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SURVIVING THE PANDEMIC AS A COSMETIC NURSE Pivoting from working in hospitals to injecting in medispas.
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uv’ae Directors, Melissa Isaia and Nicole Schmid-Sanele run one of Australia’s busiest training organisations in injectable cosmetics. In the almost 12 years of being open, more than 200 nurses and doctors have completed their program. For many, 2020 was the year when business stalled, for them, the year was their best yet. “Nurses are taking over the cosmetic injectables market,” said Nicole. “More than 70 per cent of cosmetic treatments are now being performed by Cosmetic Nurses,” said Nicole.“In the past 12 months, I have trained and onboarded more nurses than in any other period since Juv’ae opened its doors.” Why are so many nurses embarking on a career in injectable cosmetic treatments? Nurses are leaving hospitals in droves. The reasons are varied and personal. While the coronavirus has placed the hospital system under enormous pressure, it has also caused the closure of surgical wards and other major departments who were not caring for the same number of patients as they were pre-COVID. “There are also nurses who understandably do not want to put themselves at the frontline from the risks posed by the pandemic due to family or personal reasons, forcing many to consider options outside of a hospital setting just to pay their bills,” said Nicole.
Beauty Versus Cosmetic Treatment It was not all smooth sailing, however, for Juv’ae during 2020. The state and territory restrictions threw many of the nurses’ practices into disarray when there was confusion about injectable cosmetic treatments and whether they could still be performed. “I was working around the clock, calling different government departments in the
different states and territories trying to seek information for our nurses,” said Melissa. “The advice was at times unclear, or even contradictory, depending on who answered the phone, said Melissa. “Allowing hairdressers to continue to practise while restricting Registered Nurses who are trained in strict infection control processes seemed unfair to me,” she continued. “Our Juv’ae Cosmetic Nurses follow strict policies and procedures that help keep every patient safe during treatment. They did this even before we knew what a coronavirus was,” said Melissa.
Pivoting in a Pandemic “The border closures meant we needed to look at every part of the business during this time to see if how we could adapt to the new normal of video calls and meetings,” said Nicole. “I have often heard from industry representatives that they can tell when Juv’ae has trained a Cosmetic Nurse. In the past, this training has been me or one of our other Clinical Skills Trainers being physically present during a week’s long intensive training program with treatments being performed on real-life models,” said Nicole. “While we know this is not the industry trend, we like to invest this time in our Juv’ae Cosmetic Nurses as we know this enables our nurses to be highly skilled and competent in a variety of different techniques and procedures, helping them to get more enjoyment out of being a cosmetic injector,” said Nicole. Juv’ae Cosmetic Nurses are all Registered Nurses who have chosen to undertake specific training and focus their clinical skills in the realm of injectable cosmetic treatments. As part of their onboarding process, every nurse will be assessed by our clinical team to map out a scope of practice. The scope of practice ticks off the procedures the nurse is competent in and outlines ones they need further training in before they are approved to perform them. “What sets Juv’ae apart is our scope of practice process. We offer our nurses free, ongoing training, throughout their journey with us. We pride ourselves on having nurses who are expertly trained, and who are always growing and developing themselves,” said Nicole. “With the borders opening and closing sporadically, we are reviewing how we can ensure this same level of high service and training to nurses who want to join Juv’ae during 2021,” Nicole concludes. juvae.com.au
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