Dr. Camila Sampaio da Silva is an Aesthetic Pharmacist, but before reaching the field she loves and identifies with today, she was disappointed with the job market that “traditional” pharmacy offered.
A native of Pato Branco-PR, when she decided to study pharmacy she was thinking of working in compounding pharmacies, because she had seen the day-to-day life of those professionals and liked it. However, when she finished college and started working, she saw that it was nothing like what she wanted.
In fact, she never managed to get a position in a compounding pharmacy, which was what she initially wanted. The alternative was to work behind drugstore counters, but she didn't stay there long and went after the life change she needed.
Since 2013, through Resolution No. 573/2013, the Brazil's Federal Pharmacy Council has authorized pharmacists to work in Aesthetic Health. And since then, this field has opened paths of freedom and professional autonomy for practitioners.
Learn about the journey of the Aesthetic Pharmacist in this Success Story, who found herself in Aesthetic Pharmacy and now has her own clinic.
Arriving at Aesthetic Pharmacy
The routine of pharmacists in drugstores is already well known for being exhausting. Dr. Camila worked in pharmacies for a while before getting to Aesthetic Pharmacy.
“It was on-call shifts every weekend, working through the night, a grueling routine. I would get off a shift at 8 a.m. and sometimes by noon I already had to be working again”, she says.
After going through that experience, she started working at a distributor of dental products during regular business hours, and it was in that setting that she found what she really liked and began the Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Pharmacy.
“I always liked having a well-harmonized body, which was always an expectation placed on me. When I started the program, I learned what I had to do and how to do it, and I ended up finding myself in this universe”, says the Aesthetic Pharmacist.
Aesthetic Pharmacy: Entrepreneurship and Financial Return
Entering this market, she saw how much she loved the field and the range of possibilities she would have as an aesthetic pharmacist. So she decided to start her career as an entrepreneur in the sector.
“In the beginning it's hard to start a business, but for example, in the first months I managed to earn the same salary I made at the pharmacy, while working during the hours I had available. Then you manage to add more value, reach more clients, a competition for time slots begins, sometimes I work later, but when Friday comes I'm free”, explains Dr. Camila.
The aesthetic pharmacist had her clinic in Pato Branco-PR, but she had to move to Palmas-PR to be closer to her family. Currently, construction of the new space in the new city is in its final stages.
Having her own business allows the aesthetic pharmacist to have a flexible routine in which she can set her own hours and have time for herself, to study and to be with her family.
“I can set my own hours, I no longer work on Saturdays, Sundays, or Fridays, because those are the days I can take to travel, get out, and study. I manage to organize myself very well, I have plenty of patients from Monday to Thursday, and depending, when I want to get away a bit more, I don't schedule anyone on Monday morning”, says Dr. Camila.
Specialist: Aesthetic Pharmacist Works With Ozone Therapy
Dr. Camila points out that the field is excellent, but that it is necessary not to stagnate and to keep adding more value to your professional résumé.
To work with greater authority and reach more patients, Dr. Camila invested in the Ozone Therapy Course to add more value to her list of procedures offered.
In addition, the aesthetic pharmacist explains that ozone is very welcome beyond therapeutic procedures, as it can be combined with many aesthetic procedures.
“We can combine ozone with aesthetics because it greatly enhances its effects. And there are also some routes of application where, while we are achieving a bigger goal in aesthetics, we are contributing to the patient's health, that is, we manage to do both at the same time”, explains Dr. Camila.
The Aesthetic Pharmacist points out that the Aesthetic Pharmacy sector is advantageous and a great alternative for health professionals to gain financial freedom and autonomy. But she stresses the importance of always investing in specializations, to stay ahead in the job market with a strong competitive advantage.
“It's a very good field, it's constantly growing, and people are looking more and more for aesthetic procedures. But it's essential to specialize well before starting this journey, it's well worth it”, concludes the aesthetic pharmacist.
Success Stories>Aesthetic PharmacyJosiele Batista
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
