Aesthetic Awards 2019 – Aesthetic Nurse Practitioner of the Year; Finalist
Tracey Dennison
I can’t begin to describe to you the excitement I felt when I opened the email which told me I had been shortlisted for the “Aesthetics Nurse Practitioner of the Year” award. We were on holiday in Turkey at the time and I think most of the hotel must have heard me screak!!! The family certainly did, biggest popped his head onto the balcony to enquire “good news then” which is a significant response from the oldest lad!
I was so delighted! I popped for a walk to burn of the accumulating energy and did a couple of videos for social media sharing my amazing news. Watching them even now makes me smile as you can hear the excitement in my voice and the awe that I, little ole me, has been selected as a finalist for such an accolade. Honestly, even over a month later and I still can’t really believe it!
However, I must believe it, for there are things to be done, dresses to buy, shoes and bag to purchase, transport and accommodation to organise and all of the other things which go along with such an event. I think I’m organised; I’ve even booked a hairdresser’s appointment for when I arrive in the big smoke, I mean honestly, you can’t travel all that way, have an amazing outfit and a bad hair day can you?! With my unruly mop I totally need a professional to do the honours prior to the event or I’ll end up shoving my hair in a bun to tame it and hide the frizz, possibly not the look I’m aiming for on this occasion!
Anyhow, enough about me, this award is exciting, fabulous and tremendously flattering to be shortlisted for but the impact it has had (winner or not) for my patients/anyone considering aesthetic treatments is also something fabulous. For me, being a finalist, demonstrates credibility (honestly, the judges for this award are absolute legends in the industry, so even to be shortlisted by them is quite something). It also validates that the values I hold dear are important, respected and recognised within the industry. Being clinically excellent, knowledgeable and registered (with a governing body which recognises Aesthetics within their scope) are all massively important to me but so is the emotional side of patient care. Ensuring that patients are heard, understood, guided appropriately (which doesn’t always mean treatment but may include signposting to other services rather than mine) and given time, attention and good follow up is also super important. Having this recognised, by being shortlisted for Aesthetics Nurse Practitioner of the Year cements my belief that this is the right approach and that in my own small way, I am contributing something valuable to the industry.
The Aesthetic Awards 2019 have given me the opportunity to speak with the press (several of them actually) about the industry, the pitfalls and the necessary safety standards (there are many issues associated with this which unfortunately aren’t particularly well known in the public domain). Having the opportunity to speak about gold standard care and treatment has given me the opportunity to raise these issues in my local area and have an impact in the knowledge base of people who may be considering an aesthetics procedure. I’ve had the privilege of being interviewed on local radio about the industry, my standards and what we offer (despite my nerves I’m reassured it can’t have been too bad as they’ve invited me back for round 2!). These awards have allowed me to speak with real honesty about the emotional side of the industry; a Facebook live which took a real departure from my usual clinical focus but struck a chord with many of those watching and allowed me to speak about the emotional motivators for treatment and what a privilege it is to be confided in about patients fears, vulnerabilities and hopes surrounding their treatment (click here if you fancy a look).
So, I’m super lucky, super excited and really honoured to have been selected as a finalist for this award, but more importantly I’m loving how, through this, I’ve had the opportunity to speak about the industry, highlight the issues around safety standards and focus on patient issues, patient safety and what aesthetic treatments offer both on a physical and emotional level as this is where my passion lies.
I can’t wait for the award ceremony in December, it’ll be an amazing evening with a bunch of incredible people and (hopefully) good hair!
Keep a look out for December’s blog when I’ll tell you all about the evening …. eeeeekkkkk – exciting!!
#aestheticawards2019