A roundup of the latest news and events from the British Association of Cosmetic Nurses
CAREER FRAMEWORK FOR AESTHETIC NURSING
In 2013, the BACN produced its first ‘Competency Framework for Nurses in Non- Surgical Procedures’, which was updated in 2015. Since the last update, there has been a lot of developmental activity within aesthetics, and the BACN took the decision to re-examine its framework and look at establishing a ‘Career Framework for Aesthetic Nursing’.
The framework recognises the specialist and evolving nature of aesthetic nursing and the need to provide clear and consistent guidance for practitioners that will help them to identify and develop competence. In particular, the framework acknowledges that aesthetic nurses require specific, specialist knowledge and skills at different levels of practice. Moreover, the framework advocates the need to establish and maintain appropriate standards of education, training and practice to ensure that aesthetic nurses possess the requisite knowledge, understanding and skills to provide professional and ethical treatment and care to patients, according to their level of competence.
The BACN ‘Career Framework for Aesthetic Nursing’ has been delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic but the BACN Education and Training Committee has reconvened and will be looking to complete a first draft of this framework for peer review in the next couple of months. Once the peer review has been completed the BACN will consult its members prior to establishing the framework. During this period, the BACN will also be doing the following:
- Consulting and looking to gain support for the framework from key partners including the NMC and the RCN
- Identifying and sourcing the expertise to carry out the assessment procedures that will form part of the project moving forward
- Reviewing the impact of any proposals on BACN membership categories and fees
It is anticipated that it will be 2021 before the framework is introduced in its entirety.
This column is written and supported by the BACN
