I think there are always challenges to being a nurse within any speciality. I have experienced ‘You don’t look like a nurse’ – as if my appearance doesn’t quite uphold the nurse stereotype.
I’m going to take my post down a whole different path, buckle up for the read! I’m going to go there, the hierarchy still exists outside of the NHS in the world of aesthetics. Nurses are often viewed as inferior injectors to doctors or perceived to be ‘wannabe’ doctors that do not have the grades for med school. Newsflash – this is totally untrue! I think we have all heard (At least once) ‘I will only go to a doctor for my procedures’ or ‘I only got the option to see the nurse, I would rather see the doctor’. My personal favourite being ‘oh so you’re not a doctor?’ Now, I know some remarkable doctors, but I also know just as many remarkable nurses. Some of the best injectors in the world are doctors AND nurses (as well as dentists and other healthcare professionals – not to exclude those – but this blog hasn’t the word count to jump into every profession). Why should we wear the label ‘just a nurse’? We definitely don’t deserve a derogatory label. I am proud to be an independent nurse prescriber within aesthetics. I have dedicated 10 years to the nursing profession, treating patients with dignity, compassion and respect. Keeping the core values of the NMC at the heart of everything that I do, in every patient interaction! That doesn’t end because I practise within the private sector. This is also the case for many of the brilliant nurse injectors that I know! I really hope that we can continue to challenge those outdated views, and that we can continue to show how knowledgeable and skilled nurse injectors are! So I’m going to say it louder for those at the back, yes I am a nurse and that is enough! #Iamanurse
Grace Cobner
Comments