Even before graduating in nursing, Dr. Ana Paula Fonseca already saw, during her internships, how draining the hospital work routine is. She then felt disappointed with the field she had chosen, until, encouraged by her sister, she decided to specialize in a much more valued area: aesthetic nursing.
“I entered [the undergraduate program] with a dream, because I always liked those subjects in the biological sciences, but I was a bit disappointed during the internships, when I realized what it was really like. But I have a lot of admiration, and I really like the field.”
A specialist in aesthetic biomedicine, Ana Paula's sister already had a view of what the opportunities in the field are like in practice, so she encouraged her, highlighting mainly the schedule flexibility and the profitability of the procedures.
The nurse also sees the wide range that opens up for those who decide to specialize in aesthetics. Despite the prominence of demand for injectables, each professional discovers different practice niches to explore.
When she started the postgraduate program, for example, Ana Paula was more interested in facial procedures, but she was surprised by the possibilities of body harmonization, also in growing demand.
In contact with patients during the postgraduate hands-on classes, she highlights biostimulators as one of the procedures she is most excited to apply to her patients, due to the effectiveness and transformation this type of treatment provides.
“If we stop and think, people in the 90s through the early 2000s, a 40-year-old was considered an elderly person. And nowadays, you see a 40-year-old woman or man who passes for a 20-year-old, because of this advance in technology”, she points out.
Comparing the hospital work routine with the routine in aesthetics
She is currently interning at an aesthetics clinic in the city of Franca (SP), where she has noticed the enormous difference compared to the hospital work routine.
Comparing her current internship experiences with the hospital work routine, Ana highlights the pressure in the hospital environment, where many responsibilities in the face of health vulnerabilities end up falling on nurses. “Anything that happens to the patient, sometimes even a medical complication, ends up falling on the nurse,” she comments.
At the aesthetics clinic, on the other hand, she sees greater respect from patients, who seek out aesthetic care more actively and more enthusiastically. So the receptiveness is quite different, and it makes the routine much lighter and more enjoyable.
Specialist in aesthetics and stomal therapy
In addition to the postgraduate program in aesthetic nursing, Ana Paula is also specializing in stomal therapy, and sees quite a bit of affinity between the two fields.
Focused on nursing care, stomal therapy treats pressure injuries, venous and arterial ulcers, urinary incontinence, burn patients, and procedures involving ostomies – in these cases, the professional cleans and changes dressings. Wound treatments can take many months within the SUS (Brazil's public health system), and hiring a stomal therapist greatly reduces the time, as Ana Paula points out.
Within the postgraduate program in aesthetics, ozone therapy is especially relevant for treating wounds and post-surgical care, making it a valuable tool for both of Dr. Ana Paula's areas of focus.
“Applying ozone to the edge of wounds over 7 days shows impressive results. Not only on wounds, but on scars too; it has even been widely used when people get silicone implants and abdominoplasty, for example”, the nurse points out.
She wants to start her own business in the areas she is specializing in, and will thus be able to combine and explore different niches and care demands.
Through a lot of study and dedication, Dr. Ana Paula is finding a reality of very different possibilities from the one she witnessed in the hospital work routine; she is discovering a universe in which her professional value is truly recognized and appreciated.
Laís Bianquini
NEPUGA content team — Núcleo de Especializações Ana Carolina Puga.
