Atlanta nurses fired after making comments about patients in TikTok “icks” trend

Georgina Smith
Nurses in a TikTok

Four Labor and Delivery nurses in Atlanta got fired after posting a viral TikTok sharing their “icks” concerning expecting mothers and their families.

In December, a group of labor and delivery nurses from Emory University hospital uploaded a TikTok in which they discussed their patient ‘icks.’

“My ick is when you come in for your induction, talking about ‘can I take a shower, can I eat?'” one said, with another going on to add: “My ick is when you ask me how much the baby weighs and it’s still in your hands.”

Many commenters were outraged by the now-deleted clip, with one user commenting on a re-upload of the post, “my ick is unethical professionals.”

Another commenter went on to say: “My ick is knowing health care professionals are judging you when you’re going through a traumatic and beautiful experience.”

Nurses fired following controversial TikTok

Following the backlash, Emory Healthcare staff fired the nurses, and released a public statement on December 8 addressing the situation.

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

“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 Emory Healthcare deserves to be cared for by a compassionate, experienced team in a comfortable and safe environment.”

Although the original video has now been deleted, reuploads of the post are continuing to circulate on TikTok, with responses to the clip garnering millions of views.

About The Author

Georgina was formerly an entertainment writer for Dexerto. She covered all aspects of influencer culture on TikTok and more, including creators such as Charli D’Amelio and Addison Rae. She also wrote about hit reality shows such as Love Island and Below Deck.