Kootenay nurse reprimanded for doing Botox treatments on the side

A Kootenay-based nurse has been disciplined by the regulator for doing Botox treatments on the side, while working her regular job.

According to a Nov. 13 BC College of Nurses and Midwives decision, registered nurse Melissa Sharp spent five months doing medical aesthetic procedures for private clients while on duty for her regular employer. 

The decision says Sharp performed the procedures without client-specific orders or having a physician immediately available on site. 

The regulator says the registered nurse, who is based in Parson about 85 kilometres north of Invermere, was working on the side between March and July 2023. The decision doesn’t say who Sharp was employed by, but it appears she worked for the First Nations Health Authority doing virtual nursing.

The College says it sets expectations to ensure nurses are practising competently, ethically, responsibly and safely.

“Nurses are accountable for their nursing decisions, actions, and professional conduct,” the decision reads. “Nurses must meet these standards in providing care to patients. Nurses practising medical aesthetics should also consider the Injecting Botox, Dermal Fillers, and Venous Sclerotherapy practice standard, set by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC.”

Sharp signed a consent agreement admitting to her conduct.

The nursing regulator put conditions on her practicing as a nurse educator in medication administration, medical aesthetics, ethics and professionalism. She now has to successfully complete “remedial education terms.”

The College says it is satisfied that the terms will address the issues and protect the public. No other information is provided in the decision.