Although it may not be our favorite thing to do, regular gynecologist visits are an essential part of a woman’s health care. No one loves to put their feet in the stirrups, but we do it because it can be life-saving. Sometimes women are self-conscious about visiting the OBGYN, but we trust our providers to be professional. A now-deleted TikTok from a health care facility in California violated that trust and has led to several well-deserved employee terminations.
The video, originally posted by a TikTok user named @angieuncut, appeared to show several coworkers in exam rooms after female patients at Sutter Health’s Pesetas Urgent Care clinic in Santa Barbara left the clinic. Per the Santa Barbara Independent, Angie captioned the original video, “Are patients allowed to leave you guys gifts?” Although @angieuncut has since deactivated her account, many people screen-recorded the video and shared it online. TikTok user @kelsey.bartley posted the video on her page, and it is truly disgusting.
The video shows both male and female employees in the exam rooms pointing out what appears to be bodily fluids of “all shades and opacities.” The employees look as if they are mocking women post pap smear, taking an already vulnerable moment and making it seem shameful. The final slide shows a group of smiling people with the text, “Make sure to leave your healthcare workers sweet gifts like these.”
It’s no surprise the video went viral, but not because it was cute. It enraged viewers, both male and female, who could not believe health care workers would mock patients in this way. Many shared their disgust on Kelsey’s TikTok.
@kelsey.bartley Oops! Did you try to delete this? @angieuncut #sansum #meangirls ♬ Blue Danube Waltz – London Symphony Orchestra
“Are patients supposed to be ashamed of this? I’m so confused. Are we supposed to remove the paper? There’s already so much anxiety over going to the doctor,” one person wrote.
“Those with licenses need to be named so they can be reported for violating patients rights, exploitation and ethical boundaries,” another commenter suggested.
“As a healthcare worker myself .. I was like wtf that’s not ok smh,” a shocked TikToker shared.
Sutter Health confirmed to People that everyone in the video has been terminated.
“This unacceptable behavior is an outright violation of our policies, shows a lack of respect for our patients and will not be tolerated,” the statement read in part. “Protecting the trust of those we serve is our highest priority and when that trust is violated, we take swift action to address it.”
Sutter Health noted that it released all involved employees from their jobs within 48 hours of the original TikTok post.
“We expect all team members to live our patients-first mission and uphold the highest standards of compassion, professionalism and respect,” the statement continued. “We are using this inappropriate incident to reinforce our comprehensive policies with all our team members across the organization as part of our commitment to providing all patients with high-quality, compassionate care.”
Women’s health care is essential. Professionalism is expected. Discharge is normal. Mocking bodily functions is offensive. Full stop.
