Does a med spa in Ohio need a medical director?
Oversight · part of The Practice Perimeter
Ohio’s light-based device rule is the most demanding in this corpus. It names exactly who may be delegated to, sets a numeric training threshold, and caps how many people one physician may watch at a time.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-18-03 · verified Aug 17, 2026 · regulatory monitoring, not legal advice
The rest of what Ohio says on this
Every other rule we have verified under physician supervision & delegation, each linked to its primary source.
A physician may delegate the application of a light-based medical device only to a physician assistant licensed under Chapter 4730 with whom the physician has an effective supervision agreement, or to a registered nurse or licensed practical nurse licensed under Chapter 4723. It may not be delegated to an unlicensed person, however well trained.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-18-03 · verified Aug 17, 2026
Before a nurse may apply a laser or other light-based device, they must complete eight hours of basic education covering light-based procedure physics, tissue interaction, safety and proper safety equipment, clinical application, pre- and post-operative care and adverse event reporting; observe fifteen procedures; and perform twenty procedures under the direct physical oversight of the delegating physician.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-18-03 · verified Aug 17, 2026
The eight hours of basic education need be completed only once, but the fifteen observations and twenty supervised procedures must be repeated for each specific type of laser AND for each delegating physician. Moving to a new device, or to a new supervising doctor, restarts the count.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-18-03 · verified Aug 17, 2026
The physician must be on site at all times while a nurse is applying the light-based device, and may supervise no more than two such people simultaneously. Documentation of satisfactory completion of the training must be retained by both the physician and the delegate.
Ohio Admin. Code 4731-18-03 · verified Aug 17, 2026
How other states answer this
All 12 states side by side →Related Ohio questions
Every Ohio question we can answer →Get Ohio changes as they publish
We scan the Ohio legislature and licensing boards daily, plus the FDA and the Federal Register. Free weekly Brief — what changed, in plain language, with the source.
Free · unsubscribe in one click · we never sell your address
← All Ohio rules and changes · Med Spa Radar is regulatory monitoring and reference, not legal, medical, or compliance advice. Verify against the linked primary source and consult qualified counsel before acting — rules change and turn on your specific facts. Legislative data via LegiScan (CC BY 4.0).