Have your say on draft guidelines for nurses who perform and who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures

27 Nov 2023

Ahpra and the National Boards are consulting on three documents related to the regulation of registered health practitioners who perform and who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures.

We invite your feedback on any or all of the following draft guidelines: 

1. Guidelines for nurses who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (nurses practice guidelines) 
2. Guidelines for registered health practitioners who perform non-surgical cosmetic procedures (shared practice guidelines) 
3. Guidelines for registered health practitioners who advertise non-surgical cosmetic procedures (advertising guidelines). 

The Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia (NMBA) has identified the need to raise the regulatory status of the current Position statement: Nurses and cosmetic medical procedures to reflect a similar approach to the Medical Board of Australia (MBA) and their recently released Guidelines for registered medical practitioners who perform cosmetic surgery and procedures (MBA’s cosmetic guidelines).

The draft practice guidelines for nurses have been developed from and generally mirror the advice from the NMBA’s current position statement however will capture additional areas identified within the MBA’s cosmetic guidelines. These will apply to all enrolled nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners who work in the non-surgical cosmetic space. 

The draft advertising guidelines will apply to any registered health practitioner including nurses advertising non-surgical cosmetic procedures. Much like the Medical Board’s new cosmetic surgery advertising guidelines – now in place – these advertising guidelines will include guidance around issues such as before and after images, claims about expertise and qualifications and the ban on the use of testimonials. The use of social media influencers is also a focus. 

The consultation is open for 10 weeks, closing on 2 February 2024.  

Learn more about the consultation and how you can have your say on the Ahpra or Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia's consultation pages.