Doctors, nurses, and medical professionals around the country are among the millions of people who post videos to TikTok, the wildly popular social media platform. Medical content on the site is exploding — the hashtag “medtok” has over 2 billion views. Many medical professionals use the platform as a powerful marketing tool to advertise their services and connect with their patients, while others post videos of themselves telling jokes and dancing in the office.

Some doctors and nurses are posting videos that are more controversial, landing them in serious trouble with their employers and state licensing boards. Posting problematic videos to TikTok is fast becoming one of the most common reasons employers and state licensing boards discipline doctors and nurses.

Doctors and Nurses Risk Getting Fired Because of Controversial TikTok Videos

Doctors and nurses are increasingly turning the camera on themselves and their patients while they are at work. These videos often feature them complaining about their jobs, employers, colleagues, and patients. Many such videos go viral on TikTok, but few are popular with employers.

A North Carolina nurse posted multiple TikToks of her joking about lying to her patients about their vital signs, overmedicating them, and unplugging their ventilators in order to charge her phone. The videos went viral, and after being bombarded with phone calls demanding that she lose her job, her employer suspended her.

In Atlanta, four labor and delivery nurses at Emory University Hospital posted a video of themselves complaining about their patients. They were allegedly participating in the popular TikTok “ick” trend.

In the video, the nurses wore their hospital scrubs and badges and appeared to be on duty. After the video went viral, the hospital released a statement indicating that they were aware of the nurses' “disrespectful and unprofessional comments” and that they took “appropriate actions with the former employees responsible for the video.” (emphasis added)

Doctors and Nurses Can Lose Their Licenses Because of Their TikTok Videos

In order to protect the public, state medical and nursing licensing boards investigate allegations of medical professionals' misconduct and impose appropriate discipline.

Although the specifics vary nationwide, states generally prohibit doctors and nurses from engaging in “unprofessional conduct.” They also prohibit any violations of patients' privacy and anything that compromises patient safety. Penalties for engaging in these behaviors can be severe and include license suspension, revocation, and probation.

New York plastic surgeon Dr. Katherine Roxanne Grawe, who is famous on TikTok, where she is known as “Dr. Roxy,” had her license suspended for posting videos of herself dancing in scrubs during operations she was performing and interacting with Livestream viewers while performing procedures on patients.

After repeatedly warning her that her videos violated patients' privacy, the state licensing board determined that Dr. Roxy engaged in unprofessional conduct and posed a danger to her patients for constantly being distracted while performing procedures on her patients.

The Lento Law Firm Can Help Doctors and Nurses Whose Jobs Are at Risk Because of Their TikTok Videos

Joseph D. Lento and his knowledgeable Professional License Defense Team have years of experience successfully defending doctors and nurses around the country in state disciplinary actions.

They will vigorously defend medical professionals whose jobs and licenses are at risk because of the videos they post to TikTok. Contact the Lento Law Firm at 888-535-3686, or submit a confidential online consultation form.