We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Meghan Saito a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Hi Meghan , thanks for sitting with us today to chat about topics that are relevant to so many. One of those topics is communication skills, because we live in an age where our ability to communicate effectively can be like a superpower. Can you share how you developed your ability to communicate well?
My first career was working as a registered nurse in the cardiac intensive care unit. I witnessed many tragic, stressful, intense medical experiences for patients and their families on a daily basis. Quickly as a new nurse I realized that communicating clearly, honestly, and compassionately made a tremendous difference in the patients experience. Learning to communicate really hard topics, literally life or death decisions, helped me to hone these skills. As I progressed in my career as a Nurse Practitioner I was thankful for the bedside experiences as this allowed my transition to a Provider much easier. Now in the world of aesthetics despite this not being life or death I use these tools and can develop a wonderful patient – provider relationship. I think this generally aids to my success in aesthetics as my patients feel heard, seen and trust our relationship and process.
Appreciate the insights and wisdom. Before we dig deeper and ask you about the skills that matter and more, maybe you can tell our readers about yourself?
I am an Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner. I started in 2005 as a Registered nurse in the cardiac ICU. Initially I loved the challenge and intensity of this patient care. After marrying in 2007 my husband and I moved to Dublin, Ireland where I was able to work as a registered nurse in the cardiac cath lab. The experience in Dublin was eye opening as nurses were treated much differently without as much independence and I then decided to apply for Nurse Practitioner programs. I attended a hugely challenging but rewarding Nurse Practitioner school at UCSF and graduated in 2012. We returned to Oregon and had our first child and then started as a Nurse Practitioner again in Cardiology. Despite my love for cardiology, always challenging my mind and enjoying the interaction with my patients my ability to balance energy put into my career versus the needs of my family (now two young children) and a husband with a demanding career started to suffer. Life always has a way of choosing what is next and in 2020 I quit my Cardiology position to support our family moving to a different state. When that move fell through, COVID began and I was thankful to be home with my young children (now doing online school). However after a few months I was again ready for a new challenge which I then trained in aesthetics. I opened my aesthetic practice in Summer of 2020 in a very unknown climate. I wasn’t sure how long my practice would last… now 4 years later I am so happy I made the jump and invested in myself and my practice. I love the world of aesthetics that challenges my scientific brain but gives me a creative outlet. I love taking care of my wonderful patients. The freedom of being my own practice owner allows me to try to balance family and work. I have thought often about expansion however my ultimate goal is to keep myself engaged in my work and still support/enjoy the family so this allows the best of both worlds.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
1. Do the hard things first. Starting on night shift in the ICU at age 22 was scary, hard and intense. However later in life I am so thankful I developed amazing technical and emotional skills being able to cope with hard things.
2. Don’t be afraid of change. Early in my career I would get antsy every 2-4 years when I felt less challenged by my career. Now that I have opened my own practice allowing a balance of my time and work load I am finally no longer antsy or wanting a new role every few years. However from my past experiences I know really nothings stays the same ever. Don’t be afraid when things change or you need a change. There will always be another opportunity.
3. Get involved. Each career I threw myself into the community, teams, people around me. When you stay on the outside it never feels as rewarding. Even now as a solo practitioner I work to create community and support other providers so we can all feel herd, seen and supported.
Who is your ideal client or what sort of characteristics would make someone an ideal client for you?
My ideal client is anyone who is open to an aesthetic journey to create a natural, radiating beauty. I think someone who is ready to trust their provider, to learn about aesthetic opens and excited to try new procedures. Also a client who is committed to their aesthetic journey and willing to be consistent with their treatments and aftercare.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.maestheticspdx.com
- Instagram: m.aesthetics.pdx
Image Credits
photo credits : inspire photography, melissa tomeoni photography
so if you or someone you know deserves recognition please let us know here.
