nurse. It is a license issued by the Tennessee Board of Nursing, separate from and in addition to a registered nurse license.

FNP-BC means Family Nurse Practitioner, Board Certified. A family nurse practitioner is trained to care for patients across the lifespan, and board certification means passing a national exam and keeping that certification current.

How a nurse practitioner is different from an RN

I'm a registered nurse. Katie is a nurse practitioner. Both of us are nurses, and the roles are not the same.

A nurse practitioner has advanced training in assessing patients, diagnosing, and prescribing. That means Katie can perform the medical evaluation that comes before certain treatments, and she can prescribe when a treatment calls for it.

How a nurse practitioner works with a physician

In Tennessee, a nurse practitioner who prescribes works in collaboration with a physician, under a written agreement. The physician reviews a share of the nurse practitioner's charts on a regular schedule and is available for consultation.

Katie's collaborating physician is Dr. Noah Ehinger, MD, Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon, who is also our Medical Director.

A nurse practitioner is not a physician and does not replace one. What the role adds to a practice like ours is a provider on site who can evaluate you medically and make prescribing decisions as part of your visit.

What Katie does here today

Katie provides IV therapy and wellness injections at Sunshine Spa & Aesthetics, and she leads our medically supervised weight management program.

A visit with her starts with questions about your health history and what you're hoping for, before anything is recommended. Not everyone needs an IV, and she will tell you so.

Every weight management patient starts with a consultation and exam with Katie, plus lab work, followed by regular in-person check-ins with body composition tracking. You can read more on our weight management page. Medical evaluation required. Not everyone is a candidate. Results vary.

Meet Katie

Before becoming a nurse practitioner, Katie built a nursing background in emergency and critical care, pediatric cardiovascular intensive care, care coordination, infectious disease, and wellness medicine. She earned her Master of Science in Nursing as a Family Nurse Practitioner from South College and is board certified through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Katie believes wellness and aesthetics should complement one another, and her style is relaxed, down-to-earth, and education-focused: she wants patients to understand their options and feel comfortable asking questions. Outside of work, she enjoys time with family and friends, strength training, and laughing entirely too much.

What stays the same

The way we practice doesn't change with a bigger team. Every plan still starts with an assessment and an honest conversation, and sometimes the answer is less than you expected, or not yet.

Sunshine Spa & Aesthetics in Covington, TN

Sunshine Spa & Aesthetics is a medical aesthetics and wellness practice at 201 W Liberty Ave in Covington, Tennessee. Patients come to us from Covington, Munford, Atoka, Brighton and Millington, and from Ripley, Halls and Henning in Lauderdale County. Medical oversight is provided by Dr. Noah Ehinger, MD, Board Certified Cosmetic Surgeon. You can book a consultation online or call (901) 296-8006.

IV and injection therapies at Sunshine Spa & Aesthetics are elective wellness treatments. They have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease, and do not replace care from your primary or specialty provider. Appropriate candidates are determined at consultation.

Results vary. Individual treatment plans are based on anatomy, goals, and medical history. Consultation required.