AIBU - Training as a nurse - to work in Aesthetics only!

[Wishingitwassummer]

I’ve came across this a fair few times now. Student nurses completing their nursing degrees as they want to work in aesthetics (and aesthetics only).
This is just such a waste of government funding. I’m in Scotland - so we don’t pay tuition fees and the bursary is still available.
Now I know this will only be a very small minority of people who are doing this but it just doesn’t sit right with me at all.
AIBU?

@Mrsmorton I am an allied health professional.

I don’t have have aesthetics, but if I did I’d much rather a qualified medical professional was administering it and not some random beautician!

For lots of people aesthetic nurses will benefit them more than many other nurses.

You don't get to judge what they do once they're qualified.

In England nurses have to pay for their degree. By your logic you should only ever be allowed to work for the NHS and English nurses should be allowed to do whatever they want, surely.

Yes sorry to make it personal , it’s a big bug bear of mine the way we are treated and funded , throwing thousands at businesses and people sitting on their bottoms at home but grudge nurses a fair pay rise . So threads that question what we do with our careers remind me of that .

In not keen on aesthetics at all and work in the NHS but surely it’s better nurses do it than someone with no training in physiology .

Do you think the same about medical staff who go and work in private health care once funded ? Or go to international non public health care ?

The only people I know who are medically trained and now solely work in aesthetics are a doctor and a dentist. I don't think they planned to end up there when they first started training.

I'm a nurse and don't know any other nurses who solely work in aesthetics; a fair few who do it as a side business, but it's over saturated with people wanting to set up their own business and hard to get established.

Another thing I was thinking was, what if Botox/filler/lips becomes less popular?
Will these nurses want to go back to a ‘normal’ nurse job? As they will have no experience in this area.

Student nurses have to work their asses off and pay for the privilege through tuition fees, travel costs to different placements, shifts, assignments, no long holidays afforded to other university students and irregular hours that makes supporting themselves financially very difficult -
If a student gets through all that and then goes into private work, I can’t blame them !!

@Wishingitwassummer

Another thing I was thinking was, what if Botox/filler/lips becomes less popular? Will these nurses want to go back to a ‘normal’ nurse job? As they will have no experience in this area.

They'll have as much experience as any other newly-qualified nurse

Nursing is such a varied and intense degree, if they aren't fully into it then they will more than likely drop out or fail. I know that sounds awful, but nursing in the first year is a lot of personal care and things which someone who wants to work in aesthetics probably wouldn't do much of in their jobs.

I was in my third year of nursing before having to drop out because of my mental health and ended up being diagnosed with BPD. I would love to go back but I'm realistic and I realise that I would probably struggle to get a job with this diagnosis (as things like this need to be declared to occupational health understandably). I completely understand your feelings on this as I genuinely loved every aspect of the degree, especially my placements which were in a variety of specialities. I don't see wanting to work in aesthetics as a bad thing but I feel there should be separate degrees/diplomas that concentrated on that area only.

It is definitely becoming overly saturated with businesses popping up all over Facebook/Instagram.
How much in depth training will a newly qualified nurse have had of facial anatomy?

* Seems a bit of a waste to train nurses who only want to work in an area which isn’t really healthcare at all.*

^I agree

If you knew just how bitchy nurses were in the aesthetics industry you would understand why so many non medics are training as nurses, they don’t want to trust me.

Unfortunately medics are making things very difficult, which is annoying because it’s actually aesthetics industry not a medical industry. There is so much to this than just wasting funding, in the UK nurses pay their fees but in Scotland I’m sure that non medics can’t practice certain treatments.

Aesthetics covers a lot more than ‘filling faces’ so that’s actually quite a judgmental comment to make.

And if the government really wanted nurses then they could put the pay up more instead of a few months of giving them an pathetic doorstep clap.

A nurse can make more in a day in aesthetics than what they make in a month, why would they stay in a job paying the same as a cleaner with all the student debt and stressed?

I’m a non medic and my daughter is currently training as a adult nurse to become an aesthetic nurse, so I know what I’m talking about. I won’t train as a nurse though, unless the regulations change and I have to.

@Wishingitwassummer

It is definitely becoming overly saturated with businesses popping up all over Facebook/Instagram. How much in depth training will a newly qualified nurse have had of facial anatomy?

@Wishingitwassummer Absolutely none at all which is why I don’t get the need to be a nurse but trust me this industry is wild, the nurses are the ones pushing this.

If it was to become properly regulated, then I think it would be a good idea for there to be a diploma/degree direct entry aesthetics course.

The fault is with the government who chooses to continue to cut nurse pay rather than either individuals who want to be paid reasonably for their work.

I'm a nurse who has always strongly believed in working for the NHS, but it is increasingly clear that nurses have to look elsewhere for work if they want fair pay.

@Wishingitwassummer

Another thing I was thinking was, what if Botox/filler/lips becomes less popular?
Will these nurses want to go back to a ‘normal’ nurse job? As they will have no experience in this area.

Well seeing as at least one in ten nursing vacancies is unfilled, they will be able to get another job. Nursing is so varied and changing areas requires you to learn new things. If they don't have hospital experience then they will be given a supernumerary period, a preceptor and training. Or they should be, I didn't when I was newly qualified, it was very sink or swim. Which is probably why 30 - 60% of newly qualified nurses quit in their first job in the first year.

How much in depth training will a newly qualified nurse have had of facial anatomy?

Not much.

**Absolutely none at all which is why I don’t get the need to be a nurse but trust me this industry is wild, the nurses are the ones pushing this.

So then I also find it interesting, that newly qualified nurses advertise their services as being performed by a nurse, as if this makes them better than say, beauticians.

My mother was a beauty therapist, qualified years ago, retrained as a nurse, has been one for 15/20 years now - personally she'd be a lot healthier happier and well paid if she went off to the beauty industry.
Pay nurses, carers, and childcare workers more (aka predominantly female heavy professions) , and maybe then you'd get less leaving the profession and less turnover in these professions which ultimately care for the most vulnerable people in society.

I still find it madness that my cousin can earn a fair bit more at Lidl than her mother who is a carer for severely disabled people.

I trained under a bursary and still work for the nhs but I don’t feel that I needed to pay back what I was given. I worked so hard and with minimal support for 3 years, lack of mentors and having to “be in the numbers” sometimes working as a healthcare assistant because there was no one else. The NHS saved a lot of money compared to if they had actually employed me! As a student there is no enhancements for weekends, nights etc like substantive employed staff.

The only way into nursing & midwifery is through the NHS so how else would this lady have qualified?

Plastic surgeons train in the NHS and then set up privately as well - they gain a huge amount of experience from the NHS and then charge private patients a huge amount of money for the experience the nhs gave them, is that unfair?

Nurses and midwives have to take a huge amount of responsibility for their training and education and every hour not completed (for sickness, childcare, marriage breakdown) all has to be made up, often in their holidays.

I hope she does really well in her chosen career

I agree I work for a private agency outdoor of my own job as I’ve been on the same wage since 2010 now , my time with my family is precious so I will use it to make the most money I can to look after them .

My problem with this is more than I don’t think under any circumstances a three year nursing degree qualifies you to treat people with filler etc. Nowhere near enough anatomical training if nothing else.

I think these treatments should be offered only by doctors with plastics training and dentists - both with specific training in fillers too.

@monsterflake

Nursing is such a varied and intense degree, if they aren't fully into it then they will more than likely drop out or fail. I know that sounds awful, but nursing in the first year is a lot of personal care and things which someone who wants to work in aesthetics probably wouldn't do much of in their jobs.

I was in my third year of nursing before having to drop out because of my mental health and ended up being diagnosed with BPD. I would love to go back but I'm realistic and I realise that I would probably struggle to get a job with this diagnosis (as things like this need to be declared to occupational health understandably). I completely understand your feelings on this as I genuinely loved every aspect of the degree, especially my placements which were in a variety of specialities. I don't see wanting to work in aesthetics as a bad thing but I feel there should be separate degrees/diplomas that concentrated on that area only.

Please don’t let your diagnosis put you off doing your degree. I have BPD and am a senior nurse. BPD is a very misunderstood and stigmatised condition but with support and therapy you can still achieve your dream. I’ve never had to disclose my BPD as it was diagnosed after starting my current role. However I would argue that disclosing to occupational health should not harm your employment opportunities and should be there to support you in your role.

@Wishingitwassummer wow. I'd expect you to know better then.