Peak Voice for Cosmetic Nurses in Australia Advocating to Protect Profession

On Wednesday, 16 March, the Cosmetic Nurses Association co-hosted a webinar for its members to hear first-hand from representatives of the Nurses and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) about recent changes that directly affect the role and responsibilities of Cosmetic Nurses.

Board of Directors Member Nicole Schmid-Sanele said, “We had more than two hundred members register for the webinar, and 80 per cent of registrants attended on the night, showing just how much interest there was in hearing what the NMBA had to say.”

During the webinar, Cosmetic Nurses wanted to clarify how a Nurse Practitioner working in cosmetic medicine who has already been endorsed will be affected, how the autonomy of Enrolled Nurses will be impacted, and what changes will come into play for Registered Nurses?

Ms Schmid-Sanele said it was of the utmost importance to the Cosmetic Nurses Association Advisory Committee that we continue to engage in a healthy and respectful dialogue with the NMBA for the benefit of our members.

“The Standards of Practice that we uphold as Nurses who perform treatments with cosmetic medicines rely on us all putting patient safety as the paramount decision-making driver in all the treatments we perform on patients. Often, the decision not to treat can be just as important as performing a treatment safely,” Ms Schmid-Sanele said.

Since launching in November 2020, the Cosmetic Nurses Association has burgeoned to more than four hundred members. Much of this growth was achieved through demonstrating our advocacy efforts on behalf of Nurses and directly engaging with the NMBA on behalf of members. And while membership of 400 has been no mean feat, it still possibly only represents about ten per cent of all Cosmetic Nurses who are actively practising in Australia.
 
President of the CNA Advisory Committee, Jacinta King, said, “Our interaction with the Nurses and Midwifery Board throughout the consultation process to update their Position Statement on Cosmetic Medicine and the clamping down on practices by Enrolled Nurses to ensure people are working within their scope of practice has been a welcome confirmation that the Cosmetic Nurses Association has achieved its goal of being the peak body representing the voice of Cosmetic Nurses.

“We are actively being sought out by the Government, the regulators, and the wider cosmetic industry to speak on behalf of Cosmetic Nurses and represent our members’ interests.
 
“We will continue to advocate on behalf of all Cosmetic Nurses and take proactive steps to protect the interests of our members,” Ms King said.

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About the Cosmetic Nurses Association

The Cosmetic Nurses Association (CNA) was established in 2020 to serve as a collective voice for all Cosmetic Nurses who provide non-surgical cosmetic services in Australia. By becoming a member of the CNA, you will be joining a movement striving to create a specialty for Cosmetic Nursing in Australia. As a member of the CNA, you are demonstrating your commitment to the field of cosmetic medicine and upholding certain standards of practice that aim to uphold patient safety during every treatment. To find out more, visit: www.cosmeticnursesassociation.org.au.

Media contact: info@cosmeticnursesassociation.org.au