Mental Health Nurse Also Specializes in Aesthetics

Today, this young nurse who specializes in mental health is also specializing to work in another type of health support: aesthetics. If you read to the end, you'll find out more about how this choice resonates in the careers of professionals who choose this field.

Ramon Azevedo initially went into nursing because he wanted to dedicate himself to caring for people, and that desire became reality as he completed his degree and began working. 

In his nursing practice, Ramon came to understand how he could improve in order to provide even more support to the patients he works with, and he kept studying to become a specialist in intensive care and mental health and to earn a master's degree in health. Over the 5 years after graduating, he had the opportunity to work in each of his specialties.

He currently has a very hectic routine, with a lot of dedication. A real lot: he works at two hospitals, is pursuing a second degree, and is doing the Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Nursing.

“I work practically every night, I do 12-hour shifts every day at the hospitals where I work, and I go to college during the day. So some days I have classes in the morning, some days in the morning and afternoon, some days only in the afternoon.” he says.

A possibility to change an overloaded routine

The specialization in aesthetics comes precisely to change this hectic routine a little. And it won't be for lack of demand in the field, but because of the freedom that aesthetic nurses have, which is very different from the routine of shift nurses.

In his words: “It's a chance to move up professionally and reach new possibilities. Aesthetics was an escape I found from this hectic life I lead.”

Ramon says he had already envisioned aesthetics as a possible path within his field of training. What kept him from pursuing that interest, however, was the lack of regulation the profession faced until a few years ago.

But today nurses have full recognition of their skills, both from patients seeking aesthetic procedures and from formal institutions.

Alline, whom we've already written about here, also tells how waiting for the specialty to be regulated affected her career, leaving it on hold for a while. Today, it's nothing but success.

Success that Ramon also envisions in his future as an aesthetic nurse, when he'll be able to work with much more autonomy and quality in the hours he works, which is what he himself mentions when asked about his professional choice.

How the mental health nurse plans to combine his specialties

As a mental health specialist, he has a broader view of what health means and how it is also very present in the field he is now specializing in, as he says:

“When we think about aesthetics, we see the issue of people's self-esteem. And when we think about health, health isn't just something physical, it's physical, mental, spiritual. So, to be healthy, we have to have health in harmony in every aspect of our lives. And aesthetics will bring that well-being to that person.”

Working in the city of Ribeirão Preto, at two private hospitals, and with an exemplary education, you can imagine he earns good pay for so much dedication. But that is not all he wants for his career. What weighs more at the moment is the number of hours worked, the routine of shifts that doesn't distinguish weekends or holidays.

In that case, what does it mean to earn well? Is it having time to take care of yourself, to rest a little, to be with friends and family? Or is it enough to earn the pay to get the basics and, who knows, one day be able to enjoy life more?

For Ramon, even with so much willingness to study and improve, that hasn't been enough anymore. So the choice to specialize in aesthetics is proving to be one of the most on-target options for his career.

Working in aesthetics from different backgrounds

On top of that, remember that he is also finding time to pursue a second degree? That's right, on top of everything else, Ramon is studying Dentistry, which is also a field that has everything to do with aesthetics.

For his future as a dental surgeon, the nurse mentions interest in cosmetic dentistry, smile treatment, dental veneers, and implantology – treatments that are often combined with facial aesthetic procedures.

And once he graduates in dentistry, Ramon may even train to perform some surgical procedures on the face and neck, once he also specializes in Orofacial and Surgical Harmonization, which will certainly be much easier by making use of skills he is already acquiring in the Aesthetic Nursing Postgraduate Program – something done formally through curriculum analysis.

Aesthetics is a field where professionals from different backgrounds have room and relevant skills to contribute to the demand for procedures, which require a great deal of responsibility and sensitivity to provide what best applies to each case.

And finally, we leave some words of encouragement from Ramon for other health professionals who may be wondering whether or not to specialize in this form of care:

“Aesthetics is something very broad, something that is being worked on by many professions, it's multiprofessional. So there's an opening for pharmacists, nurses, biomedical professionals, biology people… Anyone who already has the interest and just needs the push to kick-start that dream, to follow their purpose as a professional career, has to commit and start what they already want to do, what they already dream of.”

Success Stories>Aesthetic Nursing