Nadine Dilong Say hello to the largest professional association for nurses carrying out cosmetic treatments in Australia.
As with many aspects of the aesthetics industry, cosmetic nursing is a highly unregulated area with lots of confusing information out there that sometimes blurs the lines between right and wrong. The pandemic has further highlighted the lack of a representing body for cosmetic nurses, and as such, restrictions and regulations often seemed uncalled for and unreasonable. Nicole Schmid-Sanele and Melissa Isaia are here to change that.
The Co-Founders of leading Cosmetic Nursing training facility Juv’ae have taken on the difficult but way overdue task of starting Australia’s first Cosmetic Nurses Association, which officially launches today.
“As veterans of the industry, we experienced first-hand the lack of representation for Cosmetic Nurses within the industry. It has meant Cosmetic Nurses haven’t had a voice when critical legislative decisions happen, which can affect a nurse’s ability to have security for their position and career path.
When COVID hit, it brought this need to the forefront. That’s when Nicole and I, in partnership with Dr Dennis McCurdy, took up the challenge, and we are thrilled to say we have now officially launched the first non-for-profit Cosmetic Nurses Association in Australia,” explains Melissa.
The CNA represents the interests of its members, Cosmetic Nurses. It will be the largest professional association for nurses carrying out cosmetic treatments in Australia. It will operate under a Constitution with an Advisory Committee who will set out the standards and educational expectations of someone who wants to call themselves a Cosmetic Nurse.
To ensure the CNA is speaking on behalf of all Cosmetic Nurses, the Board of Directors has appointed an Advisory Committee to run the CNA. The Advisory Committee is made up of nurses from all sectors of cosmetic nursing:
Jacinta King – President of the Advisory Committee
Sheri-lee Knoop – Chair
Alex Pike – Secretary
Elysse Kenner – Member
Bernice Ellis – Member
Nicole Schmid-Sanele – Member
Jessica Maggs – Member
Hannah Rivers – Member
“I love what I do as a Cosmetic Nurse however not having clearly defined standards and the ever changing landscape of the industry has had its challenges,” says Nicole.
“I am in a privileged position that I have been involved along with Melissa Isaia to present several white paper to the government to safe guard our nurses and changes to legislation that may have impacted the industry as a whole. I am so excited we are going to be able to change that through the Cosmetic Nurses Association and as a collective voice of all Cosmetic Nurses raising standards for better patient outcomes and safety.”
“We were overwhelmed by the number of nurses who wanted to be part of CNA advisory Committee, We ensured that we had a diversified number of nurses represented from most states in the country and with different degrees of experience and practice settings. We could not be happier with the calibre of representation we have managed to secure for the inaugural Advisory Committee.
The CNA will provide a range of benefits to members, including educational opportunities, business support and best practice guidelines, clinical guidelines, and access to a range of lucrative industry connections and discounts.
We are proud to announce that SPA+CLINIC is partnering with CNA and is giving the first 100 members a free 1-year subscription to our magazine.
“At CNA, we want Cosmetic Nurses to have a clearly defined career pathway that is meaningful and recognises them for their commitment to best practice. We are also here to empower Cosmetic Nurses with the clinical skills and knowledge to expertly deliver non-surgical cosmetic treatments through ongoing educational opportunities. The CNA mandate is to formalise a speciality in cosmetic nursing that will be recognised by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency (AHPRA),” says King.
“As the leading professional association representing Cosmetic Nurses, we will work alongside the other medical bodies to support nurses in delivering high-quality treatments. The CNA will lead the way in ethics, setting Best Practice standards and by providing education and training, advocacy, and support for our membership in collaboration with the industry stakeholders.”
Isaia explained that herself, along with Dr McCurdy and Schmid Sanele have dipped into their own pockets to set up the CNA.
“Our investment has been spent on getting the legal advice that has helped the CNA achieve not-for-profit status, the development of policies and procedures to launch the CNA with, and built a website that will be both a place for the public and members to find information about cosmetic nursing.”
Isaia explains that in the short time, they have “achieved not-for-profit status for the Association, we have developed the Constitution, brought on a range of industry partners to offer members exclusive benefits, and now, with the launch, we are about to get even busier with the real job starting, and that’s to establish the Best Practice Standards and formalise the association with the government bodies and stakeholder.”
“It is not our long-term goal or need to be involved in the day-to-day running of the association, but as industry veterans, we know all too well about the importance of such an association. It is long overdue,” Isaia concludes.
To read more about the benefits members can enjoy and to become a member of CNS, visit cosmeticnursesassociation.com.au
