TikTok nurse faces backlash for posting video after patient dies

A TikToker has come under fire after posting a viral video of themselves working at a hospital as a nurse, with the caption “lost a patient today,” facing criticism over the appropriateness of filming such a video after the death of a patient.

On her TikTok account ‘olivia_tylerr33,’ the nurse posted on June 17, titled ‘it never gets easier.’ The video didn’t take long to go viral, and many comments were sympathetic, expressing the challenges of being a healthcare professional.

However, the comments section was also mixed, with many criticizing the decision to setup a TikTok video in such a situation. Although the video is now a few weeks old, it has spread once again after being shared on Twitter and Reddit, reaching a new audience.

One viral tweet wrote, “aw man can’t believe my patient died let me go make a tiktok rq”. from @ateenyalien.

As well as branding the content attention-seeking, some also argued it was disrespectful to the deceased’s family members. However, others have also questioned whether a patient actually died, or if the video was simply based on a false pretense.

“Great way to exploit the dead for one’s own popularity,” one Twitter user responded. “I miss the days when people didn’t share absolutely everything online.”

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Olivia has not responded to the critical comments directly, although many of her subsequent TikTok videos are full of comments referencing the now-controversial post.

Other TikTok accounts have also ‘dueted’ the post to call it out. “A patient dies and their first thought is to shoot, edit, and post a TikTok for likes and attention,” said TikToker marc0p0l0o3.

There have been previous controversies with professionals posting about their work on TikTok too, also in the healthcare sector. In 2021, a nurse was suspended after posting videos appearing to claim to mistreat patients, which they later said were just skits.

Also in June, a teacher was fired for posting so-called “thirst traps” on his TikTok account.