B.C. nurse suspended for improper use of Botox, college says

A woman receives an injection in her forehead in a Shutterstock image.

A nurse from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been given a suspension and reprimand after she was found to have improperly obtained and administered Botox.

The B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives said Roshanak Rahi's registration will be suspended for five months, and she will have to complete "remedial education" at her own expense before returning to practice.

Rahi was also ordered to pay the college $30,425 in costs and disbursements.

Back in March, a disciplinary panel found the nurse had purchased Botox – a Schedule I substance under B.C.'s drug regulations – from an instructor at the Academy of Medical Aesthetics in 2018, without a required prescription.

The panel also found that Rahi, while operating out of a rented space at a medical clinic in Coquitlam, provided the injections without proper supervision, going beyond the scope of her practice.

"The respondent acquired Botox in preloaded syringes in a bag of ice, raising concerns around the proper preparation and handling of medications," reads a penalty decision handed down in November.

"The respondent administered Botox without personal experience, without physician involvement, and in a medical clinic that had no knowledge or experience with Botox."

There was no evidence anyone was ever harmed as a result of receiving the injections, the college noted.

The panel heard that Rahi, after earning a certificate in licensed practical nursing, sought to open her own medical aesthetics business. She attended two days of coursework at the Academy of Medical Aesthetics, and was given two certificates for “cosmetic administration of botulinum toxin” and “soft tissue injectable dermal fillers.”

She then sought guidance from the college on self-employment and providing Botox drugs, but was told she could only do so under a doctor's supervision, according to the disciplinary panel’s decision.

Rahi circulated a flyer to 200 physicians seeking a "partner" before renting her space at the Coquitlam clinic, but proceeded without one, the panel heard.

A college investigator testified that the nurse at one point sent out a Groupon offering “wrinkle-reducing cosmetic injectables” for 43 per cent off.

The nurse denied the allegations throughout the college's investigation and her disciplinary hearing, describing herself as a victim who had been misled, and insisting that she followed the guidance of the college's advisors at every step.

"I have nothing to be blamed for," she testified at the hearing. "Any step I have taken in my career was all based on communications and information that I obtained from (the) college."

She also argued there was "no proof" she injected anyone with Botox, as there were no witnesses, though the panel was not convinced – ultimately finding the allegation was proven on a "balance of probabilites," and that much of Rahi's testimony had been "evasive," "inconsistent" or "not plausible." 

"The college argues that at no point has the respondent taken meaningful responsibility for her actions," the penalty decision reads.

Once Rahi's suspension is completed, she will also be barred from self-employment for 18 months or 2,700 nursing practice hours, whichever is longer, unless she secures at least one college-approved mentor.