10 Reasons Why All Aspiring Cosmetic Nurses Should First Complete Their “TIME” In A Hospital Setting.

Okay hear me out…I know this is probably not what your wanting to hear if Cosmetic Nursing is your sole focus but I have some pretty valid reasons from my own personal experience and almost certain that my colleagues from the industry will agree on most of these.

Exposure

I highly recommend spending your first years as a junior Registered Nurse in a tertiary hospital setting whether it be acute or sub-acute. Everything you need to learn to be a safe clinician is at your fingertips, take advantage of this opportunity and absorb every little bit of information.

Thick Skin

Your first year as a transition nurse is tough! Without a doubt there will be moments where you will break down and want to quit because you are so overwhelmed but this will only add to your personal growth. The cosmetic industry is cut throat, you will be challenged frequently by clients and not to mention Karens who think they know best. You will need to know how to deal with on-going pressure, demanding clients, potential complications and negative feedback.

Empathy

As a cosmetic nurse, you will frequently come across clients who are incredibly anxious, unstable and probably going through some sort of emotional hardship. A key example would be the classic ex-wife or husband for that matter, who is in the process of a divorce or a young individual who has body positivity issues because they were bullied during their adolescent years. There’s no place better to learn how to be empathetic than an environment where you are surrounded by vulnerable patients who are unwell, families who are concerned for their loved ones wellbeing and those who unfortunately experience loss.

Communication Skills

Effective communication including verbal and non-verbal is a essential skill required by clinicians. As a cosmetic nurse you will need to be a strong communicator to conduct in-depth consultations, clearly identify your client’s expectations, gain informed consent, face-time your scripting doctor and provide client education.

Deterioration & Emergency

At the Luxe Nurse, I pride myself on being a safe cosmetic nurse, always following protocols and able to recognise the early signs of a deteriorating client. This is something that was ingrained into me as a young Anaesthetic and Recovery Nurse where we were taught to complete a A to G or head to toe assessment with our eyes closed and often responded to a code in the hospital after hours with only skeleton staff to assist. This ultimately gave me the confidence to go out on my own as sub-contractor where I work independently and continue to rely on these skills in my everyday practice. I cannot emphasise enough that cosmetic injectables have the potential to cause anaphylaxis, vascular occlusion leading to tissue death and/or blindness even in the most experienced hands. For this reason, it is critical that you are able to confidently respond to an emergency in a remote location and provide early intervention.

Credibility

Street cred is a real thing in the Cosmetic industry. Registered Nurses are only just starting to gain respect by their medical counterparts for their safe injecting skills and those who enter the industry as a freshly graduated nurse are ridiculed. I’ve also had clients frequently ask me about my prior experience as a Registered Nurse and have always felt more at ease knowing that I had spent years working in acute clinical settings.

Bedside Manner

Ahhh my personal favourite. Bedside manner is a deal breaker for me and its what sets apart good clinicians from those who have a reputation for poor people skills. As undergraduate nursing students, bedside manner is a life long skill that is drilled into you throughout your degree and it is definitely noticed by your senior preceptors on clinical placements. It can be something as simple as introducing yourself, your role, sitting beside the client or patient at an equal height, showing empathy and possessing good listening skills. There’s nothing worse that a nurse or therapist for that matter that seem’s disinterested, makes the client feel rushed or not valued IMO.

Networking

Something I didn’t expect to take away from my time as a Registered Nurse in the hospital setting were the valuable connections that helped me flourish to the person I am today and the opportunities they presented. If you are a well-round health professional you will find it incredibly easy to form multi-disciplinary networks across the health sector and learn valuable skills from individuals of all levels of the ladder. If you are friendly and willing to introduce yourself, there is no reason why you cannot have a great relationship with people as a high as the Director of Nursing and Chief Executives.

Support

Despite being extremely demanding, I found it very emotional and anxiety inducing to finally leave the public health system. I had spent my founding years as a young registered nurse here, built lasting connections that I enjoyed working with everyday and always had access to senior support should I need it. In saying this, it was the support of my colleagues and now life long friends that helped me to finally make the big decision and was a large proportion of my clientele when I first set up my business, something I am extremely grateful for,

Financial Security

If there’s something that COVID-19 has taught me it’s that being a frontline worker is one of the most secure jobs that you can have particularly in Australia. Unfortunately, cosmetic injectables is not considered an essential service albeit I’m sure there are plenty of people who will argue otherwise. My most practical tip would be to all cosmetic nurses is to keep your foot in the door of your local health district whether that be part-time, casual pool or agency just to ensure that you have a way of earning an income should your business or employer be forced to close temporarily.