Coquitlam nurse bought Botox from someone who wasn’t a doctor and administered drug without a doctor present, college concludes

A Coquitlam nurse is facing penalties for professional misconduct after her Groupon ad triggered an investigation into the improper use of Botox, according to a recently published decision from the B.C. College of Nurses and Midwives.

Roshanak Rahi had recently earned a certificate in Licensed Practical Nursing when she completed two days of coursework at the British Columbia Academy of Medical Aesthetics.

Taught by Dariush Honardoust, the courses consisted of theory in the mornings and practise on live humans in the afternoons, according to the judgment.

“[Honardoust] is not a registrant with any health profession college in British Columbia and never has been,” the judgement stated. However, the academy’s textbook cover refers to, “Dr. Dariush Honardoust, Ph.D.”

While Honardoust didn’t tell Rahi he was a medical doctor, he couldn’t specifically recall telling Rahi he wasn’t a medical doctor, according to his testimony.

Following the two-day course, Rahi was given certificates for the cosmetic administration of Botox and soft tissue injectable dermal fillers. Rahi asked Honardoust for Botox, according to Honardoust.

“Honardoust was not authorized to prescribe Botox,” the panel noted.

He testified that he gave Rahi: “some leftovers from the already premade or reconstituted Botox that I had in the fridge in a syringe.”

Honardoust said he gave Rahi a supply of Botox on two occasions. In return, she gave him $275.

Based on those two transactions as well as other evidence, the panel concluded Rahi performed cosmetic injections.

Rahi argued that Honardoust’s actions were unlawful and his testimony should be rejected.

The panel, however, found Honardoust a credible witness because he made statements against his own interests.

A room at the clinic

In the fall of 2018, Rahi rented a room at Plateau Medical Clinic in Westwood Plateau.

The clinic’s doctors agreed that neither they nor their staff would be involved with Rahi’s business.

Rahi asked for help in getting Botox, according to Dr. Daniel Kahwaji. The doctor said that he denied her request.

By promoting her nursing licence and setting up her business at an established clinic, Rahi: “capitalized on the trust between Plateau Medical Clinic and its patients,” the panel decided.

The flyer

Rahi sent a flyer to 200 physicians, touting her qualifications and familiarity with several drugs including Botox.

“I already have an established clientele based on my practice,” she wrote in the flyer.

She later denied having performed cosmetic injections, telling the panel the clientele in question referred to her makeup clients.

While working at the clinic, Rahi said she offered free consultations while gathering data for a book.

However, there was “no documentary information” to support the idea Rahi was offering free consultations, according to the panel. Her testimony was also: “vague regarding the most basic details such as the topic of the book.”

Rahi’s room at the clinic was equipped with a refrigerator, more than one box of syringes, and a sharps container, all of which are consistent with providing Botox, according to the panel.

The Nurse Rosha website, which listed Plateau Medical Clinic on its appointment page, advertised Botox and: “face vitamin filler” for $1,260. The clinic does not and has never offered cosmetic injections, according to the judgment.

Rahi previously expressed interest in using “Nurse Rosha” as a trademark name.

Rahi said there was “no proof” that she bought Botox or injected anyone.

“I have nothing to be blamed for,” she testified. “And any step I have taken in my career was all based on communications and information that I obtained from college of nursing to ensure that my actions are in line with nursing scope of practice, standards, and professional practice.”

The panel was unconvinced by Rahi’s testimony, which: “was frequently evasive and argumentative,” according to the panel.

The Groupon ad

In January 2019, an investigator with the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC came across an ad promoting Nurse Rosha at Plateau Medical Clinic.

The ad referenced discounted “Wrinkle-Reducing Cosmetic Injectables,” according to CPSBC investigator Kristin Pytlewski.

“Additionally, Nurse Rosha offers procedures that target her patients’ specific skin problems, including facial contouring for males, Botox injections, vitamin therapy, and more,” the Groupon ad stated.

Noting that an LPN isn’t allowed to provide injectable services without a physician present, Pytlewski made an “undercover” call.

Pytlewski asked several times if she would see a physician at her appointment. Rahi told her she wouldn’t.

As the investigation progressed, Rahi made false statements to investigators, according to the college.

Botox on ice

The dangerous nature of Botox was an aggravating factor in the case, the panel emphasized.

Besides buying “a prescription-only substance without a prescription and from someone who is not a pharmacist,” Rahi was also transporting: “preloaded syringes in a bag of ice,” the judgment stated.

Rahi showed that she was aware of the dangers of Botox while testifying about Honardoust.

“He’s not a doctor. And he’s injecting people. Do you know how many consequences is involved in injection? Do you know people can get killed?” she said.

The panel is slated to decide on appropriate penalty and costs.