A cosmetic nurse who continued to treat patients while under suspension has been hit with a further 12-month ban in a Victorian tribunal decision.
Tanya Bechara was fined $5000 and ordered to pay compensation of $2650 in 2021 after travelling from NSW to Victoria to practise despite her registration having been suspended.
The enrolled nurse had been suspected of breaching a supervision order following a performance review, but this didn't stop the then Sydney-based nurse from injecting up to 15 patients during a one-day travelling clinic in Melbourne.
The treatments were administered despite patients not having a prescription or consulting with a medical practitioner in relation to the substances used.
One patient was left with blue marks under her eyes during the botched November 2018 procedure in Melbourne.
Ms Bechara pleaded guilty to offences related to this in February 2021 and was found guilty without conviction, and hit with the fine and compensation order.
In September 2022, the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Australia referred Ms Bechara to the Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT).
This was for providing nursing services where her registration as an enrolled nurse was suspended and possessing and/or administering Schedule 4 substances in Victoria.
Ms Bechara applied to NSW's Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) for a reinstatement order to re-register as a nurse in May 2023, but her request was dismissed.
She was also disqualified from applying for a review of the cancellation of her registration until November 16, 2024.
Ms Bechara admitted all of the factual elements of the alleged conduct and also agreed it constituted professional misconduct.
She however submitted that she had already been sufficiently sanctioned by NCAT.
Despite this, an additional 12-month disqualification period was imposed by VCAT in a decision on Tuesday and Ms Bechara cannot apply to be re-registered before November 15, 2025.
