Ethical dilemma...need advice!

Nurses Professionalism

Published

  1. Report an RN injecting botox (not within scope of practice.)

    • 2
      Yes
    • 1
      No

3 members have participated

In my state, only NPs & PAs can inject Botox. I know an RN (MSN..but not an NP) who works for a plastic surgery office who is injecting botox. I told her a few years ago when she first got that job that only advanced practice nurses could inject botox. But, now I see Facebook ads for the office she works in taking appointments for botox with the two MDs and the RN-MSN. (It states her name in the ad.)

I think she should be reported because this is out of her scope of practice and she know it. However, in my state, if charged, it is a 3rd class felony & punishable by up to $5000 fine and up to 5 years in jail. What should I do? Ignore it or report it??

Call the State Board and inquire about the scope of advanced nursing anonymously. Solid input from a member of the board should guide your decision. You are tasked with protecting the public but know the law.

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

In my state, physicians can delegate this and other esthetic procedures to their nursing staff after ensuring appropriate training and competency validation. It is going on in a lot of "medi-spa" locations. NP is not required since it is directly supervised by the physician... I don't think it that it is limited to RNs, as there are a lot of LVNs employed in these settings.

Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.
Call the State Board and inquire about the scope of advanced nursing anonymously. Solid input from a member of the board should guide your decision. You are tasked with protecting the public but know the law.

This is sound advice. The nursing board can tell you whether this is an allowable practice.

sounds like something they are okay with her doing because they have provided proper training and she is covered under the physicians license. do you not think she is good at her job for some reason?

Specializes in Peds,Geri-Psych,Acute Care Rehab.

I would double check scope of practice because in my state at least even an LPN can inject botox with training under MD/ARNP

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