Why Nurses Are The Best

The significant difference between Gippsland Cosmetic Laser Clinic and other cosmetic businesses is that at GCLC every single assessment, consultation and treatment is performed by a Registered Nurse with additional training and qualifications in laser and cosmetic procedures.

No matter what the service, you will always be dealing with a Registered Nurse.

Why does this make such a big difference to you?

Year after year, nurses are continually voted the most trusted profession by people the world over. We believe that ‘trust’ is critical in the cosmetic industry. There must be practitioners that you can trust to be safe, knowledgeable, confidential, ethical and focused on caring for you.

Registered Nurses are very special individuals, and they bring a huge range of additional qualities to the cosmetic industry; things that are integral to their profession.

The following points will not only help explain why nurses are so trusted by the community, but it will also explain why the nursing team at GCLC will always provide you with a superior experience compared to traditional cosmetic treatment providers:

Nurses are highly and broadly educated. They have attained a Bachelor degree and are trained to prioritise patient safety, patient advocacy and evidence-based practice. Conversely, it is normal and common practice within the cosmetic industry for businesses to employ people with little-to-no qualifications whatsoever.

Nurses are accountable. Accountability is incredibly important in the laser and cosmetic industry. Nurses are obligated to be fully accountable for all their actions, including confidentiality, as they are regulated by The Australian Health Practitioners Regulation Authority (AHPRA). Shockingly, the laser industry is completely unregulated in Victoria. That means there are no regulatory agencies overseeing the operations of cosmetic clinics and beauty salons. As a consumer, you have no protection from unsafe practitioners, procedures, standards, unethical sales tactics, or dishonest marketing.

Nurses are Registered Health Professionals, and are regulated by AHPRA as well as the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia. As such, there is an easily accessible portal for patient/client complaints. Patients and clients can search the register for a particular nurse to check for any complaints or actions filed against them. No other businesses can provide this level of transparency or accountability in relation to their employees, or their practice.

Nurses must practice within their scope, maintain recency of practice, provide evidence of continuous professional development (CPD), and adhere to a strict code of conduct to maintain their registration. Failure to do so results in de-registration, and the inability to practice as a nurse. There is no comparable obligation for any other treatment providers (apart from Doctors) to maintain their skills, continue developing their knowledge, ensure that they are up to date with the latest research, and provide the best practice standards/procedures. In fact, most leading cosmetic conferences in Australia and overseas limit access to Doctors and Nurses only; meaning regular service providers are not allowed to attend.

Nurses are professional care providers, and are trained to have the interest of the patient/client at the forefront of every clinical decision. It is common practice for clinics and salons (particularly chain-clinic models) to impose sales targets and commission-based wages on their staff. It's no secret that these types of incentives are specifically in place to drive staff (or force them in some instances) to “sell, sell, sell”; sometimes by threat of redundancy if targets are not met. This unethical business model is why so many clinics and salons have an environment of high-pressure, up-selling tactics aimed squarely at forcing customers into purchasing more than they need or want. In complete contrast, the nurses at GCLC are paid a steady wage in accordance with the Nurses Award, and are not financially incentivised. GCLC nurses are free from any pressure or obligation to meet sales targets or KPI’s: An intentional decision that bucks the trend of cosmetic businesses across the globe. GCLC nurses are free to focus 100% on your needs, without any underlying ulterior motives influencing (or forcing) their assessments and treatment recommendations.

Nurses are trained to be risk-averse. Check, check and check again is the mantra of every nurse before carrying out any treatment/procedure. The short appointment times allocated in a majority of clinics and salons (particularly in chain-clinic models) not only drastically reduces the thoroughness and effectiveness of a treatment, but exponentially increases the number of safety risks to clients and staff. Appointment times at GCLC are in some cases up to 5x longer than the standard appointment times found in chain clinics. This considerably reduces any safety risks, and ensures thorough, comfortable, personalised service and superior results for you and all of our clients.

Nurses are trained to perform procedures. Nurses are highly accustomed to performing complex and invasive procedures on patients, and are therefore very well equipped to transfer these skills to serve clients in the laser and cosmetic industry. The nurses at GCLC come from (and continue to work in) a broad range of fields, including; sexual health, midwifery, plastic surgery, theatre, general practice, immunisation, community health, palliative care, emergency, IVF, and more. These fields equip GCLC nurses with broad ranging knowledge, skills and experience; which is incredibly valuable when delivering you holistic care.

Nurses are highly trained and practiced in infection control. This not only ensures that you will be treated by someone that is conscientious about hygiene, but that the entire clinic and all devices within it will be meticulously cleaned and maintained. When considering the range of presentations and treatments that occur within a cosmetic setting (including genitalia, skin penetration, and infectious skin disorders), it highlights the necessity for treatment providers and businesses to be highly stringent about how they manage hygiene and infection risks. Once again, unqualified staff greatly increase the risk to you. Time-pressure multiplies this risk further.

Nurses understand appropriate referral avenues for clients with complex needs, or needs outside of their scope of practice. Through education and clinical experience, nurses are often able to identify concerns that require further investigation. Many of these concerns may easily go unnoticed by other treatment providers. Even if the treatment provider were to notice something, they simply do not have the extensive referral network possessed by healthcare professionals. A simple but common example is how regularly the GCLC nursing team identify suspicious lesions that are in need of further investigation, which are then referred onto an appropriate specialist.

GCLC Clinical Director Anita Turner with Associate Professor Greg Goodman (AU) and Dr Steven Eubanks (USA)

Nurses maintain strong working relationships with other healthcare professionals, delivering the best possible care and referral to clients wishing to receive services that we do not offer; such as surgical procedures, or when clients have needs requiring the attention of specialists. It is common practice for nurses at GCLC to work in conjunction with Doctors and specialists when helping clients achieve optimum outcomes. By contrast, many other businesses will only recommend and provide their clients with services that they offer themselves. Sadly, this repeatedly leaves clients at risk, dissatisfied, or in severe cases, injured through incorrectly prescribed treatment.

Nurse are highly trained in thorough documentation. At GCLC, we believe this is essential for safe delivery of laser, cosmetic and injectable procedures, and ensures that you are receiving consistency in your care. Thorough documentation allows nurses to keep track of any individual responses to treatment, and to continuously adjust and refine device settings and treatment plans to ensure that you are always receiving the most effective treatment. There are few other professions that take documentation as seriously as nursing.

Nurses understand anatomy and physiology across the whole body, and how medical conditions, disorders and medications may interact with laser and cosmetic treatments. Due to the absence of minimum training standards or regulations in Victoria, certain treatment providers may fail to adequately assess and inform their clients of the risks associated with various procedures and products. Lack of appropriate assessment can also be the result of short appointment times, and rushed or no consultations. In contrast, GCLC nurses posses a deep understanding of interactions between all cosmetic procedures, medical conditions and medications. GCLC nurses have ample time in every consultation and appointment to ensure both you and your nurse are well informed and confident about moving forward. This radically reduces the risk of treatment complications, or unwanted side effects, and ensures optimised treatment plans for every unique individual.

Nurses are equipped to care for unwanted side-effects which can result from certain laser, injectable and cosmetic treatments. Nurses have excellent training in assessment and management of adverse events, and can be trusted in situations requiring care. Whilst these circumstances are extremely rare (especially in a clinical setting as diligent and risk averse as GCLC), clients should always be discerning and realistic about the capabilities and knowledge of any treatment providers that lack training in proper assessment, management and referral of unwanted side effects. Even more importantly, all GCLC nurses are equiped and able to administer potentially life-saving medications and care in the event that an unexpected emergency should arise. GCLC is regularly called upon to assess and treat unwanted side effects occurring as a result of treatment received elsewhere.

Nursing constantly involves thinking on the spot, decision making, critical thinking, confidence, and risk analysis: All while providing comfort and support to the patient. GCLC nurses utilise these skillsets to accurately and extensively personalise every client's treatment and experience. Many service providers and business models (particularly chain-clinics) do not individualise treatments to any great extent; partly due to a lack of in-depth training, but also due to the common business model of short appointment times, lock-in packages and maximising client spend. Nurses are trained to work in fields of practice where this approach to care could result in death, or permanent injury. GCLC nurses are averse to recommending anything unnecessary, and focus exclusively on the immediate needs of the client.

Nurses use collegial debriefing to enhance reflective practice, and to share knowledge and approaches to care. Because we do not use the common clinic/salon model of sales-based incentives, there is no competitiveness or resource-guarding amongst our nursing team. Instead, GCLC nurses function as they would in any other healthcare setting, and grow their collective knowledge together. This ensures clients will always receive the best level of care regardless of who they see. GCLC nurses accomplish this by documenting and sharing research from the regular courses and conferences they attend, frequently communicating as a group when discussing new treatment approaches, products, latest findings, etc. and by leaving detailed notes after each and every treatment for the next nurse to follow.

We believe highly trained, broadly experienced Registered Nurses bring numerous necessary and sought after attributes to an unregulated cosmetic industry.

This belief is supported by the testimony of our thousands of clients; including many who travel from Melbourne, interstate and even overseas to utilise the unique service offered at Gippsland Cosmetic Laser Clinic.