Through Aesthetic Nursing, Thales Cunha Gonzaga made dreams come true. He opened his first room at his father-in-law's pizzeria, and today he dreams big: creating a reference center in aesthetics. And guess what: he is very close to reaching that goal. Discover his story!
The new nurse
Thales tried starting an undergraduate program outside the health field: Business Administration. “But I saw it wasn't for me.” At the same time, nursing professionals were in high demand in the market. And Thales had an idea.
“I decided to study nursing. I started the program and every day I got more interested in it.” After finishing the program, he began working with a patient in a home care setting.
But Thales wanted more. He wanted the hospital setting. “I wanted to be able to help more people. So I ended up going into urgent and emergency care. And I worked in hospitals in the Bragança Paulista (SP) region.”
Helping people
This idea of helping people started making more and more sense to Thales. So much so that the health professional began to notice that he could help people in another way, by focusing on self-esteem. That was the spark that led him to consider specializing in aesthetic nursing.
“I saw that I could do something more for them, and not just give medication, but bring comfort. That's when I said enough. However hard I tried to be the best, I was seeing a lot of sad things and I didn't want that anymore. So I went into public health.”
However, this new experience didn't please Thales either. The reason is that he always liked the aesthetics field more. “When I was little, I always liked creams and things like that, the whole cosmetology side.”
And it was at that moment, after gaining experience in the hospital setting, that he decided to try something new. “There was an episode where someone dear to us passed away, and she always used to tell me: go do what you love and what you dream of.”
So Thales went after his dream: Aesthetic Nursing.
Aesthetic Nursing
The SP nurse says that even before entering the hospital setting he was thinking about a postgraduate program in aesthetics. However, at that time he still didn't have the means or the confidence. After seeing Dr. Ana Carolina Puga's posts, he became more interested in the course.
“That was what motivated me a bit more, wanting to go after it and do something more. So, even without being able to afford it at the time, I enrolled because it was the most important first step for me.”
So Thales joined the Aesthetic Nursing postgraduate program. And today he is already reaping some of its fruits. “You keep dealing with people, but people with low self-esteem who have something they want to improve. The right word is rewarding.”
Going after a dream is not an easy task, says the SP nurse. “But when we have persistence, with grit we make it. Now I have other projects. But I'm certain that, the way we're going, I'm going to complete those too.”
Christmas with family
A nurse for almost a decade, Thales says one of his biggest successes is spending Christmas and New Year's with his family. Read this touching excerpt he shared during the interview.
“I decided that last year was the last year I would work on those special dates. I don't want to be unavailable anymore and miss being with my family. And for me, today, my family is the most important thing. If they support me, I have the strength to go after everything. My mother, my father, my grandmother who lives with us.”
“The clinic is developing very well. And I set myself the goal that this year I'll be able to say: guys, let the employees go, Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to all of you, we're going on break on the 20th and we'll only be back on the 15th. Having that possibility and that autonomy to just say that is something incredible.”
That is why he is grateful every day for the experience of studying Aesthetic Nursing and becoming the owner of his own career. “Every day I am immensely grateful to the postgraduate program for the experience I had, the learning with the professors, and so on.”
His studies opened up more procedure options for patients and better results for them. “Thank God, I only have thanks to give.”
The new challenges
Thales says that when you work under a CLT contract (formal employment), you have the advantage of a predefined, fixed salary. However, the chance for growth is not as exponential as when you work for yourself.
“There might even be a prospect of raising your salary. But it's not going to happen. And you'll keep that routine of 12-by-36 shifts or 5-by-8 or 6-by-1. It's far too exhausting. I know how that works.”
In addition, the health professional says that with the new procedures of Aesthetic Nursing it is possible to earn a salary comparable to what you earn under a CLT contract. Check out the example Thales mentions.
The financial advantage
“And when you have the procedures, by closing 3 or 4 of them you've already paid your hospital salary. So it's worth it. It's nice because it's rewarding to see that your work is being done well. Because one client brings in another.”
His first goal has already been achieved: setting up a clinic. Now comes an even bigger and bolder dream. “We have to believe in our dreams and we have to go after them. One day, when God lays out all the plans, I want to build a reference center. That's the goal.”
And Thales says he knows he will reach this goal. “And I know I'll only get there by specializing, by seeking new things, bringing information and updates so I can offer them to my patients.”
One step at a time
With aesthetic nursing, Thales took a bold step. But don't think making decisions is easy. Currently, the nurse has 3 jobs, which take up all his time, and he still finds room in his schedule to attend the postgraduate classes.
“I work 12-by-36 night shifts. I get off and go to the lab, where I stay from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Then I go to my clinic and stay until 7 p.m. My foundation is my energy and the focus I have to achieve my dream. So I end up sleeping around 4 or 5 hours a day to get everything done. So, that's my rush.”
He says that at the beginning, nothing is easy. “Besides, if it were too easy, everybody would do it.” Before this rush, Thales said he once worked 36-hour shifts. “I worked at two hospitals on the night shift and at one hospital in the morning.”
The decisions
One of the most important decisions was stepping away a bit from the hospital setting to dedicate himself more to aesthetics, to the Aesthetic Nursing postgraduate program.
“I stayed at just one hospital. Today, I'm at that night hospital and I coordinate a clinic on the lab side, and in the afternoon I'm at my own clinic, which was a big step in my life.” And he tells about opening his first aesthetics clinic:
“I started by opening a room behind my father-in-law's pizzeria, and that's how I began seeing patients. The first treatment was a small spider vein, and when I received the payment I thought ‘I've started.’ That patient's result encouraged me even more.”
Later, he expanded the space: “That's when I decided I should open a space, I should open a clinic. And January 9 was the day I opened my clinic in Bragança Paulista.” Now, you already know the future: “the reference center.”
Success Stories>Aesthetic NursingIrving Malaguti
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
