A group of urgent care workers in Santa Barbara, California, has been fired after a viral TikTok video showed them mocking patients by posing with bodily fluids left behind on exam tables
The clip quickly spread across social media, sparking outrage from both the public and medical professionals.
The now-deleted TikTok, first reported by KTLA, featured several employees at Sansum Clinic standing next to paper exam table covers stained with bodily fluids.
Viral video shows workers mocking patients
In one shot, the group captioned an image: “Guess the substance.”
Another showed a female worker smiling and giving a thumbs-up over a small stain with the word “Yes!” overlayed.
A third image depicted an employee bending over a larger stain and sticking her tongue out, accompanied by the words “All shapes and sizes.”
The final clip showed several staff members clustered around another exam table with the caption: “Make sure you leave your healthcare workers sweet gifts like these!”
The disturbing display was shared by TikTok user @angieuncut before the account was switched to private, according to the Santa Barbara Independent.
However, screen recordings quickly spread to other platforms, including Reddit’s r/Santabarbara community, where users condemned the behavior.
Healthcare network fires staff involved
Sutter Health, which partners with Sansum Clinic and is one of Northern California’s largest nonprofit healthcare networks, confirmed that all employees seen in the video have been terminated.
“We are deeply concerned about a disrespectful social media post made on a personal account by a former employee, and we are conducting a full review in line with our policies,” a Sutter Health spokesperson told KTLA.
The company clarified that the person who originally posted the video had not worked at the facility for two months, but those who appeared in it were active staff members and were immediately fired.
Sansum Clinic also issued a statement on Instagram, writing: “Patient trust and dignity are always our top priority, and any behavior that violates those standards is unacceptable.”
Public backlash
The backlash online has been swift and severe.
On Reddit, a post sharing the video has drawn more than 1,000 comments since Monday.
One user claiming to be a nurse said the video left her “speechless” and called the behavior “unprofessional and unethical.”
Another commenter vowed to report the footage directly to Sutter executives, writing that the employees would “rue the day they posted this dehumanizing garbage.”
Healthcare ethicists note that mocking patients (even anonymously) violates medical standards and undermines the trust between providers and the communities they serve.
As of Wednesday, the clip remains deleted, but the fallout highlights the growing risks of social media misuse in healthcare settings and the reputational damage it can cause.