Four Maternity Nurses Fired After Complaining About Patients "Icks" on TikTok

Talk about a HIPAA violation! A group of nurses at one hospital in Atlanta are no longer working there since sharing a now-deleted TikTok where they discussed their patient "icks." And let’s just say that their employer wasn’t too pleased. Nor was the internet.

For context, TikTok's popular "ick" trend started over two years ago. Basically, creators list traits that are cringey or unattractive to them (things that make them go "ick"). The trend is usually used to discuss dating pet peeves.

However, a quartet of nurses in the labor and delivery unit at Emory Healthcare started listing their "icks" about patients in a TikTok video.

“My ick is when you come in for your induction talking about, ‘Can I take a shower and eat?'" said one nurse.

Another said, “My ick is when you ask me how much the baby weighs and it’s still … in your hands.”

They also harped on how dads sometimes ask for a paternity test right outside the room their partner gave birth in, or when patients don't use the call light button and send family members to fetch them instead.

The video quickly caused controversy and was taken down. However, recordings of it still live on the internet.

Emory Healthcare shared a statement on its Instagram page following the nurses' TikTok video.

“This video does not represent our commitment to patient- and family-centered care and falls far short of the values and standards we expect every member of our team to hold and demonstrate,” the statement continued, noting that it had “taken appropriate action with the former employees responsible for the video.”

It is unclear if the former employees were fired or decided to leave on their own. Regardless, comments piled up on the post.

The majority of commenters assumed Emory Healthcare gave them the boot and spoke on how that was the right decision. A few women who had given birth shared their mostly negative experiences.

"As someone who had the most neglectful and egregious birthing experience here — one that could have cost me my life and my child’s — I’m unsurprised by the attitudes of these nurses," wrote one mom. She continued to explain that baby unit nurses were "incredible" but she wouldn't wish the "labor and delivery unit on any birthing person ever."

While not every hospital has social media-specific rules for their employees, the American Nurses Association lists general guidelines on its website, including recommendations for nurses to avoid “heavy-self promotion,” while “maintaining a respectable presence” at all times. These nurses seemingly failed to follow that guidance.