Summary: Two nurses at a naval hospital in Florida posted a video and photos of them treating newborn babies with disrespect.
After a disturbing video appeared on Snapchat and then circulated on Facebook, two Naval nurses are now finding themselves in big trouble. The nurses have been removed from duty for messing around on the videos with newborn babies at the Naval Hospital Jacksonville.
In one image, one woman can be seen flipping off a baby with the caption: “How I currently feel about these mini Satans.” Another image shows another nurse holding a baby by the arms and making it dance to 50 Cent song “In Da Club.” In the video, the nurse holding the baby can be heard laughing and joking to the other nurse holding the phone and recording the video, who then says, “We’re going to hell.”
Fox 30 reports that the infant in the video was just hours old. The nurse can clearly be seen holding the baby so that she can make its arms move to the beat, much like a rap musician in music videos.
The images had been shared hundreds of thousands of times by concerned Facebook users. The hospital quickly learned of the incident and the authorities took immediate action. The hospitals commanding officer said in a statement uploaded to Facebook, “We are aware of a video/photo posted online. It’s outrageous, unacceptable, incredibly unprofessional, and cannot be tolerated. We have identified the staff members involved. They have been removed from patient care and they will be handled by the legal system and military justice. We’re in the process of notifying the patient’s parents.”
Social media erupted in rage against the nurses, calling them “cruel” and “disgusting.” One commenter, Joy Allen, said, “As a former Navy daughter, Navy wife and mother of a child born at NAS JAX I am sicken[sic] by this behavior. I am sure that if I caught someone doing that to my child…you’re a** would have been grass under the lawn mower. Shame!”
Another woman who identified herself as a nurse from Tennessee said, “They need to have their nursing license revoked. I am totally disgusted. How juvenile. Grow up.” Another comment, “I’m sickened by the actions taken by these two individuals!!!!! We are suppose[sic] to trust care systems…had it been my child they did this to loosing [sic] their license would have been the last thing they needed to worry about!!!!!!!”
The nurses have been identified as Allyson Thompson and Joanie Barrett. Thompson, a corpsman at the hospital, is the nurse that flipped the baby off, calling the baby a mini Satan. Capt. Brenda Malone, the spokeswoman for the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery, says the women are corpsmen or medical officers, not nurses. They are still working at the hospital but are no longer providing direct patient care.
Navy Surgeon Gen. Vice Adm. Forrest Faison has implemented new policies to ensure this does not happen again. Employees are prohibited from using personal cell phones in patient-care areas. “Unprofessional and inappropriate social media behavior is inconsistent with both our core values of honor, courage and commitment as well as our medical ethics, violating the oaths we took for our profession and office. In an age where information can be shared instantly, what we say and post online must reflect the highest standards of character and conduct, in both our personal and professional lives.”
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service is looking into the matter to determine if further discipline is required.
Do you think the two women employees should be facing a firm punishment and be removed from the hospital? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
To learn more about nurses accused of inappropriate actions, read these articles:
- Five Nurses Suspended for Checking Out Patient’s Large Genitals
- Police Accuse Nurse of Killing 38 Patients Who Annoyed Her
- Man Donates His Kidney to His Sister Only for Nurse to Throw it in the Trash
Photo: dailydot.com