I am honored, humbled, and thrilled to have been elected as President of the International Society of Plastic and Aesthetic Nurses (ISPAN). I need to let you know; however, that in light of the pandemic and the many uncertainties related to our current environment, the ISPAN Leadership team has made a unified decision to defer any changes in its team members until after October 2021. This means that Amanda Bailey, ACNP-BC, CWS, CPSN, ISPAN-F, will continue to serve as President of ISPAN. She and I will be sharing some of the presidential duties, and I will continue to serve as President-Elect for another year.
One of my new duties will be to develop an open line of communication with our members. To that end, I want to hear from you about the issues and concerns you face in your plastic and aesthetic nursing practice. I will keep you informed about what is happening behind the scenes at ISPAN and also make you aware of upcoming events. I plan to use this column in our quarterly Plastic Surgical Nursing journal to do just that.
I would like to begin this first column by telling you a little bit about my professional background. I have more than three decades of experience as a plastic and aesthetic nurse. I have earned a Master of Science in Nursing with a focus on adult and geriatric primary care. In addition to being in private practice for many years, I have also worked as a consultant in the corporate aesthetic industry for 15 years. I have held positions in several major aesthetic corporations where I served as clinical educator and senior medical science liaison. In these positions, I was responsible for providing clinical and scientific support for various aesthetic prescription devices and medications on a national and international level.
Another of my new roles as President-Elect will be representing ISPAN as we collaborate with the American Med Spa Association (AmSpa) and their newly launched AmSpa Aesthetic Safety Council (AASC). Hermine Warren, DNP, APRN, CANS, CNM, representing ISPAN, and Leslie Harmon, BSN, RN, CANS, CPSN, representing the Plastic Surgical Nursing Certification Board (PSNCB), will also be serving on the AASC. The goals of the AASC are to:
* Promote compliance, safety, and proper training of aestheticians;
* Promote cooperation and community over competition among aestheticians; and
* Provide feedback to improve and refine the AmSpa practice guidelines.
The Council is composed of medical aesthetic industry professionals from different practice levels-including physicians, advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), nurse practitioners, registered nurses (RNs), physician assistants, and med spa owners. Council members will guide the Association to ensure the medical aesthetic industry is compliant with regulatory requirements and safe for patients. My role on this Council is as an advocate for plastic and aesthetic nurses and patients. I want to make certain that our elected officials are aware of the education, training, and certification opportunities offered by ISPAN and PSNCB and the need for practitioners to have the necessary knowledge and requisite skills to provide aesthetic services correctly and safely. My hope is that having this understanding will help our legislators make responsible and informed decisions when developing state and local guidelines about the scope of practice for RNs and APRNs.
Warmest regards,
Gerrie M. Obi, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-BC, CPSN, ISPAN-F
ISPAN President-Elect