Abusing the NHS? Botox and nursing

[little voyce]

I saw the post below on another forum. Makes me enraged that someone could think of using the NHS - OUR NHS and its precious resources - to train in something 'they would love to do'. But guess what? It's not the nursing.

"Hi all, looking for some advice.
I am really interested in training in doing Botox! I want to go down all the correct avenues.
Am I right in thinking that I have to become registered nurse fiest? Also that this will take a minimum of 2 years?
Does anyone have any advice on the quickest and proper way of doing this?
Really would appreciate any genuine advice, thank you in advance xxx"

There were about 20 odd replies to this question - none of them saying that they thought this was an abuse of a public service. Is it me or are morals non-existent in our industry?

 

[LaurenSparkles]

I wouldn't worry yourself about this a lot if people just don't know what they are talking about!

I saw a girl post on insta nearly the exact same comment.

I replied stating that not only do you need to be a registered nurse (which takes a levels followed by 4/5 yrs of uni) that you then need to train to be an aesthetic administrator.

I'm sure people also think botox comes in a big box that you can inject into everyone and anyone, not that it needs to be ordered on personal prescription.

It's like when people think that buying a few gel polish bottles off eBay makes them a nail tech because it's so easy.

Some folk just have no idea xx

 

[little voyce]

It's not that she wants to do this as quickly as possible. It's the fact that she would even consider using the NHS to train with the SOLE intention of being a Botox provider. I couldn't give a toot otherwise as it's not my thang!

I appreciate that IF you are already trained then adding Botox or fillers into your skill set is a bonus if you can do it. I have a great friend who is nurse practitioner and would wish her well if she wanted to go along that path. But she doesn't. She nurses and, as her extra skill, teaches the emergency procedures course to other aesthetic centres!

Perhaps there should be another route to providing aesthetics - but self-funded and not through the public purse.

 

[Karen872]

Yes it grates me too but it happens in all areas of the NHS, often people that train in the NHS go on to work for private companies/nursing homes etc.
I do think that if you have your training funded by the NHS then you should be tied into working for them for a certain length of time.

 

[essentia]

I understand your concerns but at present it is the only way to be able to do it legally and above board. How are people who want to be a nurse practitioner supposed to get there otherwise? I have always been an advocate of a separate degree course for these type of careers but it may not be feasible. Others leave the NHS to work privately as well whether or not they do Botox favouring the private sector for obvious reasons. Maybe the person concerned will enjoy other aspects of nursing and not do Botox - there are many aspects to nursing plus the prescribing course after the 3 year training, so they have to be pretty determined to do it. I can think of less effort to get a comparable income in beauty if that is what they are in it for.

 

[nicole333]

Being a Nurse myself I would hazard a guess that the Botox chaser wouldn't last the distance in the Nurse training, let alone find employment, gain the relevant experience in post before being successful at getting the agreement for her Nurse Prescribers course to be funded, before then doing the relevant training to be qualified to administer the Botox.

Some people think it's as simple as, but it's not. She would be sniffed out easily and that's if the Uni application were successful before she jumped the hurdles of all of the other stuff I have listed. Oh yeah and the little thing of actually being a Nurse and carrying out the duties effectively within a regulated profession. I wouldn't want her on my ward and I doubt she could handle the job with an attitude of it only being a stepping stone.

 

[Beautygirl1980]

Nicole33 I have been a beauty therapist for 12 years I've specialised in aesthetic treatments for the last number of year.,, I went back to uni 4 years ago and have just qualified as with Bsc in nursing!!! Yes it has been challenging with plenty of bum wiping and physical labour but the only thing that got me through the long days was my dream of becoming an aesthetic nursing doing Botox and the like!!!! I commend anyone who has a dream and is willing to do ANYTHING to get it !!!!!

 

[Paige@TheClinik]

Being just a nurse isn't enough for it to be worthwhile, Botox is a prescription product, you must be a prescriber to obtain it otherwise you would have to pay someone who is a prescriber to do you consultations and prescribe which leaves you with a small sum and just injecting. I completely agree that it can feel like the system is being abused, considering the current NHS situation but there isn't much alternative yet, there most likely will be in the future.
My nan administers Botox at our clinic she trained to be a nurse 30 years ago did her years nursing, was a dog groomer amongst other things then bought a salon with my mum 20 yrs ago, went back to college to do Beauty therapy and then university to do BSc dermatology.
It's a touchy one xx

 

[beautyxperts]

Yes I do think it's an abuse of the NHS nursing system especially when there are genuine students that want to go into nursing but can't get into the uni they want. I know a girl who did such a thing, 3 yrs at uni, she graduated in the November - had no intention of actually going into nursing and then trained in fillers/ wrinkle reducing injectables in the January, she even told me if the uni found out she had no intention of working as a nurse they wouldn't have let her graduate and she wouldn't have got her pin to register as a nurse. She was terrible at injections as she had no technique and shook badly, even said she didn't understand the course and wasn't confident in administering injections/fillers - this is a 3 day course, she isn't a nurse prescriber either (min of 3 yrs nursing to do that course) didn't stop her setting her mobile business up - guess what she does now...works on a cosmetic counter 😱

 

[pinkcouture]

I agree that it is such a shame that NHS funding is being used up by people that have no intention of working for the NHS. At the moment there isn't an alternative though. I would absolutely love to do botox/fillers etc but I personally can't justify taking up a much wanted uni space just for that reason. I think the places should go to people who have a passion for nursing and caring. I think they should do a whole separate course for 'aesthetic nursing' that you have to pay for. I wonder if so many people would do it if they had to pay for it? I also agree with what someone else said about having to work for the NHS for a certain amount of time after they graduate.

 

[beautyxperts]

I agree that it is such a shame that NHS funding is being used up by people that have no intention of working for the NHS. At the moment there isn't an alternative though. I would absolutely love to do botox/fillers etc but I personally can't justify taking up a much wanted uni space just for that reason. I think the places should go to people who have a passion for nursing and caring. I think they should do a whole separate course for 'aesthetic nursing' that you have to pay for. I wonder if so many people would do it if they had to pay for it? I also agree with what someone else said about having to work for the NHS for a certain amount of time after they graduate.

I agree if you want to go into nursing purely to go into Aethetic's then there should be a separate course that should be 100% payable or at least a min term for working as a nurse in the system, my sister in law works extremely hard in nursing (nursing non stop for over 20 yrs) - I asked her if she considered Aethetic's but she said she went into nursing to care for people in a hospital environment (she's on a recovery ward). I commend her as I know nursing is long hours & shifts.

 

[libbylou]

Yes i think it is a total abuse of the system, but there are some safe guards in place. A nurse has to work so many hours every year to keep the registration , otherwise they lose it. Those hours do not include injecting botox. To me nursing is a vocation , and to abuse such a respected profession is sinful.

 

[nicole333]

I also feel sorry for all the over stretched wards and other placement environments that have invested time in these 'nursing students' when the time of their mentors could have obviously been better spent. God knows we don't get enough time with our patients as it is.

I think a separate course is a really good idea and yes, totally self funded and maybe using the title of practitioner rather than nurse when qualified. Forget wasting people's time on placements in a ward environment and have everything centred around what you will actually be doing when 'qualified.'

 

[JulesLondon]

Despite everyone's views, I thought that the only possible way for someone to administer Botox/fillers is to become a nurse first?

So unless there's another way that I've never heard of, should we not at least be pleased that people are going about it the correct way as opposed to administering an injectable illegally?

 

[pinkcouture]

Of course it is good they are doing it the legal way. I think the issue is more that there isn't a course or 'route' specifically for aesthetic nursing. It would make a lot more sense to still have strict laws in place for botox etc but to do it separately from general nursing. I think the 2 are so different that its a bit crazy that you do the same training for both. Just another thought, how do people feel about people who train in nursing to then go on and do further training to become cosmetic surgeons?

 

[JulesLondon]

Of course it is good they are doing it the legal way. I think the issue is more that there isn't a course or 'route' specifically for aesthetic nursing. It would make a lot more sense to still have strict laws in place for botox etc but to do it separately from general nursing. I think the 2 are so different that its a bit crazy that you do the same training for both. Just another thought, how do people feel about people who train in nursing to then go on and do further training to become cosmetic surgeons?

That's true but I'd hope it would be very in depth. So worrying that training is lacking in so many areas of invasive therapies (e.g laser hair removal)

I think training to be a nurse and then cosmetic surgery is completely different. Cosmetic surgery can help so many people for so many different reasons and I think very few people do it for the wrong reasons, unlike Botox and fillers which are used almost solely for aesthetic purposes.

Interesting discussion

 

[pinkcouture]

I love discussions like this i think cosmetic surgery is such a vast area. Reconstructive surgery for people who have had accidents and things is very different to people who have surgery purely for vanity reasons.

 

[laurakate]

Degrees and training in loads of subjects get funded by the government where for whatever reason the government/student loan company/nhs/teaching profession don't get a return on their investment.

Each to their own. Who is anyone to say what are the right or wrong reasons to train in something.

(Not a fan of botox at all for what it's worth).