Aesthetic Pharmacist from RS: “It Wasn't in the Hospital That I Wanted to Work, but in Aesthetics”

Julia Kath is a pharmacist who graduated from PUC and is enrolled in the Aesthetic Pharmacy postgraduate program at Nepuga. She hopes to have her own clinic soon. She worked for two years at a Santa Casa (a Brazilian charity hospital), where she became certain that she wanted to become an aesthetic pharmacist in the future.  

“It's something I imagine waking up happy every day to do. Doing aesthetics is improving people's lives, their well-being and self-esteem”.

For those who think that working in hospitals or pharmacies doesn't allow much schedule flexibility or room to grow in your career, Aesthetic Pharmacy may be the ideal solution. That was Julia's choice, and you're about to learn her story, so keep reading.

The Pharmacy Degree

The start of Julia's professional life is very similar to that of many Brazilians: finishing high school, a university entrance exam (vestibular), and the undergraduate program. “I always really liked the health field. So when it was time for the vestibular, I chose Biomedicine or Pharmacy”.

But Pharmacy ended up being the best option for a special reason. “At PUC (Pontifícia Universidade Católica) of Rio Grande do Sul, there was no Biomedicine program”. And since she preferred that university, she ended up getting in.

“So I got into pharmacy and ended up falling in love with it”, she says, not knowing at that moment that the future held the title of aesthetic pharmacist for her.

The next step is also common in the lives of many students: what is the best specialization for building a career? In Julia's case, she had doubts again. For her, there were two possible options: hospital and aesthetics! And she had an idea to find the best answer.

The Specialization in Aesthetics

The choice of the Postgraduate Program in Aesthetics was no accident. “When I left college, for convenience, I chose to work at a retail pharmacy and I did that for about 18 months”.

In the meantime, a new opportunity came up: working at the Santa Casa. “I passed the Residency to work at the Santa Casa”. And she stayed in that job for 24 months. In other words, two years of experience in a hospital.

After the Residency, she became certain of one thing: “it wasn't in the hospital that I wanted to work, but in aesthetics”. From there, the next step would be to specialize, and that's why she began the Postgraduate Program in Aesthetic Pharmacy.

Read also – We have already told the story of Wanessa Vieira Pereira here. She also has a degree in Pharmacy and left the drugstore to change her life. Take another look!

The Work Routine in the Hospital

For those who haven't yet experienced working inside a Santa Casa, you can understand a bit more through some comments from the aesthetic pharmacist. Check it out:

“In the hospital, you depend on a lot of people to be able to do your job, you know? The multidisciplinary team exists, but empathy among the professionals is still a bit precarious in the hospital environment”.

“There's the idea of hierarchy, which must be strictly respected. You end up not being able to do your job the way you should because you're afraid of stepping on toes or setting aside some professional issues to respect other people's ethical concerns”.

So she no longer had any doubts: she was going into aesthetics.

The Start of the Aesthetic Career

“I've always really liked aesthetics. I always used dermocosmetics on myself a lot and researched procedures extensively. In fact, I've had many procedures done on myself and thought it would be a field I'd really enjoy working in”.

In addition, the aesthetic pharmacist says she has two friends who did the Postgraduate Program at Nepuga and who recommended this specialization.

Her career has already begun. After all, in the Postgraduate Program she has Clinical Immersionclasses. So she can learn various topics day to day. A great example comes from ozone therapy. “I knew little about it, but I saw it in the theory class. And now we're having it in the hands-on classes”.

“I really liked the part about using ozone therapy to treat chronic pain because I have that pain myself, in my neck, back, and shoulders. During the classes, this treatment was done on my shoulders and I could already feel a difference. So I thought it was really cool”.

Reasons to Work in Aesthetics

Contact With the Patient – “In the hospital, my contact was mostly with the computer. I did my job all day in front of a computer. But I always wanted more contact with the patient. To touch more, to use my hands more in my work”.

Fulfillment at Work – “So I see myself waking up happy every day to work in aesthetics because of that. Because it's something I like. I'm vain, I'm very into that”.

Autonomy at Work – “So I think being more autonomous and working more hands-on is what I'm going to enjoy the most”.

The Future of the Aesthetic Pharmacist

For the coming months and years, once she completes the specialization and is certified by Brazil's Federal Pharmacy Council, Julia says she wants to have her own business. “I plan to save up some money and open my own clinic”.

Currently, she is on vacation from her residency, and after graduating from the Postgraduate Program in March, she already wants to start a new challenge: working with a focus on this specialization. “For example, with some more intimate appointments, with family and friends”.

One of her ideas is to have a clinic with more professionals, such as physical therapists and nutritionists. “I could combine all the aesthetic side. The nutritionist would help me with the diet and the physical therapist with rehabilitation, for example”.

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