Enrolled/Division 2 Nurses are eligible to become a Cosmetic Nurse though they must be aware of their limitations associated with administering schedule 4 cosmetic injections. Currently, EN/Div.2 Nurses can administer S4 cosmetic injections, though must be under the direct supervision of a Medical Doctor or RN eg. direct supervision means physically present on the premises. There are NO restrictions on ENs/Div. 2 Nurses performing dermal therapies. Many ENs/Div. 2 Nurses have very successful careers in Cosmetic Medicine however, their scope of practice is mainly focused on dermal therapies.

Ahpra have recently (December 2022) developed a Position Statement on ENs performing cosmetic procedures. This further clarifies supervision requirements and the perquisites to perform cosmetic injectable procedures. All ENs should read this information before considering a career in cosmetic nursing. You can access this information from the ahpra website HERE.

Only hands-on practical training will provide you with the technical skills required to perform cosmetic injectables and dermal therapy procedures. Hands-on practical skills also ensure that your theoretical knowledge can be transferred to a real-life clinical setting, various skin types and skin conditions and

The professional body representing Cosmetic Nurses working in Aesthetics is the Australasian College of Aesthetic Medicine’s Cosmetic Nurse Membership Category.

To maintain your required annual CPD points, Cosmetic Nurses can also join Aesthetics CPD.

A weekend injectables course is non-accredited training covering very basic (or introductory) skills in a narrow area of cosmetic nursing. It will not cover the knowledge and skills to fulfill a position as a Cosmetic Nurse in a cosmetic clinic, nor will the training provide the skills to ensure a holistic treatment approach.

The CPCA has raised some concerns regarding short-course injectables training. Dr Michael Molton, CPCA President advises, “Candidates seeking training in cosmetic injectables could gain some preliminary insights from an ‘introductory experience’ from a weekend course involving prescription medications in aesthetic procedures. It should be completely apparent to candidates that the starting point of any aesthetic training must be a thorough knowledge of facial anatomy, especially the circulatory arterial supply, the impacts of cosmetic injections upon vital structures, and the complications that ensue where this knowledge is absent. Education of these factors, plus the complexities of patient feature variability cannot be achieved in brief ‘showing’ of procedures performed upon small numbers of ‘models’, in weekend courses. This is reflected by the fact that such ‘courses’ have no professional recognition and offer no benefit to the candidate to find employment as a cosmetic nurse. In comparison, an educational program in cosmetic nursing that meets Australian standards represents a significant benefit to the candidate and demonstrates a strong commitment to best practice with the emphasis on patient well-being, in particular, their physical safety and ethics.”

Yes, you will. As a Cosmetic Nurse employed in a cosmetic clinic, it is usually your employer’s responsibility to ensure adequate medical malpractice insurance.

In the states of WA, QLD and TAS, you will need a licence to use class 3B and 4 laser (in TAS, this also includes IPL). Other states of Australia do not need a laser licence however, there has been some discussion by ARPANSA to regulate laser nation-wide. It’s important that your Cosmetic Nurse qualification is also recognised for laser licensing ie. the course is recognised by QLD Radiation Health and the Radiological Council of WA as meeting the criteria laser licencing. If this is not the case, you’ll find that you’ll have to complete all supervised laser hours in addition to your qualification.

This depends on the type of cosmetic procedures you are performing. Most dermal therapy procedures do not require medical supervision unless scheduled medications are required. In this case, the medical doctor must consult and prescribe the scheduled medication. Likewise, cosmetic injectables are also scheduled medications. The medical doctor must firstly consult with the patient, establish a treatment plan and prescribe the injectable product. The Cosmetic Nurse administers the injectable product based on the Doctors prescription(s). Consecutive treatments over the next 12 months do not require additional consultation with the Doctor, unless the Cosmetic Nurse alters the initial treatment plan and prescription(s).

In February 2018, the NSW Parliamentary Inquiry Into Cosmetic Health Service Complaints was held. This inquiry reviewed reports pertaining to consumer complaints about cosmetic health service providers in NSW. The findings of this Inquiry resulted in 16 recommendations however these recommendations are yet to be implemented. A full report of the findings and recommendations are available here.

More recently, the Medical Board has released a new version of ‘Guidelines for registered medical practitioners who perform cosmetic medicine’, effective from 1 July 2023. A full copy of these guidelines are available HERE.