Nurse prescriber Michelle Pickering argues that prescribing qualifications are essential for aesthetic nurses
The history of nurse education in the UK is deeply rooted in the establishment of the NHS in 1948.1 It was primarily designed to meet the immediate workforce needs of the health service, focusing on training nurses to deliver care within a hospital-based, medical model.
However, in recent years, the role of nurses, and by extension their education, has been evolving. Nurse education is beginning to shift away from being solely a pipeline for NHS staffing, towards a more expansive model that prepares nurses for diverse roles across healthcare systems, including in private practice. Of course, many choose to utilise the skills gained from the NHS and transfer into medical aesthetics.2 Because of this, I argue it is essential that aesthetic nurses pursue a prescribing qualification.
Origins of prescribing
The introduction in 1992 of the non-medical prescribing (NMP) qualification in the UK has been a significant step in expanding the scope of nursing practice. It has allowed nurses to take on…
