Labor and delivery nurses get fired for making fun of patients in a viral TikTok about their ‘icks’

Though we’ve been in the “digital age” for many, many, MANY years now and we all know about our “digital footprint,” somehow in the year 2022 there are still people who either don’t get it or don’t care. A group of labor and delivery nurses from Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta have all been fired after creating a TikTok that quickly went viral—for making fun of patients and their needs.

In the video—which has since been deleted by the original account but reposted by many others—a department of labor and delivery nurses at Emory University Hospital are all seen taking turns and sharing their least favorite patient requests. They dubbed their dislikes and complaints as things that give them the “ick,” a trend where people on TikTok share what makes them cringe.

One nurse says she hates it when moms ask how much their babies weigh, another nurse apparently can’t abide the fact that people in labor are hungry and thirsty, another nurse judges moms who are in pain before they’re super dilated and don’t want epidurals—the list goes on.

Related: NICU mom’s viral TikTok shows the brutal reality of maternity leave in the U.S.

Almost instantly, people took to the comments to share their disgust and disappointment at the lack of empathy and complete disregard for patient privacy or care shown by these nurses on TikTok. Women who experienced birth trauma shared how the video made them feel (spoiler alert: it made them feel terrible), while hundreds of others lambasted the nurses and the hospital for posting something so insensitive.

On Dec. 8, Emory University Hospital Midtown posted a statement on Facebook alerting the public that the nurses involved in the video have been let go from their positions.

“We are aware of a TikTok video that included disrespectful and unprofessional comments about maternity patients at Emory University Hospital Midtown,” the statement begins. “We have investigated the actions with the former employees responsible for the video.”

“This video does not represent our commitment to patient- and family-centered care and falls short of the values and standards we expect every member of our team to hold and demonstrate.”

Related: 84% of pregnancy-related deaths in the US are preventable, CDC says

Why it’s so much more than a typical ‘viral nurses TikTok’

According to a 2021 study published by the International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS, Georgia—where Emory University Hospital is located—tops the list of all 50 states with the highest maternal mortality rate of 46.2 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births for all women, and a maternal mortality rate of 66.6 deaths per 100,000 live births for African American women.

In Georgia, there are several social determinants of health that contribute to the high maternal mortality rate: the physical environment, economic stability, healthcare access, and, most importantly, the quality of maternal care.

It’s not just unfortunate to see this total disrespect shown by medical professionals who are trusted with the lives and health of birthing people and their children—it’s actively harmful. It goes against the very principles of providing quality care, and gives already nervous and anxious parents-to-be reasons to feel worse instead of better. The hospital arguably did the right thing here.