Several nurses have sparked discussion on TikTok after sharing stories about talking to their co-workers, only to be reprimanded by their managers.
In the first video, Nurse Alex Kim (@nurse.alexrn) recalls an incident in which he was called out by his boss after saying that money played a factor in why he is a nurse.
“Some of my co-workers make me want to quit nursing forever,” he says.
@nurse.alexrn S/o to my coworkers trying to get me fired #nursesoftiktok #nurselife #nursetok #nursehumor #nurseproblems #nursingschool #nursing ♬ original sound – Alex Kim
In the video, which currently has over 1.2 million views as of Sunday morning, Kim says he was talking with a co-worker with whom he was friendly and mentioned off-hand that he got the job to make money—at the moment, to specifically pay for things like rent, food, and car insurance.
Later, Kim says he was called into his boss’ office and was asked if it was true that he was “only here for the money.” Apparently, his co-worker had ratted Kim out for his comments to his manager.
Kim says he was “mortified” by the incident, but also confused.
“I was like, why should I apologize for that?” Kim recalls. “This is a job…I just hate it how, in healthcare, they just vilify who’s there to be here for money, like it’s not a career.”
“I know people who became a nurse because it’s their calling, but I also know people who are here because they’re just a good nurse,” he continues. “They’re here for good job security and a stable paycheck—and there’s nothing wrong with either of those things!”
Kim’s video clearly struck a chord with users, especially those who work in the nursing profession.
One such user is TikTok user and Nurse Amirah (@nursebrat), who stitched Kim’s video to add her own thoughts. Her stitch currently has over 277,000 views as of Sunday.
@nursebrat #stitch with @Alex Kim i’ve made this mistake so many times and I never want y’all to! Especially being a black nurse, you’re automatically a target in some conversations. Be careful! #nursebrat #nurselife #nursetok #nursesoftiktok #travelnurse #ernurse #staffnurse #nursetiktok #travelnurselife #nursemoney #travelnursemoney #nursecoworkers ♬ original sound – NurseBrat | BSN, RN
“That is a prime example of why I preach ‘your co-workers ain’t your friends,’” she says, referring to Kim’s video.
“Nursing is not charity work. It’s not volunteer work. It is a job at the end of the day, and I don’t know why people are so obsessed with humbling nurses thinking that we should not be paid,” Amirah states.
Amirah goes on to warn users against speaking with their co-workers, as they can face a similar fate to that experienced by Kim.
In the comments section of both videos, users shared their thoughts on the topic.
“Not a nurse but this applies to every job. People really be snakes at work,” a user wrote. “Do your work, get your check, & go home. That’s it ‼️‼️”
“Always act as if your enemies are watching,” another echoed. “Coworkers can be snakes.”
“Yes!!!! Why is nursing the only profession where we act like it’s not ok to make money??” a third asked. “We need to make a living!”
We’ve reached out to Kim and Amirah via email.
