A Georgia hospital fired four nurses after they posted a video making fun of hospital patients on TikTok. Nurses in the Maternity Center at the hospital were participants in a social media trend in which they shared their “icks,” or dislikes, about their jobs. In the TikTok video, the former nurses recorded themselves talking about their “Labor Delivery Icks.”
“My ick is when you ask me how much the baby weighs and it’s still in your hands,” one nurse said in the video.
“My ick is when you come in for your induction, talking about ‘can I take a shower, can I eat?’” another nurse said.
“My ick is when the dad comes outside and asks for a paternity test,” another said.
Other comments the nurses made in the video included criticizing the different pain medication methods their patients used and asking nurses a lot of questions at the nurse desk.
“We are aware of a TikTok video that included disrespectful and unprofessional comments about maternity patients,” hospital officials said in a statement on Twitter. “We have investigated the situation and taken appropriate actions with the former employees responsible for the 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. At no time should our patients ever feel they are not being treated with care and respect. Every patient at [the hospital] deserves to be cared for by a compassionate, experienced team in a comfortable and safe environment.”
Compliance Perspective
Issue
Facilities should have a social media policy that is detailed and thorough, and includes scenarios that employees are likely to encounter while engaging in social media. Employees should be aware that even when a post is deleted, it can be retrieved through the internet. All employees should be aware that if they violate the facility’s social media policy, they can be subject to discipline, up to and including termination for a first offense.
Discussion Points
- Review your policies and procedures on social media. Update as needed.
- Train all staff upon orientation, annually, and as needed on your social media policy. Document that these trainings occurred and file each signed document in the employee’s individual education file.
- Periodically survey employees to ensure that they are aware of the facility’s social media policy and that they understand their responsibility to report any inappropriate posts to their supervisor, the compliance and ethics officer, or via the anonymous hotline.
*This news alert has been prepared by Med-Net Concepts, LLC for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide legal advice.*
