I’m a nurse and comedy and sarcasm is definitely an important part of maintaining my mental health through a pandemic, but I will never make a joke at the expense of my patients. I’m also a person with a chronic illness and know what it’s like to be treated unfairly by medical professionals. For both of these reasons I find his videos hurtful.
I cannot watch this video for trigger reasons, but did Jo show the one where he says he thinks you should be happy if medical professionals can't find a problem and send you home? That one still makes me see red because it shows so deeply how he does not understand the experience patients go through when they have problems but nothing shows up in tests.
Same boat. I'm a doctor and chronic illness patient. I definitely have lame jokes and nerdy humor to lighten the mood for the patient, but it never involves making fun of their situation, especially sexual jokes or indicating at all that they are a waste of time. I'd rather then come get checked for a benign issue than wait too long for something bad. I also want to say thank you so much for what you do. Nurses are so important. I'm sorry for the doctors who treat nurses like crap. 💕Brandi
I’m a certified nurses aide with autism and people always under-mind me. Now I’m going to go to school to be an EMT and I joke but not at the expense of my people I take of.
Totally agree! I was in severe pain after birth that I couldn’t sit or hardly move. The ER ob told me nothing was wrong with me and asked my husband if I was just an “anxious girl” because my chart says I have anxiety. Turns out I had an abscess that he missed and he sent me home. I almost got sepsis because he blew off my pain and I could have died just a week after having my baby!!!! Take patients seriously, treat them with respect, and learn how to be professional and see that, although you do this everyday, these are human beings who are having probably one of the worst days of their life and treat them with compassion!
@@zorubark Yes, it's even been proven in studies that doctors don't take women's pain as seriously. They are more quick to assume women are just being dramatic or too sensitive.
@@zorubark yes, I completely agree! It’s so infuriating! That’s a huge part of why I have started to choose female doctors primarily. I know all male doctors are not like this, but my experience with several of them has just not been great.
@@Dgidsbjgsxggeaxgj yeah I have to agree, it definitely isn’t just male doctors. I’ve had female doctors not take me seriously, it just seems more often male than female doctors. You’re definitely right though, and it is so frustrating.
The way this was put forward as "Let's put warnings" rather than "Cancel him" is really helpful. A way we can give people a voice without as much power.
I also deeply appreciate her effort in seeing both sides of the situation. I love whe people take a controversial issue and speak about it in a way that invites change on both/all sides
I absolutely love the way she presented this and she’s so well spoken. This isn’t being a Karen, it’s genuine constructive criticism and it leaves the ball in our court as the viewers to decide what to do with this information.
His video on self-harm caused me to not seek help when I was struggling. I thought he was a nurse, and if that was the way medical professionals treated people considering self-harm I would rather risk being alone with my thoughts. I'm glad that someone else saw what these videos can do to someone's mental state.
I've told my therapist, GP, and someone on the suicide hotline about my thoughts and actions, they listened and were very understanding and they did not do any of that, they helped me in the ways i asked for and was receptive to. for anyone scared, there is nothing to be afraid of, professionals genuinely want to do their best to help you on your own terms, respecting your boundaries, if they do not, that's not okay. disclaimer, i have never attempted un-aliving myself, but i have had thoughts. i am doing very well now and have not had any thoughts in weeks, in part thanks to the help my healthcare providers gave me.
@@kai_macerationI'm glad you're ok and please know. His videos are not aimed at someone like yourself. They're aimed at the workers who have had to deal with people coming in, claiming they're considering self harm and then complaining when they're actually taken seriously because they just thought it would help them get seen quicker (yes those people exist)
@@Ailieorz talking about people like me in this way makes our brains collapse in on ourselves with pathetic levels of self pity... i know everyone has to vent, especially people in this type of occupation, but talking about it like this and so publicly seems really un-empathetic and unprofessional, this topic is an extremely sensitive one
The fact that there's no disclaimer as "this is just a joke" or "I'm not a licensed professional" needs to be added. If someone who outwardly says they are a comedian makes dark jokes I mostly laugh with them, even when it's stuff I've gone through. Their intention is to make light of something dark. However, when someone starts making fun of something dark and suggesting you should just "get over it" that's when it becomes harmful
That is what's called "gallows humor" and for people working in the ER, they need a way to laugh at themselves. The ER is a rotation that a person there has to laugh to maintain themselves, because of they didn't, they would cry, or worse. A rotation in another department, like in the Nursery, can help with stress. That used to be what they did with Oncologists. Cancer was so devastating in the 1970's that most patients died. Half a century later, many more people with cancer survive and thrive while catching cancer at stage 1 or 2 instead of end - stage. And early - detection campaigns have helped people catch on to early diagnosis. So I don't know what happens now. But I understand that rotations in the Nursery Department were therapeutic.
As someone who has had A LOT of contact with medical professionals since my early teens (I’m 32 now) I can say without a doubt that he is harmful. I’m a “veteran user” of the medical field, so his videos don’t affect me personally in the sense that they keep me from getting the treatment that I need and deserve. I know how to advocate for myself now, so I don’t get steamrolled very easily anymore, because I know a lot about my illnesses, and keep up with the medical literature regarding them as well. HOWEVER, for 14 or even 18 year old me, he would have made me scared and/or ashamed to go to the doctor for my “minor” issues, which turned out to not be minor at all. One was life threatening (spent 10 days in hospital) and the other debilitating. He recently made a video where he said people shouldn’t call for ambulances when people are passed out cold from drinking too much, because they don’t do anything for them anyway, and that we should just check if they are breathing, and if they are, they should be left alone. Where I live (Denmark), people die every year from freezing to death when they haven’t made it home because they were drunk. I have type 1 diabetes (the life threatening illness, diagnosed at age 14) and insulin overdoses (hypoglycemia) have a lot of similarities to alcohol intoxication. If I’m out cold on the street, no matter if I’m drunk or not, it’s insanely dangerous to leave me there, even if I am breathing. If I’m out cold because my blood sugar is too low, then I might wake up on my own many hours later, if I don’t die, with permanent brain damage. Brain damage that could have been avoided by a simple emergency call. The treatment for hypoglycemia is a simple glucose drip and/or a glucagon injection - both of which can be administered in the ambulance in 15 minutes or less.
You have to keep in mind, most of his audience is American, as is Steve In America, calling an ambulance will cost the patient upwards of $500 Lots of ppl Uber in emergency situations now because of that So I think his tip is mainly for ppl here in the US. If someone isn't gonna freeze outside, and they are just too drunk (normally you can smell the booze if that's the case), it probably is best to just make sure they're breathing and prop them up so they don't choke on their vomit if they throw up Otherwise you're seating them with a $500+ bill on top of their hangover
@@FIRING_BLIND I mean, to be fair, as an American yes I agree it's very expensive but I still think the call should be made. Just because the person is drunk doesn't also mean the person couldn't be having all sorts of invisible medical issues or even could be ODing on something... or they may need to be brought to detox if they're bad enough. If they are so drunk that they are passed out in public or in a space where somebody genuinely worries for their safety and goes out of their way to call 911 then then to me that's indicative of some sort of an issue that needs to be addressed.. If nothing else it could be indicative of alcoholism and maybe that call could be a wake up call for them. The paramedics who arrive would know best if this is somebody who just simply needs to sleep off a hangover or if they need help, and what level of help is needed. It's certainly annoying to have to call in and look at the same people over and over who keep getting in these positions but it's way safer to be over cautious on this sort of thing than not.
@@sunstripe85 Plus iirc the ambulance staff will provide treatment which doesn't cost anything because it's emergency treatment, but the travel to the hospital costs money. (Idk if you have to call the fire department for this to be true though????) So call the emergency number, but get an Uber or smth if they say to take the person to the ER after that.
Being dismissed by doctors ruined my life completely and utterly to rock bottom just because I wasn’t listened to. I was young and dumb and trusted doctors and learned the hard way
I’m in some emergency med classes and that’s one of the first things they teach you, if someone is acting intoxicated, they will need to be checked right away because people will get arrested for being intoxicated in public and then die in custody because the police found out too late
I first found his videos funny, but after I saw him say not to report a person passed out on the street “because they’re probably drunk”, I couldn’t support him. There was a story in the comments of that video about a diabetic who had similar symptoms to a drunk person and passed out. They would have died if nobody got help, and it just shows how irresponsible he is.
Yeah, and even if they are drunk, you don't know how drunk they are. Alcohol is really dangerous in high doses. Also, the chance of rape or other assault increases, so yeah... report anyone passed out on the street
@@myby2888 i think the only super important thing not to do is call the cops. especially with alcoholics, who are often homeless where i live, they can end up getting harassed or arrested just because of their situation. keep cops away from potential medical emergencies.
I've been watching Steve's vids for a while. They make me laugh a bit b/c I WAS an ER nurse earlier in my career. But they also make me a little sad, b/c one of the things that led to me LEAVING emergency nursing for greener pastures was the psychic brutality evinced by both the ER professionals AND patients/families. The cadence & content of his speech remind me of the anger/sadness/pain underneath the surface of the docs/nurses/techs you and everyone here will visit in any ER. Steve's "crime" here is he's taking what's (usually) "backstage" and pulling back the curtain. I will say that every single thing he has said and acted out I have personally seen--more than once, and sometimes right in front of patients.
Yep. And part of me is also glad that the curtain is drawn. Because without that we can never start healing the stuff and a huge mental issues which are going on in the backstage. I am not professional. Just a patient. But an observant patient. My eyes were opened by a doctor who was behaving improper way towards me. Illusion was lifted.
@@IrisStellaGrace09 he retired at the height of a pandemic in a presumably understaffed ER. He is or was an ER tech, they make pennies. Techs dont get paid enough to be the backbone for a pandemic-ridden emergency room. Thousands of people retired. I even switched jobs. I think the toxicity and poor management of the hospital is why he left, with many others.
When I first came across his videos, I found them amusing and (a smidge) educational. But over time the topics he covered with that same tone became more and more sensitive and I started feeling really uncomfortable with them. The three you shared are perfect examples of why I unfollowed
Literally did exactly the same.. I tried to hold out because at first I thought it was honest mistakes, but then he repeated the behavior.. so I thought about it and unsubscribed.. it actually bothers me that another account of mine still follows him so I need to try and get in But the one about not calling the ER/ambulance on collapsed people if you think they’re drunk really infuriated me, along with a few others Like he’s giving information to hundreds of thousands/millions of people that is going to kill someone, directly or indirectly I thought it was a fluke but then he left it up and didn’t even apologize as far as I saw Then I had enough when he continued giving horrible medical/bad advice in a condescending voice So many people avoid the doctor because they are worried of being judged/embarrassed, and these videos perpetuate that Edit: OMG HE’S NOT A NURSE???
I love how respectful she was throughout the entire video. Never once did she personally attack him while explaining why she feels what he is doing is wrong
She belittled his position constantly. Yeah, he’s not a doctor, which he never stated he was. I hate doctors, they’re the ones that consistently misdiagnosed me and nearly killed me. On the other hand I have always liked and respected the nurses, M.A.’s and Tech’s that actually did 99.9% of my patient care.
@@williamreynolds6132 he's not even a tech though, he used to work as one and doesn't anymore for who knows many years and who knows how much experience he had to begin with and even if he in fact was one, it doesn't give him credit to spread information the way he does. It's obviously really easy for it to be a trigger to people online. Of course, if he made sure to tell that the main thing he wants to do is comedy, then that's one thing, but he talks as if he's giving information and a lot of it is his own view on things, which a lot of times is twisted af and really really derrogatory towards people that are in vulnerable situations.
@@williamreynolds6132 firstly, he is retired and secondly, i would be sued if i had retired as a lawyer's receptionist, created a tiktok, dressed as a lawyer, and made videos joking about laws and law cases. this is that situation.. tiktok NEEDS to put a label stating that he is not a professional nurse or doctor. believe it or not, there are people out there who think he is..in fact i was one of those people and only discovered that he isn't as soon as i saw this video.
@@gamershadow8 "i didnt hear him the multiple times he said he was an ER tech, didnt hear him the multiple times he said he left the ER during the pandemic, AND didnt look at his profile/bio, because my assumptions are facts and if theyre wrong its someone elses fault somehow"
As someone who deals with depression, and autoimmune diseases that don’t have a cure or a reason. I also am a licensed EMT, the way he talks about patients and treating people is disgusting
@@rokksysoftpaws7022 I will say that there are some bad apples in the medical field but there are also some great doctors/nurses out there. It just depends on who you get.
As a Registered Nurse I absolutely agree with you. I’ve only been qualified as an RN for a year, and as a student and new grad I sought out nurses on TH-cam to learn from them and he is someone I came across. The way he presents his videos absolutely made me think he is a nurse, but I was also thinking that many of his videos are incredibly harmful and at the expense of patients. In terms of the last video you addressed, my wife was suffering from extreme pain for months and had numerous visits to the ED. She was treated as if she was there just for the drugs and was often told that nothing was wrong. Spoiler alert: there was something wrong and it took months to be finally resolved via a medical procedure, and she hasn’t been back since (it’s been a year).
@Sheila Boland I work in the ER as a tech and honestly I find him hilarious and most of it is spot on. Hahaha. He is a comedian, he isn't doing these really for educational.
I've seen other, real medical professionals talk about his videos and how the butts of his jokes are the patients. Not the medical system, not the fallibility of doctors, but the people in pain. That's just punching down. There's plenty of dark humor to be found in the medical world, but his ain't it. His humor isn't dark, it's just shock and swearing.
Seriously. The one time it's semi okay is like.... The jokes about parents who interrupt and try to speak for their teens Or the teenagers who lie about their sexual activity Cuz like.... If you're a patient or a parent... Don't do that There are a couple others, but yeah he should be very careful about the direction in which he is punching
Fire department chronicles was pretty much the only heavy humor content i've seen with medical themed jokes, and I'm glad most of it is just about the actual workplace, goofy stuff, or making fun of other crappy medical representations throught the midia and pointing out whats wrong in them
His video on SH really really upset me and I didn’t hear anyone talking about it. At the time I was doing research about admitting myself. He detoured me. I became so scared and for the first time in YEARS ashamed of myself. Thank you for this video The fact that he isn’t in the medical field and still puts on scrubs to make arrogant videos is sick
FWIW, as someone who's checked themselves in twice over the decades, while I definitely found aspects of the experience quite frustrating, I also found it overall to be mostly helpful. And, you're absolutely not alone, and have no _good_ reason (this guy is giving _bad_ reasons, IMHO) to feel ashamed. I wish you the kind of life where you don't even feel the urge to do SH behaviors. Absent that, I wish you abundant support, whether from friends/family/whoever or from professionals. Best!
100% with you on this. When I saw that one about suicide/self harm I was so upset. I spent some time in his comment section after that responding to others’ comments about not wanting to go in when it’s like that. I have personally been through the ER from my own suicide attempts, so I feel it’s so important to understand that acting like that will definitely drive some people who are dealing with that away from the hospital or reaching out for help. Still so frustrated over that video. Thank you for making this video.
Thank you for this!! I've been annoyed at this guy's content for a while. The vibe that doctors are all-knowing gatekeepers of care, the condescension to patients who express vulnerability or feel that something's wrong, is dangerous given that so many people (especially women, and Black women) are disbelieved in the hospital for their pain. Also, his othering of patients who are mentally unstable just distances them from the care they deserve.
I originally enjoyed his videos, but after hearing your arguments, I have to agree. This isn't a great idea, to put it mildly. I had no idea he wasn't a doctor until you pointed it out. Glad you pointed these out!
Yeah, and different things he posted about people going in for pain and faking make it look like people who go to the ER in pain aren’t really in pain and are just faking.
Which does happen on a fairly regular basis. All hospitals have pain relief protocols in place to prevent the abuse of scheduled medication. But this sort of behavior happens enough that on a busy day a “Junkie” looking for a fix in the ER/Ambulance etc is not the drama that the ER needs at any time. Not to mention that some can and will say and do just about anything to get that fix. Which can be very distracting while Staff is trying to sort the sheep from the goats.
As always I'm late to the party but I'm so glad it's not just me. I had no idea he was a retired ER tech, I thought he was an ER nurse. The self harm one aggravates me but that last one hits home. I've been suffering for 15 months, I've had 4 surgeries, at least 2 more to go, because I went undiagnosed for 3 months with a perianal abscess. I had to hop from doctor to doctor because no one could figure out what was wrong. It took 3 MRIs, so many ultra sounds, and a few different doctors to finally get an answer. My abscess formed a fistula because the infection was in my body for so long. Thankfully, though annoying, my body did what it could to prevent spreading and sepsis. My fourth procedure was supposed to be my final one, but it failed, so I'm going under again on the 22nd. When you are in pain and a doctor can't figure out what's wrong, don't just go home and continue to suffer. Yes it may be nothing but you know your body better than anyone else. If your pain isn't getting better, go to another doctor. Keep advocating for yourself.
Late to the party too and I’m very similar to you. I also thought he was a nurse and I don’t have as serious of a problem as you but I spent close to 10 years with different doctors telling me there’s nothing wrong with me or they just can’t figure it out. Being looked down on by doctors makes so many people’s health situation worse. Anyway I really hope this next surgery is your last one and everything gets taken care of 🙏🏻
I'm so sorry for that happening to you. I totally agree - doctors don't always have all the answers. I've been pretty fortunate with my healthcare, but a year and a half ago I went to a doctor that really surprised me with how ignorant she seemed. I went for a gyno visit because I had unexplained itching (and I was in full lock down so I couldn't have gotten an STD). There was not change in how I looked down there, so I went to a doctor. She gave me an exam, then told me that I was just dehydrated and she could tell by the brown color of the skin... I'm black. I didn't know what to say so I just left. I found out on my own that I was just allergic to my body wash.
**Comes into the ER in an ambulance with the symptoms of a heart attack - radiating severe pain in the chest, severe dizziness, excessive sweating, low heart-rate, high BP, extremely pale.** --> every conceivable test able to be done to determine if it was a heart attack --> ALL tests come back, not only negative but am told my heart is extremely healthy --> given pain relievers and sent home with no explanation. **Goes back (husband drives me this time) with the same symptoms, writhing in pain this time (yes writhing, labor wasn't this bad)** You're not having a heart attack you can go home now. **Third time** MISDIAGNOSED and had to have emergency surgery the next day. For my gallbladder. (Truthfully it WAS stage two and probably did need to come out eventually but still). **Still in pain a year later and sees a specialist who orders more expensive tests** You have GERD. You need to have another surgery. Now mind you I was having several attacks a week, and some were severe but they ended quickly. I only went to the hospital when it wouldn't end for hours. I feel you.
I was having extreme and regular upset stomachs, diarrhea, constipation, and other GI stuff (as well as low blood oxygen levels, shallow breathing, coughing, sore throat, fatigue, and movement pain) and eventually, after much testing, I got an anxiety diagnosis. Even though the bracketed stuff went away after treatment for that, the other stuff persisted. As a minor, I couldn’t go in to get more stuff checked out on my own, and was told that it was just psychosomatic when I got an upset stomach (occasionally it still is, but not very often - the situation has to be pretty extreme). After much pestering, I got taken in again, got an IBS diagnosis, and got put on a FODMAP diet. After replacing things that I knew were fine (discovering some that I thought were fine actually weren’t and removing those) I had to test some things that I wasn’t 110% sure about. In the end, the biggest triggers are apples, apricots, peaches, pears, nectarines, plums, gum with artificial sweeteners, pop with artificial sweeteners, and anything else with artificial sweeteners, which give me rapid and extreme diarrhea, and things like garlic and onions giving me an upset stomach for multiple days with discomfort and constipation. After eliminating those (as well as some other random things like zucchini) I felt much better. Point is, I am very glad I advocated for myself.
As someone who has suffered from sexual assault and chronic pain with no diagnosis, these tiktok's are incredibly upsetting and disgusting. Your anger and frustration is 100% valid. Thanks for bringing attention to his dangerous content.
Hey. I’m an RN, and I’d never treat anyone like this. He does not represent the majority of us medical people. Many of us are starting to call him out. I’m sending love and healing your way.
The difference between this guy and actual funny medical shorts is that this guy is punching down at the actual patients, not the broken system. As someone who is chronicly ill and disabled I'm so glad you made this video.
Honestly, being hospitalized for suicidal thoughts, delusions, etc, can actually traumatize people MORE and might not be the right choice for everybody. It might be better for someone to stay with a family member or friend fit a few days. I have multiple friends with horror stories, including one being experimented on, being told so by the doctors, by giving her a medication that had given her seizures in the past, and they knew that. She didn’t have money to sue. Mentally ill people are often treated like garbage by hospitals and it needs to be talked about more.
I agree. I feel like if someone had told me what therapy was actually like, I wouldn’t have gone. And frankly I think that would have been for the best. The situation in America is terrible, but spreading information about it isn’t.
🙌🙌🙌 I refuse to go to therapy now because of past medical trauma. Unnecessary actions taken against me that will never allow me to trust people in medicine ever again.
@@Bex666 ❤️❤️❤️ there are still really good therapists out there, you just need to find somebody you can trust. That’s why getting referrals from friends and looking at reviews is good.
Just over 3 years ago I was hospitalized for mental health. I was yelled at for crying on the first night because I have horrible separation anxiety, I was lied to saying that I would only be there for one day, then I was lied to saying that I would only be there for three days, the patients (children) kept trying to harm themselves, I was yelled at for not knowing how to describe my feelings, I was yelled at for being excited that I was going to leave after 9 days of hell, I was yelled at for not wanting to be with other people, I was yelled at for not smiling with teeth, I was yelled at for not wanting to play on the playground... I think that experience traumatized me and for awhile I was too hurt to talk about it. Honestly, it didn't help. As soon as I got out of there, I wanted to harm myself again. ...And then I found a longtime partner who really cared, I found my passion in writing, art, and tech, I reconciled my relationship with my mom, I reconciled my relationship with religion, I started trying in school, I found my best friends in the entire world, and I found my truth in regards to sexuality. THAT is what helped me, not the asylum. Sorry for the essay, I just have a lot of bottled up feelings about it.
@@Calyaer I'm so sorry you had to go through that. Really makes me glad i ghosted the clinic i was supposed to stay in. I know not every mental health facility is the same but it's true, people with mental illness are often being treated like garbage, even mental health professionals. I'm so flad you're doing better now though, sending lots of love your way♥️
I remember watching Steve for a time, thinking his tiktoks were funny, but it wasn't long before I was turned off by, well, his condescending manner. He seemed so callous and cruel, and I honestly thought he was a nurse until this video. Jokes about these kinds of trips to the emergency rooms ought not to be made.
I was expecting the "We don't know what's wrong" to be about it being stressful trying to help a patient but having no answers. Was not expecting complaints about people not being pleased being told nothing's wrong. There may be people who end up going to the er when there's truly nothing serious, but there's also a lot of people with significant symptoms that don't simply go away where it takes a while to figure out the cause, if it's even found at all
Right like in my experience irl ER doctors only do the bare minimal tests required based on your presentation then send you home. I should know bc I have gone a lot and got dismissed a lot for problems that my actual doctors were pissed as fuck they didn't see with their extra technology available and didn't address. Like my cardiac problems for example that started at 21. It's really bad
Thank you, Jo. As someone with medical trauma after staying in a mental hospital where doctors got to do whatever the fuck they wanted to me, I struggle so much with medical exams and the idea that I have no control over whether or not a doctor gets to touch me. Steve just....so flippantly dismisses everything that brings me so much pain, anxiety, and depression. I felt so stupid and like I was overreacting while watching those tik toks, and it just hurt me to my core. Thank you for seeing me. Much love to you Jo ❤️
Yeahh, the one about "not having anything wrong" honestly just INCREASED my hesitancy to interact or trust medical professionals. I spent years having "nothing wrong with me" until a random doctor stumbled upon a heart condition that explained it all. I watched my father lose both his legs to an infection because his doctors told him "nothing was wrong". An ibuprofen can't fix this shit, and it honestly just makes me even more weary of medical professionals and that I'll be believed or respected.
The doctors I follow on TH-cam like Dr. Mike and Mama Doctor Jones would absolutely agree with you. Increasing distrust of the medical profession is literally life-threatening. Also, saying controversial things about sensitive topics is not comedy- it's just lazy clickbait. Dark humor is an important coping mechanism, but here's the difference- he's not making light of difficult situations for medical professionals, he's making light of extremely traumatic situations for patients using the most harmful stereotypes possible (rape victims want it, suicidality is a temporary problem, and people with chronic pain are crazy and lying.)
@@mustangnawt1 if his apology had ACTUALLY been "hey, I was experience extreme pandemic fatigue and I made a bad choice" rather than what it was "I thought long and hard about it" I would have kept following him. But after months of telling us to just stay home, he went and tried to justify doing just the opposite. I can't go back to him after that. MDJ is one of my ALL time favorites though.
@@sarahgocek5906 oh yea that. I didn't care too much, I'm usually staying at home anyways. but even if he told me to stay at home I wouldn't listen to him since he isn't my doctor. The things I listen to him on are medical facts and stuff, advices I get from my own doctor and personal experience.
As someone who has struggled with depression all my life, and having survived FOUR suicide attempts (last time resulting in life support for several days), I would never again seek help through an ER after seeing this “comedy” routine! I am totally with you!
please know there are people who cares for you and I hope you all the best Julie. I may be a stranger on the internet but you're very strong and know that I find you an amazing person. Keep strong, you inspire me to be strong myself ᕦʕ •ᴥ•ʔᕤ
Dark humor has a place but it’s not where it will offend people When I got my CRP license the instructor (an EMT) told us a story He had just finished responding to a wreck with a teenage girl and they were using humor to cope while out to lunch, one joke was “her body was on one side of the road while her leg was on the other” Turns out the girl’s brother, who did not yet know about the wreck, was sitting right behind them
Several of the EMT instructors specifically warned us to be very careful about where we have these kinds of controversial conversations. Yes, it is an incredibly stressful, underpaid and under appreciated job. But that doesn't give us permission to traumatize others in order to cope with our own trauma.
My mom went to the ER repeatedly over the course of a few years with severe stomach pain. They kept sending her away because they couldn’t find anything even in blood tests and other exams. One day they happened to actually decide to do an ultrasound at the right time and it turns out her gallbladder was swollen up so dangerously it could’ve turned deadly. She had to have it removed. Her pains were from gallbladder attacks that just happened to not show in blood tests. Now I’m going through the same ordeal. Sometimes a single few hour visit isn’t enough to catch something serious and telling someone that it’s Just Them is actively dangerous and honestly should be heavily discouraged.
The pelvic exam one gets me so much. As someone who was a gymnast for 14 years and lived in Michigan, the cases against Larry Nassar have stood out to me. In so many of those cases, parents and others were in the room while Nassar abused them. To call people who report sexual assault "crazy" further plays into the harmful narrative of victim shaming. In general, I feel like the ideas you're discussing tend to punch down instead of punch up. That is, so many people already suffer from medical gaslighting, so to paint someone's undiagnosed pain or someone's sexual assault report as someone being "crazy" (which is also an ableist term) is disconcerting, especially coming from someone who appears to be a medical professional. I am someone who has often not wanted to go to the doctor for issues, and I have social anxiety, so I can only imagine how these videos would have impacted me before I became disabled. Now, I have two guards: I know my body well enough to know when something is wrong, and doctors are more likely to take everything more seriously because I've had so many health issues.
I used to work in an ER as a paramedic. There's a lot of this type of rhetoric amongst ER staff but never EVER towards patients or lay people. This guy is definitely crossing lines by putting fear into patients, who might have sought help if not for him. I would love to hear MDJ and Doctor Mike's opinion. Edit to add that I am also a sexual assault survivor and I find that particular video vile
@@elizabetholiviaclark @Betty Olivia Clark I've been a nurse for 23 years and it is not appropriate among staff. The whole idea that it's a a way to cope is dysfunctional and toxic and affects patient care.
A lot the other videos make jokes of patient confidentiality. It felt pretty gross. It’s also really weird to hear jokes about something that’s almost killed me. The treatment of patients with chronic illnesses is abysmal, and it resulted in a traumatic brain injury being passed off as a dietary problem. I still have symptoms from it. When I had gone to the ER after throwing up multiple times, after my blood pressure tanked and I thought I might have had a serious reaction to some of my (many) medications…I got a single tablet of zofran. It cost me >$200 with good insurance. No fluids, no labs. It was only days later when I started getting extreme mood swings, couldn’t walk, couldn’t speak, had constant headaches, and paralysis of the right side of my face that I got myself to a doctor. The first one told me to change my diet. The second took one look at my terrible neurological state and ordered an emergency CT scan. Hours later after a condescending front desk lady made me stutter out the entire situation and make multiple calls to the doctor that had already called ahead, they figured out I was supposed to be in the emergency ward. For head trauma. Someone might have turned my visit into a joke like these tiktoks. Overreacting patient putting on a stupid act. Just wants something to be wrong with them. Probably drunk. I can’t smile properly anymore. But at least it was funny to someone.
I appreciate reading your story, and I'm sorry for how you were treated. I agree that anyone with chronic health issues (or god forbid, multiple health issues) get immediately overlooked. I'm tired of reading some of the comments here supporting what he's saying, in that medical ER professionals have to deal with so much that it basically lends them a pass to be rude and judgmental to patients. I have never been rude to anyone while at the ER/hospital, but when I've had to go, there always seems to be at least one worker who wants a medal for showing up for their shift, and cannot be bothered to hear what I'm telling them. I think he even did a video/Tiktok where he explains that 'we' in the ER just want to hear the ONE main symptom, and can't be bothered for anything else. I think those that work in the ER actually should receive a medal(pay rise), IF you practice as the professional you're supposed to be! I apologize for the rant there. And I hope you are doing well.
@@alexandramcdonald3085 doing very well, and I’m actually working in a hospital now! It’s been nice to make a change in person, see the people-and it’s good to see that at least in my hospital, everyone’s courteous despite the stressful environment
My first of his videos was the "we know when youre faking for drugs in the ER" and it was incredibly tonedeaf and completely uneducated on chronic illness
I commented on his narcan video to hopefully clear up his misconceptions and rude remarks about how addicts won't thank you for saving their life and they will be mad at you for "ruining their high". Very cold and tone deaf!
@@sashabenoit1518 yes! I mean, if you were in perceived bliss and went into OD symptoms I could see that being upsetting. Its not like he even did that for anyone in his old position
I personally was accused and dismissed and gaslit when it turned out I had “3 out of 4 markers of a severe kidney infection”. Apparently the fact I’d been self medicating for a UTI for over a month wasn’t a clue. If they’d sent me home, I could have died.
Coming from the healthcare field, I found him hilarious. But a couple of shorts in I started feeling uncomfortable because I knew, whilst these were things we joked about behind the scenes to debrief or destress, these things shouldn't be joked about with the general public who will eventually become patients. A few of his videos have made me click off them immediately. It's fine to joke about someone coming into the ER for a stupid reason, but some of the things he jokes about just cross the line completely.
His videos don't surprise me at all. I've had so many extremely negative interactions with healthcare workers through my life, and it's pretty obvious this is the way many feel about their patients based on the horrible care I and many family members have received. I avoid doctors and only go if I have tried EVERYTHING on my own to cure my own ailments because honestly there are so many A hole doctors who don't listen and are just there for a paycheck. But thank you for being honest and confirming that his jokes and attitudes are truly what's going on behind the scenes. It confirms that I'm 100% right in avoiding them as much as humanly possible.
@@bunny_0288 i think it’s absolutely terrible what happened to you. So many people follow carreer paths for the wrong reason, usually power or money. When you work in healthcare, that decision can be fatal. There are no excuses. However, if you look at some of the other comments, and also from my own experience and from a lot of healthcare providers around me, this is not the standard. It might be a cultural difference, but this would NOT be tolerated where i live. And i don’t live in a place where respect is necessarily the highest priority for people hahaha. In healthcare here people make jokes al the time. But never at the expense of a patient. It’s never making fun of the patient or making fun of the illness. It’s making jokes about past experiences, stereotypes about healthcare workers, and shared negative experiences (that could easily be called trauma). That’s what i hear from everyone around me. I know this will not restore your faith in the healthcare system. But your last comment worried me. The original commenter (and this is not meant in a negative way towards them) might not have a clue about what they’re talking about. And i don’t think they meant it in that way. There are terrible terrible terrible healthcare providers and i genuinely hate them, believe me i’ve experienced MANY of them, specifically misogynistic treatment from doctors. Completely dismissing my pain because i was a dramatic woman that didn’t know what she was talking about. But there are millions upon millions upon millions of healthcare providers that are genuinely good people. Again i don’t know if this is a cultural difference (i hope it isn’t) but making jokes at the expense of patients isn’t standard in healthcare for most healthcare providers. I am terribly sorry you have encountered some of the worst people in our society
@@meghaha8966 Thank you for your thoughtful response. A doctor is responsible for the death of my parents. He wrote a prescription he had no business writing and didn't listen to their concerns and it led to a serious of events that resulted in their premature deaths. It has forever changed how I view healthcare. I have zero trust in doctors. I double check all of their work with my own research and have found natural cures for things like UTIs and sinus infections. I feel like most (not all) doctors treat symptoms and do not look for the root issues. They shove medications at patients that have terrible side effects and only treat symptoms instead of finding out why the person has these symptoms to begin with. And sometimes medications can't be avoided, of course, but I have found natural ways of treating many issues that doctors would just give me antibiotics for. I could tell you so many stories of things that have happened to me, my husband, and friends/family members that would appall you. The entire system is broken. I fundamentally disagree with how medicine is practiced the more I have learned and researched on my own. I just don't blindly trust anyone. Even the best doctor in the world is still human and can make mistakes. All this to say, I know there are some good doctors out there that are doing their best to help people. I just don't trust that what they were taught in medical school is always the best approach to treating people. But that is just my opinion based on my own horrible personal experiences and the horrible experiences of sooo many ppl around me.
Yeah I'm an ATC so I've had a giggle at some of his videos. Ive also had conversations with athletes who go to the ER for everything. But yeah especially the 3 you've showed made me uncomfortable.
I recently discovered Steveio and like him but I did know he was a tech not a doctor but I didn’t realise he no longer worked in that field. I do have a very sarcastic humour myself and no history of trauma so thanks for opening up my eyes to a different point of view than my own
Underrated comment. I do have illness, but I am very tolerant of humour and will usually take it as just trying to be funny. However, I like seeing other points of view. And honestly I don't think there is one right answer.
He just left the field as his social media just took off. I feel like it is pretty common for many medical staff members to understand what happens in medicine, as they see it, and often may do a lot of the “grunt” work. They obviously wouldn’t do a pelvic exam, but it’s possible for them to be a witness to one and understand the attitudes of doctors and nurses.
I'm so thankful my last ER visit didn't include someone with that attitude Steveioe had. They couldn't figure out what was wrong, but the doctor emphasized to me that its important I follow up with my PCP and they'll refer me to a specialist. I expressed what pain I was in, and noted I have bad anxiety and that I've ignored my issue for years because the last doctor who saw me for it said it will go away eventually and its been 5 years. I'm 24 and I shouldn't be in chronic pain. That's not normal. And the doctor at my last ER visit made it clear that that was not okay of the previous doctor and that I deserve to be heard and cared for. I literally want to cry thinking of it, it meant so much to me to just be validated. But if I had been dismissed again I probably wouldn't be in physical therapy right now-which PT has been going really well this time. I finally am starting to be able to move and I'm not suffering from debilitating pain on a daily basis anymore. Maybe just 2-3 times a week lol but I still have a bit to go with PT I completely understand he is trying to be funny, but in our healthcare system where women and minorities especially are often dismissed despite showing signs of serious illness and then those illnesses are left to worsen until they cause often permanent damage- it struck a nerve to say the least. I have found some of his content funny, I don't mind crass humor at all, but definitely some of them were far too insensitive for my tastes.
I'm a doctor, and he is incredibly crass and unprofessional. I wouldn't be surprised if he was fired from his position. Additionally, if he is trying to present himself as a medical professional when he is not, I would think he is incredibly liable, especially talking about extremely sensitive and heavy subjects, for impersonating a doctor without a license. The topics he discusses are for people who absolutely need help and already are probably extremely anxious or even phobic, and he's making them even less likely to get the help they need. Not to mention the victim blaming!!! Somebody go after him. I'm angered as a doctor who is extremely compassionate in general and cares about how my patients are treated in every sense of the word.
I have a psych degree but I'm not a psychologist, but my take is that the trauma is the point for him. The comedy is cover, so he can say "Come on, it's just jokes. Get real." He wants and expects people to be traumatized.
@@pjaypender1009 You could not have said it better. Thanks for taking the time to send Jo such a well spoken and informative response as those of us who have some of those issues (I have had them all and when I get to the ER they announce, “Oh here is another one of our frequent flyers”. It’s all I can do to NOT ask for peanuts and a drink). Many thanks sending ☮️ n ❤️ and may you enJOY 😊 your day, plus thanks for being a doctor who cares enough to read Jo’s TH-cam channel!!
I am also a comedian, and I keep in mind the rule of thumb I once heard someone offer re. what kind of humour is offensive and where is the ‘line’. Look at your punchline and look at the people who aren’t in power in the situation you’re describing. If the punchline is at the powerless party’s expense, don’t make the joke. Steve consistently breaks this ‘rule.’ That’s where his dark humour crosses a line into what I would call unacceptable conduct.
I think the difference with "jokes that shouldn't be made" that you hit on is that it is different when there is a person who has experienced it making the joke. If I make a joke about limb loss, having never lost a limb, I don't have any context or understanding. That joke is at the expense of others experience. I think that's a key difference
I joke all the time about my toe amputation. It keeps you sane and normalizes it. I think he is dangerous, because it isn't things he has experienced, and he puts in the worse possible way. he is not funny in any way.
This is 100% true. As someone with a chronic pain disorder affecting my entire body for multiple years, I’ve made some pretty brutal jokes that if I wasn’t laughing, people would be scared to laugh at. This guy Stevioe literally made fun of people with chronic pain in a video in which a guy who is not visibly showing signs of pain says he’s a 10/10 on the pain scale only to make him seem like he’s lying I can tell you, I’ve seen other people with my condition and conditions like it show absolutely no distress on their face but pierce their palms with their nails to cope.
I think the major issue is he never outright states he isn't a nurse, doctor, or any type of practioner. It would be akin to someone pretending to be a cop, who never outright states he isn't, talking about how they make pat downs sexually. Difference is that the latter is a federal crime while the former is not, so there's less blocking people from impersonating a nurse besides general fraud, which isn't really applicable online.
Doctor Mike made a very good point about that part about not finding anything wrong. You know your body best and you are your own best advocate. If something is wrong, don’t back down and raise all the hell you need to in order to get the attention you think you deserve if you feel doctors are dismissing you
Overall Dr Mike is good but I do wish he'd educate himself on autism and non-harmful advice /information on it. In his The good Doctor review, he tried to advise parents to put their children in masking /social classes which most times just teaches autistic individuals how to look less autistic for other's comfort and at the detriment to the Autistic individual. While some things about social interactions are good/ helpful to learn, the burden of learning communication/social interaction should be on the people who are able to do that (Allistic/Neurotypical people) not on the autistic individuals who struggle with those things.
The last one REALLY gets to me. I was passed around from doctor to doctor for OVER A MONTH trying to figure out why I couldn't stop throwing up literally everything I ate or drank and why my abdomen hurt so badly. For the first two full weeks, I was told that I needed to just keep myself hydrated and rest, that I had the stomach flu. Obviously I didn't stop pestering them and several negative tests later, I finally ended up in the ER and found out I had been in renal failure for weeks. By that point I had lost 20 lbs and was severely dehydrated and ended up staying in the hospital for weeks. I am still dealing with the physical trauma from it. I can't stand it when people make light of doctors not knowing what's wrong. It is the worst kind of uncertainty.
Seriously... I'm so glad you're okay now! 🙌 I hate that ANYONE has to go through this crap 😥 my best friend has a dream of making her own private hospital full of only doctors she knows are competent because her family has struggled SO MUCH with misdiagnosis. It's really sweet actually because she believes so much in me (I JUST started college this past fall) and I would absolutely LOVE for this dream to become a reality, but it's not like you can just speak it into existence. Tbh I have no idea where to start 😅 but by golly we can build our connections and try our best 😤
Maam there you go diagnosis Renal failure they figured it out maybe it took time but they figured it out like i said healthcare professionals are human beings its their fault that you are ill
The second one on self-harm is really one of the factors that quite honestly made me afraid to ever go to the ER. It made me so scared of this that I felt even worse about getting help. He made it sound really terrifying to receive help from medical professionals. Edit: 200 LIKES!!! Dang, thanks everyone!!
It is pretty scary and this is exactly why it's best not receive any help from medical professionals because their help is rarely ever actual helpful. Research shows that these holds literally do nothing and often make the problem worse later by giving the person more trauma. Therapists are the only actual people you have when it comes to mental health and if you ever get institutionalized it's not about your mental health. It's about you being a problem. We don't treat mental health issues at all.
It had a counter effect on me. It made me more willing to go to the ER. Bc u know, I felt protected even without consent. And it made me feel safe, since I was "giving consent" to my death. But yeah, he does sound like a jerk.
I’ve watched this several times over a couple of months. Each time I see this guy’s videos, I find them less funny, more insulting and so very dangerous to the fragile or impressionable patients who are already in distress. By contrast, every video of Jo’s has warmth, humour and a level of frank honesty that is as rare as it is admirable. Wishing Jo peace, health and happiness, and my sending best wishes to all her viewers.
I blocked him so I haven’t seen that “we don’t know what’s wrong” video and that pisses me off. As someone with endometriosis, I can’t tell you how many doctors have said that my pain is “in my head”
THIS! I got told for YEARS that my pain was just UTIs because I was "dirty" and got lectured SO MANY times about how i needed better hygiene when in reality I needed endometrial tissue to not be growing in to my effing bladder!
@@livenitup862 I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that it’s “normal period cramps” ... I’m sorry but not being able to walk from the pain is not normal 🙄 I’m so sorry you deal with it too. I wish this disease would just die..
Also an endo warrior, as a sophomore in high school I was told my pain was just psychosomatic, as a senior, its just a cyst it'll pop. Finally as a Jr in college I had surgery and was narcotic free for months for the first time in years.
I can't speak on a lot of these issues for various reasons, but I wanna add something to the self harm/suicide thing. The way Steve has talked about this issue reminds me of how I was treated by medical staff after my suicide attempt. Please, for the love of god, take suicidal people and their pain seriously. Don't ever put on a patronizing voice when explaining what you need to do. You may be tempted to try and make the suicidal person feel bad in the situation so they won't try anything again but this is NOT. HELPING. You're literally just making them feel worse.
The way medical staff treats suicidal patients is so dehumanizing and objectifying. I hope you're doing better now and I hope you heal from what happened.
@@Tera_totally I am curious, are you referring to the removal of personal possessions and having a staff member watch the patient all the time? Or is it something else you experienced? I am really wanting to know your thoughts, I am a nurse and sometimes we have patients who are on suicide watch.
It's on purpose they want you to feel worse because they're inconvenienced by your mental health. I know how that sounds, but it's the same way disabled people are treated when they go to the ER we are inconvenience we're not supposed to exist.
@@Crystal5672cats just the tone can sometimes make the whole situation worse. I understand that you guys are overworked and probably overwhelmed but some medical professionals treat people with mental health issues in the ER like we are wasting their time and taking care away from someone who really needs it.
Ew. Just Ew. His attitude regarding these procedures reveals his absolute lack of empathy for patients in the medical system. This can absolutely harm people by turning them off from wanting to get medical help.
I am personally pissed at the person who told you to “delete” yourself. Under NO circumstances should anyone ever tell someone to do what that statement suggests. I would never even say that to a person I hate.
Having trauma from ER visits, which were caused by staff being unkind and dismissing my already present ptsd, this is...validating. When I first saw his videos, I felt uncomfortable, shocked even. And then I thought it was just me and didn't talk about it because "Im too sensitive". Thank you for speaking up about it.
I saw a few of his videos and he scared me to be honest. It made me wonder if this is really what the doctors/ medical professionals thought about me and made me even more scared of them. Your feelings are valid even if you are sensitive. I also have PTSD and that makes it hard to believe that my feelings are valid bc of the narrative that we are "too sensitive." In my case, I'm trying to learn that just because something doesn't upset someone else doesn't mean that I'm wrong for being upset. Our experiences shape our reactions and it would be unreasonable to expect you not to react negatively to something that triggers you. Actively unfollowing or blocking things/people that trigger me has been a huge help, I highly recommend.
I do not have ptsd, but after being hospitalised for the first and - so far - only time, I needed therapy for anxiety. Not because of the medical condition that got me into hospital, but because of the way I was treated by the staff.
His fanbase is kind of rabid. They love him and his jokes, and they aren't nice to people who see his videos and express discomfort. You are not too sensitive! Neither am I or Footless Jo for thinking his videos are harmful. It's completely reasonable to be concerned about all the bad his videos might be doing.
He's humor is my kind, but I really think he's being harmful without realizing it. He's going to discourage people from going to get help...and I didn't know that he WASN'T an er nurse. Thank you for talking about this. It made me really sad to hear him talk about people "not really being sick" when doctors can't find what's wrong. I guess since I have fybro M. I'll just not move my whole body 🙄😐
He’s being pretty specific when he talks about that though. You don’t go to the ER to get a fibro dx. I think a bigger issue is the hard network shows do when they show everyone getting a definitive DX and effective treatment when coming in through the ER all in the span of 24 hours. People don’t understand wha an ER is really for. Its for LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCIES, or things you legit think are life threatening, or broken bones, and little else. Period. You will not walk out of there with a dx for anything other than a broken bone or a heart attack. If you can beat it until normal business hours tomorrow, you will be discharged and told to call your primary care. You might get antibiotics, MAYBE a painkiller. I have been discharged at 25 with no ability to WALK and no MRI or any imaging. ERs are not diagnostic centers, not “Dr’s offices”. They are there to stabilize your vitals and make sure you can survive to be someone else’s problem tomorrow. More people need to know that. This ER technician isn’t “harmful”. Someone’s sense of humor is going to always offend someone else. I think Jo was in a bad place to take this humor so it hit her the wrong way. I could see myself taking it the same 8 years ago. I subscribe to him and laugh every time now, though. Pelvic exams used to be traumatic for me because of my history and ptsd, but they are just annoying now, like for most women. Also, a fair amount of his content is funny with a compassionate twist- like when he feels sorry for the person with no one to list as an emergency contact and offers himself. I just don’t think this is harmful. It humor that isn’t for everyone, but not harmful. I feel for Jo, but she is internalizing way to hard here.
@@juliejanesmith57 But sometimes gynecological concerns can cause pain so severe that you think you're dying. I have been to A&E because my period pains were so severe I couldn't stand straight. I went very pale and clammy. My mum took me in because she was worried I had appendicitis or a cyst that had burst. Turns out, it's adenomyosis. Which causes exceptionally painful periods. Hormonal contraception and prescription pain relief helps. However I'm not wasting resources by using A&E when the pain is so bad I can't stand.
@@juliejanesmith57 and he is harmful. He is offensive. He paints things in such a harmful light that he would put people off getting help that they need.
i'm in the same place as you. i used to follow him. it's so hard to watch that video regarding self harm and see him being so disrespectful when he was once part of a healthcare team. that will absolutely turn anyone who is seeking help, away. and who knows what could happen. ):
The one with the "we don't know what's wrong" makes me so angry to the ends of the earth. I went through 7 doctors, 1 ER visit, a physical therapist, and it was finally the freaking naturopath that figured out that I had bulging discs in my lumbar spine that if I continued to ignore, could have herniated or even ruptured. Even at the ER, they ran x-rays, and when I asked for an MRI, they said that since the x-ray didn't show anything, there was no need. Well guess what? When the naturopath ordered me an MRI, lo and behold, it showed things the x-ray didn't. It wasn't my fault, I was taking more than the safe limit of ibuprofen per day (when I already have liver problems), and even when I was going to physical therapy, they weren't focusing on the right things because the doctors were giving incorrect notes (they were treating muscles, not bones). Three months of chiropractic adjustments and a personal trainer helping me make a workout plan that worked for my spine and I'm better now, but things like this just make me irate.
It is insane to me to hear that if the ER cannot figure out what is wrong they will just send you home with nothing rather than referring you to a specialist or running more tests, or even just telling you to come back if anything changes. That's absolutely irresponsible and dangerous- People seeing you in the ER don't necessarily specialize in whatever might be wrong- they should know that them not finding something doesnt mean it's not there
You are 1000% correct on this subject. As a person who has been known to laugh at highly inappropriate/dark comedy, I believe what he is doing is wrong. Comedy is not an excuse to deliberately mislead people in ways that could hurt them. Maybe he needs to experience what a speculum feels like, and maybe he wouldn’t be so damn flippant about it.
It’s not even comedy. Repeatedly referring to patients as “motherf*ckers” is at the least, extremely weird. Comedy implies that the general population finds it funny, but this comedy is at the expense of others...
as someone who has been to the ER for a suicide attempt he's just straight up wrong. at least at my hospital: they don't do any of that shit. I changed into a gown but still had my phone and ear buds, as they left me alone for hours at a time. also the way he talks about it is just weird. "suicide is a longterm solution to a short term problem." is !. a horrible misunderstanding of the causes of suicide and 2. when stated in that tone, while smiling, honestly feels condescending
Exactly ur hospital my hospital takes everything bras yess shoes ur phone earrings anything u can use to harm urself u only get a hair tie and socks a gown underwear that look like boxers
This. Plus the way he called suicidalness a short term problem when for some people those thoughts are indeed not short term just seems ignorant in a way.
Well I don't know what hospital you were at, but they were not following procedure. I am an ER nurse and in every video I've seen of him he's been right. Or am I not "medical professional" enough eighter? Crude humor is how we deal with the tramatic shit we see in there and a hefty amount of patients appreachiate it too.
@@antheiheiant "Crude humor is how we deal-" ok, doesn't mean its not wildly inappropriate. Especially if the patient is the butt of the joke. The way you responded makes me think you are exactly the kind of nurse who would make very transphobic jokes about me to your coworkers with me in earshot. A critic of the nursing professsion shouldn't feel like a personal attack, unless. . .
My husband wasn’t believed in the ER. He was in agony, couldn’t bend his neck, and felt ill. They sent him home……while he had meningitis. He almost died because of it. It’s not a joke and while I think his symptoms were obvious….I even asked if it maybe it was meningitis, but they missed it. I realize doctors are humans, but I agree this kind of message is harmful.
As a nurse, and also someone who has been in the hospital for mental health and found the experience extremely traumatizing, I find this guy absolutely disgusting. I also thought he was a nurse or doctor.
Hey Jo, you're not the first one who's had a problem with him. I've seen a couple other creators who have opened up about how they think he is unprofessional and I totally agree. I've unfollowed him a couple months back because he just started to annoy me.
I saw a few that were funny- then was bombarded with WAY TOO MUCH INSENSITIVE crap 💩 Masquerading as humorous information. I found it annoying and had him removed from my feed. I agree that this guy needs a Warning ⚠️ 🏷 label The tone was off…. I have my own chronic issues.
It's his tone of voice and misrepresentation of his role is unethical. I enjoyed a few videos than there was one that really turned me off, so I've sort of refrained from watching him. There are other medical professionals that have videos that are actually funny and sensitive.
I agree, his tone was very upsetting and frustrating. I think each of these videos are stigmatizing towards patients. For me, the most upsetting was the pelvic exam video...
his videos really set off my anxiety. I'm pretty used to dealing with doctors and hospitals etc but I'm constantly worried that I'm going to be accused of making it up or that maybe it is all really in my head (internalised ableism is a hell of a thing). Everything about his attitude just gives me such bad vibes. It also makes me concerned that the doctors I thought were listening and understanding me were actually thinking like he does
I am already worried about going to the ER only to be told I'm faking it or nothing is wrong (when something is definitely wrong) Those videos made it worse. I'm disabled and chronically ill, and I completely agree, this really just made me double guess every ER experience I've had
I’m doing a masters of information and you very accurately described how people gather information nowadays. By seeing a person in scrubs giving information online, people are going to find authority in that information. Especially if that information is on a platform like TikTok. Thank you for sharing :)
I wondered how he was able to make these videos if he was currently, as I assumed, a nurse. Knowing he isn't makes a lot more sense all around. He is hurting hospitals reputation in addition to the crazy costs. Like, we do not need more reasons to not go to the hospital when we need to.
Oh give me a break.. it's just a comedy video, people got too sensitive with time, I am probably diagnosed with every known illness in the medical book but I am able to laugh at stupid stuff like this.. even though most of his jokes suck imo, you can still clearly see that he is just trying to be funny..
@@protoclone138 yep, still got a functioning index finger for hunting and pecking unfortunately, carpal tunnel hasn't got me yet.. that's the only thing preventing the achievement from being unlocked
@@protoclone138 Oh yes, as you can see I am a very high achiever even with only one functioning body part, if you are impressed with my one finger typing you should see me wiping my ass truly a feast for the eyes
Dude! I cannot stand him. I didn't know he's a former ER tech, like he's clearly wearing scrubs to legitimate himself and yet, he's no longer in the field and that's telling. He wants people to think he's credible by his clothing.
Regarding the self harm related video, I absolutely agree. I have been in that headspace and if I were there again thinking I might do something drastic and someone told me that they were going to strip me, take away everything I have, and stare me down even while I pee I think it would make my anxiety about the situation that much worse. It would almost certainly influence my decision to seek help. I think this situation is absolutely harmful, and now that some time has passed since the video was released I hope some progress has been made in making people aware that he is not to be seen as a medical authority.
I have had this exact experience. I was seriously thinking about hurting myself when I came across his self harm video specifically. It made me so much more scared to seek medical help.
As a retired psychiatric nurse, this made steam come out my ears. I’ve never seen these particular videos by him. You are correct. It’s harmful. It’s inappropriate. And it’s not funny.
He has released more recent videos where he is more sensitive about certain subjects. For instance, he did a newer one on self harm that mentioned all the same things that will happen if you come in reporting intent to self harm, but he framed it as a conversation between a concerned nurse and a suffering patient who understands why they need to do those things. People in the comments section who had self harmed really appreciated that video. I hope he’s taken down the mean spirited ones.
I'm pissed off over the continued belief that depression or suicidal idealation is a temporary issue. I have depression and anxiety due to trauma and genetics. Will be taking meds for the rest of my life to keep balanced. Also he's an ablist ass. Not funny
I'm so with you! From the outside it might be true, that suicide is a long term solution for a short term problem. But when you are ready to do it? You don't care anymore. And also, like Jo said: When I have suicidal thoughts and then hear how I will be stripped down and taken my bra away in the ER? I will not go there. Especially as a person with sexual trauma. I will stay away. And I will tell noone so they don't bring me there. What I would need is: We are here, we care about you. Come to us, someone will talk to you and then discuss if you have to stay and how to proceed. If you have to stay, you might have to change into a hospital gown, but we will talk you through all your options.
Yes, exactly. There's nothing short-term about my mental illness, it's life long. People saying that just make me feel even more alienated because it shows they really don't understand what I deal with.
Yeah, saying it’s a life long solution to a temporary problem makes it sound like the person randomly had something happen that made them suddenly want to do it. That isn’t usually the case. Often, people struggle for months or years before they finally attempt suicide, because they’re tired of suffering and being miserable. Also, I hate when people say it gets better. That’s not always the case.
As someone who’s been through SA and is effected by it everyday, I wholeheartedly agree about your thoughts and especially on the pelvic exam video. I am definitely very sensitive to these things, but it’s a very sensitive topic and shouldn’t be discussed so flippantly,
"If it hurts to move it, stop moving it!" Is so unbelievably unhelpful when EVERYTHING HURTS ALL THE TIME 😂. Also terrible advice when too much immobilisation causes issues with your fascia, which will only make things worse in the long run 🙄🙃
@@laululla Not usually! I have central sensitisation pain which is likely due to hEDS, ADHD undiagnosed & untreated til I was 25, and trauma... but if I dislocated something and it didn't go back in (which has never happened so far, and won't - fingers crossed!) I would go to urgent care 😅. I did go get medical treatment for a broken foot 2 years ago, which posed another problem because I walked on it for nearly a week thinking it was just bruised/sprained due to it not hurting that bad to me (other than when it actually broke, and when I accidentally kicked something 😫, but that pain was very sharp and short so it was easy to push aside) because my pain perception is all wonky 😅. But even then it's really important to mobilise sensibly without causing significant pain - using the foot helps it heal properly, and reduces any atrophy (I still have some, but it's not that bad, and it would be way worse if I kept off the foot completely 😬). I would only go get emergency treatment if something significant happened tbh, and now I _know_ what a broken bone feels like, at least I wouldn't chalk up another one to my usual pain 😅
Saaaame. When something is wrong and you're gaslit and harassed and charged $2k. It's one of the worst experiences and really drives you away from help you *need* to survive. I'm so glad to see you calling this out. How severely harmful it is.
I have watched some of his videos & found them funny. I have also found some that are quite disturbing. I also have to say that the ones that you showed I had not seen before today. I agree with you that he does give the impression that he is still in the profession. I agree that a warning or disclaimer should come with each of his videos to state that this is not medical advice from a professional. We should not have to go to the profile page for that information. It should be right up front with every video.
I recently just quit my job as a patient attendant at a hospital and I can say with 100% confidence that his statements in the self harm video are a complete deterrent for people to seek help when they need it. I was the person who would stay with potentially suicidal patients at all times, including watching them in the bathroom. Almost every time that I went down to the ER to sit with someone who was just admitted, they would say something along the lines of "I didn't know I would have no privacy here." I had many patients who, upon my arrival, would want to leave. I assume that if they had heard his "jokes" about what it is like to go to the ER for self-harm reasons that many of these people wouldn't have actually come to get the help that they needed, and that is a huge problem
Considering more people get more traumatised by these places than actually helped, it doesn't matter. Lots of my friends ended up places for suicidal thoughts/attempts. Every one got worse, qnd a few even tried the moment they left the hospital and had a chance.
I totally agree, but I have something to add being on the other side: I see people saying "well he's just telling the truth about what happens" and sure, I guess. But for me, the deterrent is not the "information" but rather his crude and unempathetic way of talking about it. It makes me think "If I check into the ER, is HE what's going to be watching over me?" All of my traumatizing experiences with the medical system have revolved around a doctor who talks about me like that man talks about suicidal patients. If I had to surrender control to a local ER because I feel like I'm going to hurt myself, I would never ever want to surrender control to him.
There is no help though. As a person who has tried many times to beg for help at various ERs, all they do is hurt. You'd honestly be better served going out into the night and asking someone to kick you in the face. It'd be less damaging.
@@mariaa8659 dude, when i woke up in the er after an attempt i felt beyond violated and degraded and like all autonomy was taken from me. They lost my clothing and i never got it back, left me on a respirator thing for a near hour while i could breathe fine on my own and the thing was just making it harder for me to, they ignored me and looked me in the eye while i was begging for them to help me, give me a pen and paper so i could communicate, anything, they looked in my eyes multiple times and just left me like that for an hour. Because the dumb doctor didn't have the machine set up right and thought i "wasn't breathing" when i was trying to tell them i could. and the head of mental health tried to convince me I was bipolar within 5 minutes of talking to me and gave me a very big starting dose of mood stabilizers when I've been even taken them before (I've been found to not be bipolar at all and that medication made me someone Im not.) It was just a horrible experience and it's made me promise myself to never be in that situation again, no matter what that means.
@@mariaa8659 I'm so sorry it happened to you as well, some doctors just shouldn't be allowed to deal with patients who are going through that because they're clearly not prepared to :'( it's really sad how instead of trying to actually help they strip a person of all their rights and try to drug them into submission, all the sitters and nurses were very kind and nice but the doctors, god they were just cruel. Things need to change :',','( I really hope you've gotten to a better headspace since then because it can be very traumatizing going through what we did, but people don't really care and then blame us for it, like we would've known it was going to happen or we chose to do it, just know that you're very valid in how you feel about it, we all are
I'm late to the party but thank you for making a video about this. I found his videos through TH-cam Shorts and at first loved them, but then I saw the video about assuming passed out people on the ground are just drunk homeless people and to LEAVE THEM. I felt really icky about it, but wrote it off as a fluke, a product of a bad day at work. Then I saw the video about the dehumanization people having a mental health crisis face with such callousness, and I quit watching the videos. I had thought maybe I was just being sensitive, I have too much empathy for a lot of dark/edgy/offensive humor so I stay away from it since it just isn't for me. I'm glad I'm not the only one objecting to the nature of these videos.
All I can say is that it is a part of medical ethics to, "Do no harm." and by Steve blatantly making fun of patients is what I would consider "doing harm."
Depends on how you define harm. Maybe the methods aren't ideal but he points out a lot of the ways the medical community does immeasurable harm. Take suicide for example. A hospital might let you keep your bra or not actually watch you pee, but they will absolutely strip you of your dignity, agency, self efficacy, etc. in an attempt to help you. The dignity I can do without; last time I was in the ER not only was I ok with them watching me pee, they had to help me pee. It's the agency and self efficacy that get me. They apparently don't understand what it means to be human or the irony that in many of their methods of attempting prevention they're justifying or validating actually committing suicide. Maybe I'm wrong but I personally would rather someone kill themselves, taking control of themselves and living for a moment, however brief, than being alive for an extended period but not truly living.
I used to work in a clinic. As shocking as he is, that’s pretty typical of the way techs, CNAs and even some nursing staff talked when patients weren’t around. It offended me for 6 years. Our doctors would even get into that mix sometimes. Looking back on it, it’s one of the things I hated most about my job. Once in a while a patient heard it. Some of those complained. But the cynical, dismissive, crass attitudes persisted. That included jokes and annoyed comments targeting patients in pain, with disabilities, having treatment issues or with quirky personalities. It’s the smelly underbelly of local healthcare.
This is incredibly accurate. It is such a double edged sword to work in healthcare. I’ve tried to have us laugh at ourselves, more than other things, but some are too far gone. They need to retire. I will NEVER work in an ED. Depending on where I worked, the staff was rude to even me, coming in before, during, & after a code to help. It made me hate my job. Thankfully my passion for helping others outweighed it, but it has almost killed me a few times.
I was hospitalised only once - about a year ago, during the pandemic. I had to stay for a week (kidney inflammation), alone in a room with no chance to get visitors. This was one of the worst times in my life. And although nobody was openly offensive towards me, I sure as hell got a lot of these condescending vibes, "caught" nurses making fun about me and so on. Medical staff being dismissive about my concerns. The day I was sent home, the doctor actually wanted me to stay one more day because it was a serious issue after all and so she thought I should stay "to get some rest" and "relax". I managed to convince her that I was ready to go home. I found out that many ppl think of hospitals as places where you are safe and taken care of, but I just felt so threatened there. (sure this wasn't the nurses fault alone but they surely played a significant part in it) And now that everybody is on this trip about "nurses have such a hard job", "nurses need to get paid more",... I just can't get myself to acknowledge that or feel for them. So they didn't get paid 'enough' while sh*t-talking about their patients whose lives were in their hands? Do we not have more serious problems to discuss? (I know it's kinda unfair to judge a whole profession based on one single one - week experience. Only that knowledge won't change the way I feel, right?)
@@joschistep3442 you're allowed to have complicated feelings about the health profession. Im very sorry this happened to you. There needs to be quality control for nurses that just isnt there.
You're 100% right that this is typical. I've been dealing with chronic illness symptoms for 19 years that have been dismissed and mocked that whole time, right in front of me in some cases. I recently had a lesion with radiating nerve pain and numbness, and had a dermatologist look at it. She said to put benadryl cream on it, and while I was checking out, I and everyone else in the waiting room heard her loudly mocking me for "coming in to see her over a mosquito bite." Two months later I am getting spinal taps and dozens of MRIs because the nerve issues associated with that lesion, and everything else I've been dealing with for two decades, are textbook MS; but because of that smug, smarmy, mocking attitude, I've gone decades being laughed at instead of listened to. Even if that TikToker were a licensed clinician, he wouldn't have been any different. He would have just been hurting people more directly.
I used to go out with a nurse and they were very like him. Plus extremely indiscrete. I have multiple health issues and let's just say we are no longer together.
I'm a RN. Humor is definitely needed to get through this job sometimes, especially after this past year. But also after this past year, many people are burnt out and bitter. I understand the frustration and why people are leaving en masse, and that's probably why he's (and probably others) acting like this. It does not make it okay. He's being unprofessional and either needs a break or to leave the medical field.
Amanda, if you're an RN like me, he actually sounds like an individual who may have worked in an ER but not in a critical thinking capacity. In my experience ED techs dont need any education or healthcare background and their interactions and involvement with patient care are very limited.
Yeah, the fact he's portraying himself as a doctor - he knows exactly what he's doing! An ER tech is important, but nowhere near as important in the way a doctor is. And has nowhere near the same amount of medical knowledge. Its dangerous, what he's doing, and its not okay
Personally I find Steve's videos absolutely hilarious and they've almost always made my day. But I do know he's a retired ER tech and I also do know not to take him too seriously. So I've never thought much about this. However, what you say in this video makes total sense now that I do think about it. I've had experiences with gaslighting doctors, some of my friends have also been abused, and yeah, biewing it from that perspective changes my opinion a lot. A disclaimer of some sort at the beginning of his videos (at least the "tips from the ER" series) would be necessary indeed. Something along the lines of "I'm a retired ER tech, this is comedy, don't take it too seriously, and if you're sensitive to X, Y or Z, this may not be for you." Thank you for this well-differentiated view on Steve. Fwiw, I don't think you're a jealous bitch or anything at all like some of his other followers obviously think ✌️
I totally see how his content can harm people and I think if someone is actually going through a medical crisis his tone and style wouldn't be helpful. I assume he was never actually like this to patients in person and this is just to make the point more comedically. I've never been offended or affected by his videos, even the ones that apply to medical problems I have had, but it makes sense some people wouldn't enjoy them and some scenarios are more appropriate to joke about than others. I do agree he should make his profession known
In the 'tips from the er' videos he doesn't but he states that he's not a Dr and is an er tech many times, especially on his TH-cam videos. At least a few on tiktok that the said it in have been removed. Eta that I just noticed he lists he's retired now on his TH-cam
Its the most disrespectful way to explain a death of a family member or friend. A kid in my class hung himself. All I could imagine was his cousin who at the time was his best friend having to listen to that. And know based off this one video that it probably would have been worse if he had gotten help.
@@kiwikiwi2483 it's not possible to simplify it like that, it's way more complex, and it definitely doesn't feel like a short term thing when you're in it. It's hard work to get out of it and even then it's hard work to stay out of. Most attempts are made within 5 minutes of the decision, most people are capable preparing preventative measures beforehand because they don't actually want to die, big on that list is getting rid of fast ways to do it and creating plans to get you through those moments and controlling those impulses. "It's a long term solution for a short term problem" completely misses the point, depression is a long term problem and suicide is usually an impulsive decision, not something that people would see as the absolute solution, they know it's not, they don't actually want to die, putting it like that is belittling to the people who are in this situation.
@@l.c.8475 Elaborate more on how you think long-term solution to a short term problem is wrong though. You're simultaneously saying so much while also saying so little.
@@kiwikiwi2483 because it fundamentally misunderstands the thought patterns that lead people to attempt suicide, it's not about a solution, it's about poor impulse control. Have you ever looked over a railing on a bridge and had that little voice at the back of your head telling you to jump? But you actually jump instead of moving away from the railing, because looking down makes you queazy after the voice did that. because it frames depression as a short term problem, something people do when they conflate the mood with the disorder, and that's how it's most often minimised, because everyone gets depressed some times, but not everyone has clinical depression.
As someone who has suicidal thoughts from time to time (don’t worry, I try my best to yell back at them and try to stay around people when I’m at my worst) The way this video is presented makes me not want to go to the hospital for help. And that is precisely what I should be doing!
As a nurse I find most of his videos to be humorous. Yes, he jokes about patients, but I've never heard him joke about any specific patient, just the general types of situations every nurse encounters. And even though it's a little dark or vulgar at times, I don't see a problem with that, since it's the same kind of humor you see on other medical sitcoms like Scrubs. And I know he's not a real nurse, but he used to work with us so he knows alot about what nurses do.
@@bijou3000 i mean, if I can stay home and make more money that being overworked and exposed to a virus, I'll gladly stay home. We can't blame him on that
@@bijou3000 Yep totally. Plus the problem here being his humor, not his work in the er. No one can deny that 1 he never claimed to be a doctor, 2 he said that he left.
@@freyjia5067 I've heard him say, "Not a doctor, not a nurse" in a number of his longer videos. I guess I don't have a problem with dark humor because it's a coping mechanism that a lot of professions develop.
As someone who just 2 months ago went to the ER for severe neurological symptoms and ended up being held against my will for 12 hours with no way to contact my husband... until they discharged me onto the street the following morning with no one there to pick me up, without having dressed a single wound and after having dosed me with something also against my will, I am horrified that this guy hasn't been disciplined by every one of his female friends. or maybe he has. I can't watch the whole video, it's still too fresh for me. Thank you for talking about it.
The way they treated you is despicable. I'm so incredibly sorry. I personally know that I have neurological issues and I am personally terrified of doctors to the point that actually getting checked and diagnosed terrifies me. (You didn't make that worse). And you just proved me right in that regard. Its attitudes like Steve's and other medical professionals that treat their patents with such disregard that lets everyone down.
Seriously glad they let you go that quickly and you had someone to take care of you, but that’s still terrifying. I’m… not going to ER’s unaccompanied anymore?
@@israel963 Absolutely not, always always have someone there to advocate, I knew this before I went but then I thought to myself.. heyy this is Canada what’s the worst that can happen? … 🤯
Thank you for speaking up about this. I suspect the majority of Steve's fanbase are young people who have never had any serious medical issues with themselves. The last time I went to the ER my husband literally had to drag me into it. I was in the middle of a depressive episode and I didn't want to be subjected to the humiliation that would happen if they found out what i was thinking. For nearly a year, my mom kept going to the ER for help because she had pain in her stomach and it was causing her to lose a lot of weight very quickly. 2 years ago my dad had to convince my mom to go to the ER again, because even for the pain she was in, she felt going was just a waste of time since doctors had told her multiple times that they didn't know what was wrong, and because she wasn't actively dying, she gets sent home. My mom went, and got diagnosed with stage 3-4 lymphoma. There was a tumor in her stomach.
He has been getting better, lately. His most recent videos are far more sympathetic and actually helpful. But his older ones definitely were upsetting. I've had horrible experiences in the ER, pretty much grew up in them, and have chronic illnesses. I did get desensitized to his videos and started finding them funny after I started to understand his humor (and his humor started getting better). But that requires understanding his humor, and being able to appreciate it. The big rule is to recognize when it is exaggerated and not directed at the minority of people who it is not applicable to. BUT not everyone can do any of the above. There is nothing wrong with that. His type of humor is not a 'stop being so sensitive' level, it is legit triggering level. And the fact that so many of his viewers don't understand the exaggeration is a huge problem. I do not understand how anyone can mistake him for a doctor. I thought he was a nurse, but nothing about him makes me think he's a doctor.
EXACTLY! I love Jo, but her complaint that "he was never a medical professional" really pissed me off. Just because he's not a doctor or a nurse doesn't mean he is not a valuable part of the medical community. ER techs are not fucking janitors, they do actual patient care which makes them medical professionals. What's next, now EMTs and paramedics aren't medical professionals either? And also, he never implied he was a doctor. If people assumed he was, that's their problem.
Anger and frustrations 100% valid. Those TikToks are done at best, in poor taste, and at worst, could keep someone from getting the help they need/deserve. Yikes 😠
Seriously! The video that made me unsubscribe was him telling people not to call Emergency Services on a passed out person on the street, because they are ‘just a drunk homeless’
There's another video I found fairly problematic. He had a video on faking seizures to avoid law enforcement. But it came off as extremely harmful because of those of us (like me) who suffer from Conversion Disorder or other Somatoform disorders where things like seizures can be caused by acute psychological distress, but won't read as "real seizures" on an EEG. I wouldn't expect him to know this exists, but it isn't that hard to do some god damn googling about seizures. It's everywhere. As a medical professional, it shouldn't be difficult to research the disease you're claiming to be a professional on. He could even have asked a neurologist or put any effort at all into the background checks on his work. Its harmful. Extremely harmful.
I didn't realize he wasn't actually in the field anymore for the reasons you mentioned (dress/use of "we") and I do find that to be upsetting. I've only seen a couple of his videos and have enjoyed them, but I hadn't seen any of these (surprisingly enough, he just reposted the self-harm one on his IG today) before your video and I really didn't find any of these to be funny. As you mentioned, context matters. If Steve was a woman or AFAB, that pelvic exam one might play different. If Steve was talking about self-harm from the standpoint of someone with suicidal ideation or who had self-harmed as well as his prior ER experience, again, maybe it would have played different. But in these cases, it just feels harmful.
Yes!! Joking about a situation that actually affects you (I’ve definitely made some dark jokes to help myself cope with situations that, in a different context, would be horrible) is totally different than profiting (either monetarily or socially) off of other people’s pain.
So, I am a current "medical professional" (I am an RN working in a hospital with 8 years of experience in all levels of care (med/surg, tele, ICU). I don't usually work in the ED, but have been floated there on occasion. First, *everyone* is wearing blue scrubs like that, especially during covid when they're literally dispensed by a machine like a vending machine. That way they stay in the hospital and you're not bringing home hospital nastiness. So, no I don't think he's trying to pass off as a doctor. ED techs to PhD MDs all wearing the same thing. While he says "we", that is quite literally what we do in a hospital setting. Just because he's not currently working in the hospital doesn't mean he suddenly lost all his knowledge and experience the last day he walked out of the hospital. When I was floated and flailing as the ED is a much different setting setting from inpatient, the ED techs were honestly the most helpful. No, they're not nurses and sometimes don't have nursing level assessment skills, just like we don't have the same skill set as NPs, PAs, and MD/DO have. Some ED techs are in nursing school and will be working as nurses soon, so no, I wouldn't discredit him as "not a professional". He certainly was and still has that level of knowledge and experience. I haven't watched too many of his skits, so I can't attest to whether or not he was sowing misinformation or not, but to be fair there were an embarrassing number of nurses and doctors that *do* have that level of education spreading mis/disinformation regarding covid. Now, where I do agree with you. He does come off as callous and flippant. Most if not all medical people do, especially when we're stressed and need an outlet. *But* that should be kept amongst ourselves and loved ones that know us and know we're not terrible human beings. Putting all that out there for lay people to see isn't great imo. *I* was cackling laughing because we've run into these situations and are all *thinking* (ok sometimes saying what he said to coworkers). He's saying the quiet part out loud, which is funny a lot of times for us, but sounds horrific to an outsider looking in. I do also agree that he could put something in the beginning stating his role in healthcare and that he's retired from that role. Also a content warning for veiwers that this is medical humor and other potentially sensitive topics like suicide, rape, etc. so you know what you're getting in to and have the opportunity to not watch if you know it'll make you uncomfortable/upset. That's all, and sorry for the long comment.
Exactly! I love Jo, but her complaint that "he was never a medical professional" really pissed me off. Just because he's not a doctor or a nurse doesn't mean he is not a valuable part of the medical community. ER techs are not fucking janitors, they do actual patient care which makes them medical professionals. What's next, now EMTs and paramedics aren't medical professionals either? And also, he never implied he was a doctor. If people assumed he was, that's their problem. As a future nurse, I'm not sure what makes me angrier; people not recognizing any other healthcare workers but doctors, or upon finding out that *gasp* other positions exist, they devalue them. Here's a song I made to the tune of "If Your Happy and You Know It": doctors are not the only medical professionals *clap clap* doctors are not the only medical professionals *clap clap* don't devalue all the people who see you when you're sick acknowledge other healthcare workers exist *clap clap*
Just.... all of this content could be expressed in a kinder, sympathetic way, even the uncomfortable topics. For the pelvic exam one, phrasing it instead as. "If anything happens during the procedure, there will be a third person present you can immediately report it to" could help. Or for the self harm one, "Be aware that they will take your clothes from you, including undergarments, and there will always be someone present with you, including in the bathroom. We want to ensure you are completely safe and unharmed." Make it more clinical. It can really help. These are really sensitive topics and can really affect your views going forward. All of this information is valid and important to express to those who may be going through these procedures, but it should have been given in a different way when its being spread to a wide audience by someone who is acting like a ER doctor.
That third video made me so angry I am similarly blinded with rage. As someone with invisible chronic pain which has robbed me of so much in my life, just knowing this thinking exists is beyond heartbreaking. To see it as the butt of a joke? Even worse. Shameful. Your radar is bang on, as usual, Jo.
I 100 percent agree with you. Some of his videos I thought were okay but he does kind of rub me the wrong way and I don't like his excessive use of "mother fucker".
His vids remind me a lot of how doctors talk about my disorders, i have FND witch is quite literally "in my head" due to my nervous systems overreacting and i can't count the times doctors would treat me as a hysteric. not only do this videos normalise this attitude but also make light of real pain.
reminds me of when my dr told me I just felt cold because my brain was lying to me. if I hadn't pushed we wouldn't have found out I was hypothyroid and my internal body temperature was actually dropping too low. thankfully he was at least open to being wrong in his initial diagnosis. (also once told me I went blind briefly due to... a panic attack. it was probably a high blood pressure episode due to a combo of dysautonomia and temporary illness. definitely wasn't a panic attack.) it makes sense that doctors look to the most common answer first, but it sucks that the minority then get ignored when we need the most medical attention.
Your feelings about this are valid. I find those videos offensive. I hate the fact that he thinks cussing and turning traumatic topics into a joke is a great way to grow your presence online. Who cares about how many followers he has? If the wrong person sees one of those videos, it could actually cost a life. He doesn’t put a familiar or human twist on it that makes others feel it is okay to laugh. I am not laughing, and I do have a broad sense of humor, that sometimes accepts offensive topics, depending on how they are delivered. You’re not a Karen, you are conscientious.
I agree. There are offensive jokes that are generally funny because of the way they are constructed. I think the question here is how considerate do we want to be of people who refuse to look beyond the scope of their own feelings which seems to be the audience he is targeting with these videos.
I feel like that content is more damaging than it could ever be helpful. Jokes and sarcasm don't always come across that way to certain people and even more people when they are in vulnerable states. Personally I feel like all those types of videos should have a quick warning along the lines of this is not coming from a medical professional and is meant to be a joke/parody/sarcasm etc.
Hi Jo, Long time watcher and I thoroughly enjoy your content. I have always appreciated your open, warm and genuine presentation. I’m a medically retired nurse with 25 years experience nursing people with mental health issues. I was medically retired because I was very badly assaulted by a violent patient. I have had multiple surgeries and now struggle to mobilise even with a cane. By all accounts a wheelchair is in my future so that’s something to look forward too. Personally I want alloy wheels and ‘go faster stripes’ on it. 😆 Anyway, I think that you hit the nail on the head at about 13:45 when you said about comedy being different things to different people. When I was still able to nurse face to face I, and those I worked with, dealt with our fears, anxieties and frustrations with comedy. Sometimes it would be highly inappropriate jokes or comments. But they were never said within earshot of a patient and were only shared with colleagues that trusted each other. None of us would ever intentionally denigrate a patient or their feelings, but we needed a release as our own mental health was impacted so hard by the work we did. As you said, you yourself have cracked some very dark jokes when with people you trust, that the general population could be offended by. Laughter is a coping strategy that works better than any medication to lift your mental state. I enjoy Steves videos and have experienced a number of the circumstances he describes, both as an healthcare professional and as a patient. More often than not I find his comments amusing. But he is subtle, much like a hammer, and can trivialise topics more often than not. There have also been times where I have found his ‘welcome to the ER’ series therapeutic as he is able to express the frustrations we have all faced in an underfunded, understaffed and poorly resourced healthcare system (UK here) when we ourselves would be struck off for saying the same things. I respect both you and him and can only comment from my own perspective which does not allow me to comprehend your/his personal experiences and emotional attachments. I am also a great believer in people making their own minds up and, if so, skipping a contributors content for whatever reason. To aid that decision making, I agree a warning/disclaimer should be used on some videos. The three you highlighted would appear to be good examples of where that warning might have helped avoid triggering some people. Anything more than that would start to look like censorship more than a neutral warning for the general good. Sorry it’s a long ramble, morphine does that to me sometimes. Keep up the excellent content. I’m so glad you won the battle when you were demonetised and labelled as offensive. Absolutely crazy. From one person with limited mobility to another, have a great day. Find love, happiness and peace at whatever opportunity you can. You deserve it
You have expressed exactly the same thoughts I've had while reading these other comments. I was also in the medical field for 35 years. Medical secretary/assistant, transcriptionist; in hospital and private practice. We hear about, see and/or help people during so many difficult situations. A sense of humour doesn't mean we don't care but we need a little stress relief.
As a fibromyalgia patient, and being spoken down to and flippantly dismissed by the professionals I counted on to HELP me, I agree this is a bit infuriating. I've also had multiple other very painful conditions that were untreated for entirely too long bc of this crap.
I have fibro and it took me 10 years to get diagnosed. No one would listen. I was called a liar and crazy so many times. I do not trust doctors. I see integrative doctors. But yes, Im scared to go to the ER for any reason.
Hes so aggressive. I completely agree with you, Jo. Listening to him makes me uncomfortable and makes me hope that my family or myself never come across someone like him in a medical emergency.
I'm an RN and my 8yr career has been in behavioral health- inpatient (in hospitals), outpatient (residential) and in case management. I agree that humor can be used to cope, and can be incredibly dark sometimes, but there is never an appropriate time or place for tearing another person down for laughs. All he is doing is perpetuating the stigma of mental health, and normalizing the dehumanization of patients. I have worked at some absolute shit shows (literally and figuratively 😅) but it hurts my heart to see someone misrepresenting healthcare workers. That's not professional, it's not healthcare, and it's sure as shit not why I became a nurse.
![[LIVE] : ONE ลุมพินี 89 | คู่เอก "ยอดไอคิว vs คิริลล์"](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/Z3vYkHJ_5Ig/mqdefault.jpg)
I’m a nurse and comedy and sarcasm is definitely an important part of maintaining my mental health through a pandemic, but I will never make a joke at the expense of my patients. I’m also a person with a chronic illness and know what it’s like to be treated unfairly by medical professionals. For both of these reasons I find his videos hurtful.
I cannot watch this video for trigger reasons, but did Jo show the one where he says he thinks you should be happy if medical professionals can't find a problem and send you home? That one still makes me see red because it shows so deeply how he does not understand the experience patients go through when they have problems but nothing shows up in tests.
@@daan8695 Yep it's in there 😞
Same boat. I'm a doctor and chronic illness patient. I definitely have lame jokes and nerdy humor to lighten the mood for the patient, but it never involves making fun of their situation, especially sexual jokes or indicating at all that they are a waste of time. I'd rather then come get checked for a benign issue than wait too long for something bad.
I also want to say thank you so much for what you do. Nurses are so important. I'm sorry for the doctors who treat nurses like crap.
💕Brandi
I’m a certified nurses aide with autism and people always under-mind me. Now I’m going to go to school to be an EMT and I joke but not at the expense of my people I take of.
Thank you for what you do for a living. 💕
Totally agree! I was in severe pain after birth that I couldn’t sit or hardly move. The ER ob told me nothing was wrong with me and asked my husband if I was just an “anxious girl” because my chart says I have anxiety. Turns out I had an abscess that he missed and he sent me home. I almost got sepsis because he blew off my pain and I could have died just a week after having my baby!!!! Take patients seriously, treat them with respect, and learn how to be professional and see that, although you do this everyday, these are human beings who are having probably one of the worst days of their life and treat them with compassion!
This is probably sexism too, people think woman are too sensitive
@@zorubark Yes, it's even been proven in studies that doctors don't take women's pain as seriously. They are more quick to assume women are just being dramatic or too sensitive.
@@zorubark yes, I completely agree! It’s so infuriating! That’s a huge part of why I have started to choose female doctors primarily. I know all male doctors are not like this, but my experience with several of them has just not been great.
@@rachelr9352 Sadly its not just male doctors I have had the same problems with female doctors
@@Dgidsbjgsxggeaxgj yeah I have to agree, it definitely isn’t just male doctors. I’ve had female doctors not take me seriously, it just seems more often male than female doctors. You’re definitely right though, and it is so frustrating.
The way this was put forward as "Let's put warnings" rather than "Cancel him" is really helpful. A way we can give people a voice without as much power.
I think it's less about power and more about context before viewing.
@@tracythomas4700 I mean power to scare, to be taken seriously, etc
@@Bella-wb3yw Fair enough.
I also deeply appreciate her effort in seeing both sides of the situation.
I love whe people take a controversial issue and speak about it in a way that invites change on both/all sides
I absolutely love the way she presented this and she’s so well spoken. This isn’t being a Karen, it’s genuine constructive criticism and it leaves the ball in our court as the viewers to decide what to do with this information.
His video on self-harm caused me to not seek help when I was struggling. I thought he was a nurse, and if that was the way medical professionals treated people considering self-harm I would rather risk being alone with my thoughts. I'm glad that someone else saw what these videos can do to someone's mental state.
I hope you're ok.
Hugs 🫂 I am so so sorry. I hope you're doing okay ♡
I've told my therapist, GP, and someone on the suicide hotline about my thoughts and actions, they listened and were very understanding and they did not do any of that, they helped me in the ways i asked for and was receptive to. for anyone scared, there is nothing to be afraid of, professionals genuinely want to do their best to help you on your own terms, respecting your boundaries, if they do not, that's not okay.
disclaimer, i have never attempted un-aliving myself, but i have had thoughts. i am doing very well now and have not had any thoughts in weeks, in part thanks to the help my healthcare providers gave me.
@@kai_macerationI'm glad you're ok and please know. His videos are not aimed at someone like yourself. They're aimed at the workers who have had to deal with people coming in, claiming they're considering self harm and then complaining when they're actually taken seriously because they just thought it would help them get seen quicker (yes those people exist)
@@Ailieorz talking about people like me in this way makes our brains collapse in on ourselves with pathetic levels of self pity... i know everyone has to vent, especially people in this type of occupation, but talking about it like this and so publicly seems really un-empathetic and unprofessional, this topic is an extremely sensitive one
The fact that there's no disclaimer as "this is just a joke" or "I'm not a licensed professional" needs to be added. If someone who outwardly says they are a comedian makes dark jokes I mostly laugh with them, even when it's stuff I've gone through. Their intention is to make light of something dark. However, when someone starts making fun of something dark and suggesting you should just "get over it" that's when it becomes harmful
There is a disclaimer it’s in his bio
Yeah that's the difference between satire and being hateful.
if you need a disclaimer when you are on tic tok.... well... you may need help outside of tic tok
That is what's called "gallows humor" and for people working in the ER, they need a way to laugh at themselves. The ER is a rotation that a person there has to laugh to maintain themselves, because of they didn't, they would cry, or worse.
A rotation in another department, like in the Nursery, can help with stress.
That used to be what they did with Oncologists. Cancer was so devastating in the 1970's that most patients died. Half a century later, many more people with cancer survive and thrive while catching cancer at stage 1 or 2 instead of end - stage. And early - detection campaigns have helped people catch on to early diagnosis. So I don't know what happens now.
But I understand that rotations in the Nursery Department were therapeutic.
But as an ER Tech, he was a licensed individual. Maybe the name throws people off, but ER Techs are the EMTs of the ER.
As someone who has had A LOT of contact with medical professionals since my early teens (I’m 32 now) I can say without a doubt that he is harmful. I’m a “veteran user” of the medical field, so his videos don’t affect me personally in the sense that they keep me from getting the treatment that I need and deserve. I know how to advocate for myself now, so I don’t get steamrolled very easily anymore, because I know a lot about my illnesses, and keep up with the medical literature regarding them as well.
HOWEVER, for 14 or even 18 year old me, he would have made me scared and/or ashamed to go to the doctor for my “minor” issues, which turned out to not be minor at all. One was life threatening (spent 10 days in hospital) and the other debilitating.
He recently made a video where he said people shouldn’t call for ambulances when people are passed out cold from drinking too much, because they don’t do anything for them anyway, and that we should just check if they are breathing, and if they are, they should be left alone.
Where I live (Denmark), people die every year from freezing to death when they haven’t made it home because they were drunk.
I have type 1 diabetes (the life threatening illness, diagnosed at age 14) and insulin overdoses (hypoglycemia) have a lot of similarities to alcohol intoxication. If I’m out cold on the street, no matter if I’m drunk or not, it’s insanely dangerous to leave me there, even if I am breathing. If I’m out cold because my blood sugar is too low, then I might wake up on my own many hours later, if I don’t die, with permanent brain damage. Brain damage that could have been avoided by a simple emergency call. The treatment for hypoglycemia is a simple glucose drip and/or a glucagon injection - both of which can be administered in the ambulance in 15 minutes or less.
You have to keep in mind, most of his audience is American, as is Steve
In America, calling an ambulance will cost the patient upwards of $500
Lots of ppl Uber in emergency situations now because of that
So I think his tip is mainly for ppl here in the US. If someone isn't gonna freeze outside, and they are just too drunk (normally you can smell the booze if that's the case), it probably is best to just make sure they're breathing and prop them up so they don't choke on their vomit if they throw up
Otherwise you're seating them with a $500+ bill on top of their hangover
@@FIRING_BLIND I mean, to be fair, as an American yes I agree it's very expensive but I still think the call should be made. Just because the person is drunk doesn't also mean the person couldn't be having all sorts of invisible medical issues or even could be ODing on something... or they may need to be brought to detox if they're bad enough.
If they are so drunk that they are passed out in public or in a space where somebody genuinely worries for their safety and goes out of their way to call 911 then then to me that's indicative of some sort of an issue that needs to be addressed.. If nothing else it could be indicative of alcoholism and maybe that call could be a wake up call for them.
The paramedics who arrive would know best if this is somebody who just simply needs to sleep off a hangover or if they need help, and what level of help is needed.
It's certainly annoying to have to call in and look at the same people over and over who keep getting in these positions but it's way safer to be over cautious on this sort of thing than not.
@@sunstripe85 Plus iirc the ambulance staff will provide treatment which doesn't cost anything because it's emergency treatment, but the travel to the hospital costs money. (Idk if you have to call the fire department for this to be true though????) So call the emergency number, but get an Uber or smth if they say to take the person to the ER after that.
Being dismissed by doctors ruined my life completely and utterly to rock bottom just because I wasn’t listened to. I was young and dumb and trusted doctors and learned the hard way
I’m in some emergency med classes and that’s one of the first things they teach you, if someone is acting intoxicated, they will need to be checked right away because people will get arrested for being intoxicated in public and then die in custody because the police found out too late
I first found his videos funny, but after I saw him say not to report a person passed out on the street “because they’re probably drunk”, I couldn’t support him. There was a story in the comments of that video about a diabetic who had similar symptoms to a drunk person and passed out. They would have died if nobody got help, and it just shows how irresponsible he is.
Yeah, and even if they are drunk, you don't know how drunk they are. Alcohol is really dangerous in high doses. Also, the chance of rape or other assault increases, so yeah... report anyone passed out on the street
My mum's husband had a stroke in the middle of the street, he was not taking cared of because they thought he was drunk.
He can't even walk right now.
I remember seeing that video and I was wondering why it felt uneasy to listen to that.
@@myby2888 i think the only super important thing not to do is call the cops. especially with alcoholics, who are often homeless where i live, they can end up getting harassed or arrested just because of their situation. keep cops away from potential medical emergencies.
Maybe death is just better than being diabetic all your life?
I've been watching Steve's vids for a while. They make me laugh a bit b/c I WAS an ER nurse earlier in my career. But they also make me a little sad, b/c one of the things that led to me LEAVING emergency nursing for greener pastures was the psychic brutality evinced by both the ER professionals AND patients/families. The cadence & content of his speech remind me of the anger/sadness/pain underneath the surface of the docs/nurses/techs you and everyone here will visit in any ER. Steve's "crime" here is he's taking what's (usually) "backstage" and pulling back the curtain. I will say that every single thing he has said and acted out I have personally seen--more than once, and sometimes right in front of patients.
Exactly. You are SO right.
Yep. And part of me is also glad that the curtain is drawn. Because without that we can never start healing the stuff and a huge mental issues which are going on in the backstage. I am not professional. Just a patient. But an observant patient. My eyes were opened by a doctor who was behaving improper way towards me. Illusion was lifted.
true. and that’s exactly why Steve IOE retired - because he couldn’t stand the toxicity
@@PutinsMommyNeverHuggedHim
I doubt that’s why he retired. He comes off as a bully if I’m being honest.
@@IrisStellaGrace09 he retired at the height of a pandemic in a presumably understaffed ER. He is or was an ER tech, they make pennies. Techs dont get paid enough to be the backbone for a pandemic-ridden emergency room. Thousands of people retired. I even switched jobs. I think the toxicity and poor management of the hospital is why he left, with many others.
When I first came across his videos, I found them amusing and (a smidge) educational. But over time the topics he covered with that same tone became more and more sensitive and I started feeling really uncomfortable with them. The three you shared are perfect examples of why I unfollowed
Same actually
This!
Same!
Literally did exactly the same.. I tried to hold out because at first I thought it was honest mistakes, but then he repeated the behavior.. so I thought about it and unsubscribed.. it actually bothers me that another account of mine still follows him so I need to try and get in
But the one about not calling the ER/ambulance on collapsed people if you think they’re drunk really infuriated me, along with a few others
Like he’s giving information to hundreds of thousands/millions of people that is going to kill someone, directly or indirectly
I thought it was a fluke but then he left it up and didn’t even apologize as far as I saw
Then I had enough when he continued giving horrible medical/bad advice in a condescending voice
So many people avoid the doctor because they are worried of being judged/embarrassed, and these videos perpetuate that
Edit: OMG HE’S NOT A NURSE???
I just got bored of his jokes he does the same crass tone for every topic got old quick lol. I watched his stuff for like a day ish.
I love how respectful she was throughout the entire video. Never once did she personally attack him while explaining why she feels what he is doing is wrong
She belittled his position constantly. Yeah, he’s not a doctor, which he never stated he was. I hate doctors, they’re the ones that consistently misdiagnosed me and nearly killed me. On the other hand I have always liked and respected the nurses, M.A.’s and Tech’s that actually did 99.9% of my patient care.
@@williamreynolds6132 he's not even a tech though, he used to work as one and doesn't anymore for who knows many years and who knows how much experience he had to begin with and even if he in fact was one, it doesn't give him credit to spread information the way he does. It's obviously really easy for it to be a trigger to people online. Of course, if he made sure to tell that the main thing he wants to do is comedy, then that's one thing, but he talks as if he's giving information and a lot of it is his own view on things, which a lot of times is twisted af and really really derrogatory towards people that are in vulnerable situations.
@@williamreynolds6132 firstly, he is retired and secondly, i would be sued if i had retired as a lawyer's receptionist, created a tiktok, dressed as a lawyer, and made videos joking about laws and law cases. this is that situation.. tiktok NEEDS to put a label stating that he is not a professional nurse or doctor. believe it or not, there are people out there who think he is..in fact i was one of those people and only discovered that he isn't as soon as i saw this video.
@@gamershadow8 I'm discovering it just now. He was constantly in my shorts and I was even subscribed to him.
@@gamershadow8 "i didnt hear him the multiple times he said he was an ER tech, didnt hear him the multiple times he said he left the ER during the pandemic, AND didnt look at his profile/bio, because my assumptions are facts and if theyre wrong its someone elses fault somehow"
As someone who deals with depression, and autoimmune diseases that don’t have a cure or a reason. I also am a licensed EMT, the way he talks about patients and treating people is disgusting
will it really be like he said :(
@@rokksysoftpaws7022 I will say that there are some bad apples in the medical field but there are also some great doctors/nurses out there. It just depends on who you get.
I so much agree with you
@@rokksysoftpaws7022 it just depends, like my dads cancer nurse was really nice, and so have most I’ve met, but some are 😟
As a Registered Nurse I absolutely agree with you. I’ve only been qualified as an RN for a year, and as a student and new grad I sought out nurses on TH-cam to learn from them and he is someone I came across. The way he presents his videos absolutely made me think he is a nurse, but I was also thinking that many of his videos are incredibly harmful and at the expense of patients. In terms of the last video you addressed, my wife was suffering from extreme pain for months and had numerous visits to the ED. She was treated as if she was there just for the drugs and was often told that nothing was wrong. Spoiler alert: there was something wrong and it took months to be finally resolved via a medical procedure, and she hasn’t been back since (it’s been a year).
Maybe he’s correct in that he represents what really goes on in the ER? So mostly everyone is a jerk not just him?
@Sheila Boland I work in the ER as a tech and honestly I find him hilarious and most of it is spot on. Hahaha. He is a comedian, he isn't doing these really for educational.
He was literally a ER Tech, what are you saying idiot
@@sheilaboland6285it's comedy, meant for ER nurses and staff, not educational.
Lucky for her! Glad she’s okay
I've seen other, real medical professionals talk about his videos and how the butts of his jokes are the patients. Not the medical system, not the fallibility of doctors, but the people in pain. That's just punching down. There's plenty of dark humor to be found in the medical world, but his ain't it. His humor isn't dark, it's just shock and swearing.
Seriously. The one time it's semi okay is like.... The jokes about parents who interrupt and try to speak for their teens
Or the teenagers who lie about their sexual activity
Cuz like.... If you're a patient or a parent... Don't do that
There are a couple others, but yeah he should be very careful about the direction in which he is punching
This is true
can you link them to me?
Fire department chronicles was pretty much the only heavy humor content i've seen with medical themed jokes, and I'm glad most of it is just about the actual workplace, goofy stuff, or making fun of other crappy medical representations throught the midia and pointing out whats wrong in them
Good point. It is punching down.
His video on SH really really upset me and I didn’t hear anyone talking about it. At the time I was doing research about admitting myself. He detoured me. I became so scared and for the first time in YEARS ashamed of myself. Thank you for this video
The fact that he isn’t in the medical field and still puts on scrubs to make arrogant videos is sick
I just wanna say that you deserve to be happy and you shouldn't feel shame over it. You got this!
FWIW, as someone who's checked themselves in twice over the decades, while I definitely found aspects of the experience quite frustrating, I also found it overall to be mostly helpful. And, you're absolutely not alone, and have no _good_ reason (this guy is giving _bad_ reasons, IMHO) to feel ashamed. I wish you the kind of life where you don't even feel the urge to do SH behaviors. Absent that, I wish you abundant support, whether from friends/family/whoever or from professionals. Best!
There is absolutely no need to feel ashamed about mental health issues! Please seek the help you need, it is so worth it. All the best for you! :)
That’s your fault if your scared stop being so sensitive
@shawnperson7022 you are a narcissist
100% with you on this. When I saw that one about suicide/self harm I was so upset. I spent some time in his comment section after that responding to others’ comments about not wanting to go in when it’s like that. I have personally been through the ER from my own suicide attempts, so I feel it’s so important to understand that acting like that will definitely drive some people who are dealing with that away from the hospital or reaching out for help. Still so frustrated over that video.
Thank you for making this video.
Thank you for this!! I've been annoyed at this guy's content for a while. The vibe that doctors are all-knowing gatekeepers of care, the condescension to patients who express vulnerability or feel that something's wrong, is dangerous given that so many people (especially women, and Black women) are disbelieved in the hospital for their pain. Also, his othering of patients who are mentally unstable just distances them from the care they deserve.
I originally enjoyed his videos, but after hearing your arguments, I have to agree. This isn't a great idea, to put it mildly. I had no idea he wasn't a doctor until you pointed it out. Glad you pointed these out!
Yeah, and different things he posted about people going in for pain and faking make it look like people who go to the ER in pain aren’t really in pain and are just faking.
@@sweetluvgurl yes and called them "junkies"
Thats why i unsubscribed his TH-cam channel
Yeah me too
Which does happen on a fairly regular basis. All hospitals have pain relief protocols in place to prevent the abuse of scheduled medication. But this sort of behavior happens enough that on a busy day a “Junkie” looking for a fix in the ER/Ambulance etc is not the drama that the ER needs at any time. Not to mention that some can and will say and do just about anything to get that fix. Which can be very distracting while Staff is trying to sort the sheep from the goats.
As always I'm late to the party but I'm so glad it's not just me. I had no idea he was a retired ER tech, I thought he was an ER nurse. The self harm one aggravates me but that last one hits home. I've been suffering for 15 months, I've had 4 surgeries, at least 2 more to go, because I went undiagnosed for 3 months with a perianal abscess. I had to hop from doctor to doctor because no one could figure out what was wrong. It took 3 MRIs, so many ultra sounds, and a few different doctors to finally get an answer. My abscess formed a fistula because the infection was in my body for so long. Thankfully, though annoying, my body did what it could to prevent spreading and sepsis. My fourth procedure was supposed to be my final one, but it failed, so I'm going under again on the 22nd. When you are in pain and a doctor can't figure out what's wrong, don't just go home and continue to suffer. Yes it may be nothing but you know your body better than anyone else. If your pain isn't getting better, go to another doctor. Keep advocating for yourself.
Late to the party too and I’m very similar to you. I also thought he was a nurse and I don’t have as serious of a problem as you but I spent close to 10 years with different doctors telling me there’s nothing wrong with me or they just can’t figure it out. Being looked down on by doctors makes so many people’s health situation worse. Anyway I really hope this next surgery is your last one and everything gets taken care of 🙏🏻
I'm so sorry for that happening to you. I totally agree - doctors don't always have all the answers. I've been pretty fortunate with my healthcare, but a year and a half ago I went to a doctor that really surprised me with how ignorant she seemed. I went for a gyno visit because I had unexplained itching (and I was in full lock down so I couldn't have gotten an STD). There was not change in how I looked down there, so I went to a doctor. She gave me an exam, then told me that I was just dehydrated and she could tell by the brown color of the skin... I'm black. I didn't know what to say so I just left. I found out on my own that I was just allergic to my body wash.
I hope the op on the 22nd went well! Power to you and I hope there's something green within your life!
**Comes into the ER in an ambulance with the symptoms of a heart attack - radiating severe pain in the chest, severe dizziness, excessive sweating, low heart-rate, high BP, extremely pale.** --> every conceivable test able to be done to determine if it was a heart attack --> ALL tests come back, not only negative but am told my heart is extremely healthy --> given pain relievers and sent home with no explanation.
**Goes back (husband drives me this time) with the same symptoms, writhing in pain this time (yes writhing, labor wasn't this bad)** You're not having a heart attack you can go home now.
**Third time** MISDIAGNOSED and had to have emergency surgery the next day. For my gallbladder. (Truthfully it WAS stage two and probably did need to come out eventually but still).
**Still in pain a year later and sees a specialist who orders more expensive tests** You have GERD. You need to have another surgery.
Now mind you I was having several attacks a week, and some were severe but they ended quickly. I only went to the hospital when it wouldn't end for hours. I feel you.
I was having extreme and regular upset stomachs, diarrhea, constipation, and other GI stuff (as well as low blood oxygen levels, shallow breathing, coughing, sore throat, fatigue, and movement pain) and eventually, after much testing, I got an anxiety diagnosis. Even though the bracketed stuff went away after treatment for that, the other stuff persisted. As a minor, I couldn’t go in to get more stuff checked out on my own, and was told that it was just psychosomatic when I got an upset stomach (occasionally it still is, but not very often - the situation has to be pretty extreme). After much pestering, I got taken in again, got an IBS diagnosis, and got put on a FODMAP diet. After replacing things that I knew were fine (discovering some that I thought were fine actually weren’t and removing those) I had to test some things that I wasn’t 110% sure about. In the end, the biggest triggers are apples, apricots, peaches, pears, nectarines, plums, gum with artificial sweeteners, pop with artificial sweeteners, and anything else with artificial sweeteners, which give me rapid and extreme diarrhea, and things like garlic and onions giving me an upset stomach for multiple days with discomfort and constipation. After eliminating those (as well as some other random things like zucchini) I felt much better. Point is, I am very glad I advocated for myself.
As someone who has suffered from sexual assault and chronic pain with no diagnosis, these tiktok's are incredibly upsetting and disgusting. Your anger and frustration is 100% valid. Thanks for bringing attention to his dangerous content.
Hey. I’m an RN, and I’d never treat anyone like this. He does not represent the majority of us medical people. Many of us are starting to call him out. I’m sending love and healing your way.
The difference between this guy and actual funny medical shorts is that this guy is punching down at the actual patients, not the broken system.
As someone who is chronicly ill and disabled I'm so glad you made this video.
Glaucomflecken has great videos on thos subjects! He's funny and a licensed medical professional
That's what has especially stuck out to me. It's like he's pointing out the problems with the system and then somehow making it the patient's fault
Honestly, being hospitalized for suicidal thoughts, delusions, etc, can actually traumatize people MORE and might not be the right choice for everybody. It might be better for someone to stay with a family member or friend fit a few days. I have multiple friends with horror stories, including one being experimented on, being told so by the doctors, by giving her a medication that had given her seizures in the past, and they knew that. She didn’t have money to sue. Mentally ill people are often treated like garbage by hospitals and it needs to be talked about more.
I agree. I feel like if someone had told me what therapy was actually like, I wouldn’t have gone. And frankly I think that would have been for the best. The situation in America is terrible, but spreading information about it isn’t.
🙌🙌🙌 I refuse to go to therapy now because of past medical trauma. Unnecessary actions taken against me that will never allow me to trust people in medicine ever again.
@@Bex666 ❤️❤️❤️ there are still really good therapists out there, you just need to find somebody you can trust. That’s why getting referrals from friends and looking at reviews is good.
Just over 3 years ago I was hospitalized for mental health. I was yelled at for crying on the first night because I have horrible separation anxiety, I was lied to saying that I would only be there for one day, then I was lied to saying that I would only be there for three days, the patients (children) kept trying to harm themselves, I was yelled at for not knowing how to describe my feelings, I was yelled at for being excited that I was going to leave after 9 days of hell, I was yelled at for not wanting to be with other people, I was yelled at for not smiling with teeth, I was yelled at for not wanting to play on the playground... I think that experience traumatized me and for awhile I was too hurt to talk about it.
Honestly, it didn't help. As soon as I got out of there, I wanted to harm myself again. ...And then I found a longtime partner who really cared, I found my passion in writing, art, and tech, I reconciled my relationship with my mom, I reconciled my relationship with religion, I started trying in school, I found my best friends in the entire world, and I found my truth in regards to sexuality. THAT is what helped me, not the asylum.
Sorry for the essay, I just have a lot of bottled up feelings about it.
@@Calyaer I'm so sorry you had to go through that.
Really makes me glad i ghosted the clinic i was supposed to stay in.
I know not every mental health facility is the same but it's true, people with mental illness are often being treated like garbage, even mental health professionals.
I'm so flad you're doing better now though, sending lots of love your way♥️
I remember watching Steve for a time, thinking his tiktoks were funny, but it wasn't long before I was turned off by, well, his condescending manner. He seemed so callous and cruel, and I honestly thought he was a nurse until this video. Jokes about these kinds of trips to the emergency rooms ought not to be made.
I was expecting the "We don't know what's wrong" to be about it being stressful trying to help a patient but having no answers. Was not expecting complaints about people not being pleased being told nothing's wrong. There may be people who end up going to the er when there's truly nothing serious, but there's also a lot of people with significant symptoms that don't simply go away where it takes a while to figure out the cause, if it's even found at all
Right like in my experience irl ER doctors only do the bare minimal tests required based on your presentation then send you home. I should know bc I have gone a lot and got dismissed a lot for problems that my actual doctors were pissed as fuck they didn't see with their extra technology available and didn't address. Like my cardiac problems for example that started at 21. It's really bad
And then the “joke” about how expensive it is. So degrading
Thank you, Jo. As someone with medical trauma after staying in a mental hospital where doctors got to do whatever the fuck they wanted to me, I struggle so much with medical exams and the idea that I have no control over whether or not a doctor gets to touch me. Steve just....so flippantly dismisses everything that brings me so much pain, anxiety, and depression. I felt so stupid and like I was overreacting while watching those tik toks, and it just hurt me to my core. Thank you for seeing me. Much love to you Jo ❤️
Yeahh, the one about "not having anything wrong" honestly just INCREASED my hesitancy to interact or trust medical professionals. I spent years having "nothing wrong with me" until a random doctor stumbled upon a heart condition that explained it all. I watched my father lose both his legs to an infection because his doctors told him "nothing was wrong". An ibuprofen can't fix this shit, and it honestly just makes me even more weary of medical professionals and that I'll be believed or respected.
The doctors I follow on TH-cam like Dr. Mike and Mama Doctor Jones would absolutely agree with you. Increasing distrust of the medical profession is literally life-threatening. Also, saying controversial things about sensitive topics is not comedy- it's just lazy clickbait. Dark humor is an important coping mechanism, but here's the difference- he's not making light of difficult situations for medical professionals, he's making light of extremely traumatic situations for patients using the most harmful stereotypes possible (rape victims want it, suicidality is a temporary problem, and people with chronic pain are crazy and lying.)
Lost most of the respect for Doc Mike after the COVID boat incident. Still watch him sometimes.
Guess we all f up:)
@@mustangnawt1 if his apology had ACTUALLY been "hey, I was experience extreme pandemic fatigue and I made a bad choice" rather than what it was "I thought long and hard about it" I would have kept following him.
But after months of telling us to just stay home, he went and tried to justify doing just the opposite.
I can't go back to him after that.
MDJ is one of my ALL time favorites though.
@@sarahgocek5906 oh yea that. I didn't care too much, I'm usually staying at home anyways. but even if he told me to stay at home I wouldn't listen to him since he isn't my doctor. The things I listen to him on are medical facts and stuff, advices I get from my own doctor and personal experience.
Foot doc Dana too
Well said.
As someone who has struggled with depression all my life, and having survived FOUR suicide attempts (last time resulting in life support for several days), I would never again seek help through an ER after seeing this “comedy” routine! I am totally with you!
Hi Julie, just remember that you've received help before. So, don't let this guy's joke impair your ability to take care of yourself. Blessings.
please know there are people who cares for you and I hope you all the best Julie. I may be a stranger on the internet but you're very strong and know that I find you an amazing person. Keep strong, you inspire me to be strong myself ᕦʕ •ᴥ•ʔᕤ
Bruh
@@liamrobertson5332 your edginess is unnecessary.
Dark humor has a place but it’s not where it will offend people
When I got my CRP license the instructor (an EMT) told us a story
He had just finished responding to a wreck with a teenage girl and they were using humor to cope while out to lunch, one joke was “her body was on one side of the road while her leg was on the other”
Turns out the girl’s brother, who did not yet know about the wreck, was sitting right behind them
Several of the EMT instructors specifically warned us to be very careful about where we have these kinds of controversial conversations. Yes, it is an incredibly stressful, underpaid and under appreciated job.
But that doesn't give us permission to traumatize others in order to cope with our own trauma.
If you're offended by people asking you not to be stupid or rude...
omg I really hope that was just told for emotional impact and not true because I can't imagine anything more horrific
@@hanadrwell said, a few nurses commenting here need to see this comment...
My mom went to the ER repeatedly over the course of a few years with severe stomach pain. They kept sending her away because they couldn’t find anything even in blood tests and other exams. One day they happened to actually decide to do an ultrasound at the right time and it turns out her gallbladder was swollen up so dangerously it could’ve turned deadly. She had to have it removed. Her pains were from gallbladder attacks that just happened to not show in blood tests. Now I’m going through the same ordeal. Sometimes a single few hour visit isn’t enough to catch something serious and telling someone that it’s Just Them is actively dangerous and honestly should be heavily discouraged.
Took me months to get my gallbladder taken out (apparently days before i wouldve needed emergency surgery) so i feel her pain litterally lol
The pelvic exam one gets me so much. As someone who was a gymnast for 14 years and lived in Michigan, the cases against Larry Nassar have stood out to me. In so many of those cases, parents and others were in the room while Nassar abused them. To call people who report sexual assault "crazy" further plays into the harmful narrative of victim shaming.
In general, I feel like the ideas you're discussing tend to punch down instead of punch up. That is, so many people already suffer from medical gaslighting, so to paint someone's undiagnosed pain or someone's sexual assault report as someone being "crazy" (which is also an ableist term) is disconcerting, especially coming from someone who appears to be a medical professional.
I am someone who has often not wanted to go to the doctor for issues, and I have social anxiety, so I can only imagine how these videos would have impacted me before I became disabled. Now, I have two guards: I know my body well enough to know when something is wrong, and doctors are more likely to take everything more seriously because I've had so many health issues.
I used to work in an ER as a paramedic. There's a lot of this type of rhetoric amongst ER staff but never EVER towards patients or lay people. This guy is definitely crossing lines by putting fear into patients, who might have sought help if not for him. I would love to hear MDJ and Doctor Mike's opinion.
Edit to add that I am also a sexual assault survivor and I find that particular video vile
It shouldn't be going around among staff either. Totally inappropriate.
I was a firefighter/EMT, and I agree with everything you said. Edit to clarify: My reply is directed to lxs118.
@@kateri17 No, it’s not inappropriate when just shared between coworkers. That’s an immediate way to address critical incident stress.
He doesn’t work in an ER… he said that plenty of times.
@@elizabetholiviaclark @Betty Olivia Clark I've been a nurse for 23 years and it is not appropriate among staff. The whole idea that it's a a way to cope is dysfunctional and toxic and affects patient care.
A lot the other videos make jokes of patient confidentiality. It felt pretty gross.
It’s also really weird to hear jokes about something that’s almost killed me. The treatment of patients with chronic illnesses is abysmal, and it resulted in a traumatic brain injury being passed off as a dietary problem. I still have symptoms from it.
When I had gone to the ER after throwing up multiple times, after my blood pressure tanked and I thought I might have had a serious reaction to some of my (many) medications…I got a single tablet of zofran. It cost me >$200 with good insurance. No fluids, no labs.
It was only days later when I started getting extreme mood swings, couldn’t walk, couldn’t speak, had constant headaches, and paralysis of the right side of my face that I got myself to a doctor. The first one told me to change my diet. The second took one look at my terrible neurological state and ordered an emergency CT scan. Hours later after a condescending front desk lady made me stutter out the entire situation and make multiple calls to the doctor that had already called ahead, they figured out I was supposed to be in the emergency ward. For head trauma.
Someone might have turned my visit into a joke like these tiktoks. Overreacting patient putting on a stupid act. Just wants something to be wrong with them. Probably drunk.
I can’t smile properly anymore. But at least it was funny to someone.
I appreciate reading your story, and I'm sorry for how you were treated.
I agree that anyone with chronic health issues (or god forbid, multiple health issues) get immediately overlooked. I'm tired of reading some of the comments here supporting what he's saying, in that medical ER professionals have to deal with so much that it basically lends them a pass to be rude and judgmental to patients. I have never been rude to anyone while at the ER/hospital, but when I've had to go, there always seems to be at least one worker who wants a medal for showing up for their shift, and cannot be bothered to hear what I'm telling them. I think he even did a video/Tiktok where he explains that 'we' in the ER just want to hear the ONE main symptom, and can't be bothered for anything else. I think those that work in the ER actually should receive a medal(pay rise), IF you practice as the professional you're supposed to be!
I apologize for the rant there.
And I hope you are doing well.
@@alexandramcdonald3085 doing very well, and I’m actually working in a hospital now! It’s been nice to make a change in person, see the people-and it’s good to see that at least in my hospital, everyone’s courteous despite the stressful environment
My first of his videos was the "we know when youre faking for drugs in the ER" and it was incredibly tonedeaf and completely uneducated on chronic illness
Oh wow. I'm sorry to hear that! This guy just checks all the wrong boxes
I commented on his narcan video to hopefully clear up his misconceptions and rude remarks about how addicts won't thank you for saving their life and they will be mad at you for "ruining their high". Very cold and tone deaf!
@@sashabenoit1518 yes! I mean, if you were in perceived bliss and went into OD symptoms I could see that being upsetting. Its not like he even did that for anyone in his old position
I personally was accused and dismissed and gaslit when it turned out I had “3 out of 4 markers of a severe kidney infection”. Apparently the fact I’d been self medicating for a UTI for over a month wasn’t a clue. If they’d sent me home, I could have died.
@@sashabenoit1518 have you ever administered narcan? What the hell do you think happens?
Coming from the healthcare field, I found him hilarious. But a couple of shorts in I started feeling uncomfortable because I knew, whilst these were things we joked about behind the scenes to debrief or destress, these things shouldn't be joked about with the general public who will eventually become patients.
A few of his videos have made me click off them immediately.
It's fine to joke about someone coming into the ER for a stupid reason, but some of the things he jokes about just cross the line completely.
His videos don't surprise me at all. I've had so many extremely negative interactions with healthcare workers through my life, and it's pretty obvious this is the way many feel about their patients based on the horrible care I and many family members have received. I avoid doctors and only go if I have tried EVERYTHING on my own to cure my own ailments because honestly there are so many A hole doctors who don't listen and are just there for a paycheck. But thank you for being honest and confirming that his jokes and attitudes are truly what's going on behind the scenes. It confirms that I'm 100% right in avoiding them as much as humanly possible.
@@bunny_0288 i think it’s absolutely terrible what happened to you. So many people follow carreer paths for the wrong reason, usually power or money. When you work in healthcare, that decision can be fatal. There are no excuses.
However, if you look at some of the other comments, and also from my own experience and from a lot of healthcare providers around me, this is not the standard. It might be a cultural difference, but this would NOT be tolerated where i live. And i don’t live in a place where respect is necessarily the highest priority for people hahaha.
In healthcare here people make jokes al the time. But never at the expense of a patient. It’s never making fun of the patient or making fun of the illness. It’s making jokes about past experiences, stereotypes about healthcare workers, and shared negative experiences (that could easily be called trauma). That’s what i hear from everyone around me.
I know this will not restore your faith in the healthcare system. But your last comment worried me. The original commenter (and this is not meant in a negative way towards them) might not have a clue about what they’re talking about. And i don’t think they meant it in that way. There are terrible terrible terrible healthcare providers and i genuinely hate them, believe me i’ve experienced MANY of them, specifically misogynistic treatment from doctors. Completely dismissing my pain because i was a dramatic woman that didn’t know what she was talking about. But there are millions upon millions upon millions of healthcare providers that are genuinely good people. Again i don’t know if this is a cultural difference (i hope it isn’t) but making jokes at the expense of patients isn’t standard in healthcare for most healthcare providers.
I am terribly sorry you have encountered some of the worst people in our society
@@meghaha8966 Thank you for your thoughtful response. A doctor is responsible for the death of my parents. He wrote a prescription he had no business writing and didn't listen to their concerns and it led to a serious of events that resulted in their premature deaths. It has forever changed how I view healthcare. I have zero trust in doctors. I double check all of their work with my own research and have found natural cures for things like UTIs and sinus infections. I feel like most (not all) doctors treat symptoms and do not look for the root issues. They shove medications at patients that have terrible side effects and only treat symptoms instead of finding out why the person has these symptoms to begin with. And sometimes medications can't be avoided, of course, but I have found natural ways of treating many issues that doctors would just give me antibiotics for. I could tell you so many stories of things that have happened to me, my husband, and friends/family members that would appall you. The entire system is broken. I fundamentally disagree with how medicine is practiced the more I have learned and researched on my own. I just don't blindly trust anyone. Even the best doctor in the world is still human and can make mistakes. All this to say, I know there are some good doctors out there that are doing their best to help people. I just don't trust that what they were taught in medical school is always the best approach to treating people. But that is just my opinion based on my own horrible personal experiences and the horrible experiences of sooo many ppl around me.
Yeah I'm an ATC so I've had a giggle at some of his videos. Ive also had conversations with athletes who go to the ER for everything. But yeah especially the 3 you've showed made me uncomfortable.
Yeah the pain pill addict ones and stuff were pretty heartless.
I recently discovered Steveio and like him but I did know he was a tech not a doctor but I didn’t realise he no longer worked in that field. I do have a very sarcastic humour myself and no history of trauma so thanks for opening up my eyes to a different point of view than my own
Underrated comment. I do have illness, but I am very tolerant of humour and will usually take it as just trying to be funny. However, I like seeing other points of view. And honestly I don't think there is one right answer.
He just left the field as his social media just took off. I feel like it is pretty common for many medical staff members to understand what happens in medicine, as they see it, and often may do a lot of the “grunt” work. They obviously wouldn’t do a pelvic exam, but it’s possible for them to be a witness to one and understand the attitudes of doctors and nurses.
He said in a video that he does not work in ER anymore
@@sabakhadem8263 in A video out of so many do you have any idea how easy it is to miss that unless you just sit there and watch all of his videos
@@Peachessssss13 he is actually quite transparent about it. Chill!
I'm so thankful my last ER visit didn't include someone with that attitude Steveioe had. They couldn't figure out what was wrong, but the doctor emphasized to me that its important I follow up with my PCP and they'll refer me to a specialist. I expressed what pain I was in, and noted I have bad anxiety and that I've ignored my issue for years because the last doctor who saw me for it said it will go away eventually and its been 5 years. I'm 24 and I shouldn't be in chronic pain. That's not normal. And the doctor at my last ER visit made it clear that that was not okay of the previous doctor and that I deserve to be heard and cared for. I literally want to cry thinking of it, it meant so much to me to just be validated. But if I had been dismissed again I probably wouldn't be in physical therapy right now-which PT has been going really well this time. I finally am starting to be able to move and I'm not suffering from debilitating pain on a daily basis anymore. Maybe just 2-3 times a week lol but I still have a bit to go with PT
I completely understand he is trying to be funny, but in our healthcare system where women and minorities especially are often dismissed despite showing signs of serious illness and then those illnesses are left to worsen until they cause often permanent damage- it struck a nerve to say the least. I have found some of his content funny, I don't mind crass humor at all, but definitely some of them were far too insensitive for my tastes.
I'm a doctor, and he is incredibly crass and unprofessional. I wouldn't be surprised if he was fired from his position. Additionally, if he is trying to present himself as a medical professional when he is not, I would think he is incredibly liable, especially talking about extremely sensitive and heavy subjects, for impersonating a doctor without a license. The topics he discusses are for people who absolutely need help and already are probably extremely anxious or even phobic, and he's making them even less likely to get the help they need. Not to mention the victim blaming!!! Somebody go after him. I'm angered as a doctor who is extremely compassionate in general and cares about how my patients are treated in every sense of the word.
I have a psych degree but I'm not a psychologist, but my take is that the trauma is the point for him. The comedy is cover, so he can say "Come on, it's just jokes. Get real."
He wants and expects people to be traumatized.
@@pjaypender1009 That's so sick. 😔 Thank you for your expertise.
@@pjaypender1009 You could not have said it better. Thanks for taking the time to send Jo such a well spoken and informative response as those of us who have some of those issues (I have had them all and when I get to the ER they announce, “Oh here is another one of our frequent flyers”. It’s all I can do to NOT ask for peanuts and a drink). Many thanks sending ☮️ n ❤️ and may you enJOY 😊 your day, plus thanks for being a doctor who cares enough to read Jo’s TH-cam channel!!
Thank you for being this kind of doctor.
I doubt that his behavior is actionable, because he bills himself as a comic. Double-edged sword.
I am also a comedian, and I keep in mind the rule of thumb I once heard someone offer re. what kind of humour is offensive and where is the ‘line’. Look at your punchline and look at the people who aren’t in power in the situation you’re describing. If the punchline is at the powerless party’s expense, don’t make the joke. Steve consistently breaks this ‘rule.’ That’s where his dark humour crosses a line into what I would call unacceptable conduct.
Punch up not down.
Gallows humor is a great term, and a great example is if you are not the one in the gallows, you shouldn't be making jokes
@@hugrunj Anyone can make jokes. You aren't a tyrant or dictator to enforce your views on others
@@RaizanMedia I'm not?
I think the difference with "jokes that shouldn't be made" that you hit on is that it is different when there is a person who has experienced it making the joke. If I make a joke about limb loss, having never lost a limb, I don't have any context or understanding. That joke is at the expense of others experience. I think that's a key difference
I joke all the time about my toe amputation. It keeps you sane and normalizes it. I think he is dangerous, because it isn't things he has experienced, and he puts in the worse possible way. he is not funny in any way.
You are right
This is 100% true. As someone with a chronic pain disorder affecting my entire body for multiple years, I’ve made some pretty brutal jokes that if I wasn’t laughing, people would be scared to laugh at. This guy Stevioe literally made fun of people with chronic pain in a video in which a guy who is not visibly showing signs of pain says he’s a 10/10 on the pain scale only to make him seem like he’s lying
I can tell you, I’ve seen other people with my condition and conditions like it show absolutely no distress on their face but pierce their palms with their nails to cope.
I think the major issue is he never outright states he isn't a nurse, doctor, or any type of practioner. It would be akin to someone pretending to be a cop, who never outright states he isn't, talking about how they make pat downs sexually. Difference is that the latter is a federal crime while the former is not, so there's less blocking people from impersonating a nurse besides general fraud, which isn't really applicable online.
Doctor Mike made a very good point about that part about not finding anything wrong. You know your body best and you are your own best advocate. If something is wrong, don’t back down and raise all the hell you need to in order to get the attention you think you deserve if you feel doctors are dismissing you
Dr. Mike is great. Wonderful to see the change you want to see in the medical system embodied in the younger doctors coming up in the world.
Overall Dr Mike is good but I do wish he'd educate himself on autism and non-harmful advice /information on it. In his The good Doctor review, he tried to advise parents to put their children in masking /social classes which most times just teaches autistic individuals how to look less autistic for other's comfort and at the detriment to the Autistic individual. While some things about social interactions are good/ helpful to learn, the burden of learning communication/social interaction should be on the people who are able to do that (Allistic/Neurotypical people) not on the autistic individuals who struggle with those things.
Also, he's knowingly portraying himself as a medical professional. He knows exactly what he's doing
💯 and it’s sick
He actually makes it known that he is a retired ER tech.
@@mandapants74 he didn't at the beginning of his career. He only added that to his bio after he got called out for it
Why were people assuming he was a doctor? Oh yes! Only doctors use scrubs and work in hospitals! 🙄
I thought he was an ER nurse. Any reasonable person watching his videos would assume so.
The last one REALLY gets to me. I was passed around from doctor to doctor for OVER A MONTH trying to figure out why I couldn't stop throwing up literally everything I ate or drank and why my abdomen hurt so badly. For the first two full weeks, I was told that I needed to just keep myself hydrated and rest, that I had the stomach flu. Obviously I didn't stop pestering them and several negative tests later, I finally ended up in the ER and found out I had been in renal failure for weeks. By that point I had lost 20 lbs and was severely dehydrated and ended up staying in the hospital for weeks. I am still dealing with the physical trauma from it. I can't stand it when people make light of doctors not knowing what's wrong. It is the worst kind of uncertainty.
As an NP, I can say that "mystery diagnosis" misadventures happen ALL THE TIME. Ya have to keep pushing until you get the answer.
Seriously... I'm so glad you're okay now! 🙌 I hate that ANYONE has to go through this crap 😥 my best friend has a dream of making her own private hospital full of only doctors she knows are competent because her family has struggled SO MUCH with misdiagnosis. It's really sweet actually because she believes so much in me (I JUST started college this past fall) and I would absolutely LOVE for this dream to become a reality, but it's not like you can just speak it into existence. Tbh I have no idea where to start 😅 but by golly we can build our connections and try our best 😤
Maam there you go diagnosis Renal failure they figured it out maybe it took time but they figured it out like i said healthcare professionals are human beings its their fault that you are ill
If youre so upset be a doctor and lets see if you can do it
*not their fault
The second one on self-harm is really one of the factors that quite honestly made me afraid to ever go to the ER. It made me so scared of this that I felt even worse about getting help. He made it sound really terrifying to receive help from medical professionals.
Edit: 200 LIKES!!! Dang, thanks everyone!!
Hey I hope your okay now and don’t be scared to reach out for help even if it’s just telling a friend
It is pretty scary and this is exactly why it's best not receive any help from medical professionals because their help is rarely ever actual helpful. Research shows that these holds literally do nothing and often make the problem worse later by giving the person more trauma. Therapists are the only actual people you have when it comes to mental health and if you ever get institutionalized it's not about your mental health. It's about you being a problem. We don't treat mental health issues at all.
@@nagitokomoeda8340 Thank you for your concern. I'm feeling a lot better now.
@@Fizzypopization I completely agree
It had a counter effect on me. It made me more willing to go to the ER. Bc u know, I felt protected even without consent. And it made me feel safe, since I was "giving consent" to my death.
But yeah, he does sound like a jerk.
I’ve watched this several times over a couple of months. Each time I see this guy’s videos, I find them less funny, more insulting and so very dangerous to the fragile or impressionable patients who are already in distress.
By contrast, every video of Jo’s has warmth, humour and a level of frank honesty that is as rare as it is admirable.
Wishing Jo peace, health and happiness, and my sending best wishes to all her viewers.
I blocked him so I haven’t seen that “we don’t know what’s wrong” video and that pisses me off. As someone with endometriosis, I can’t tell you how many doctors have said that my pain is “in my head”
THIS! I got told for YEARS that my pain was just UTIs because I was "dirty" and got lectured SO MANY times about how i needed better hygiene when in reality I needed endometrial tissue to not be growing in to my effing bladder!
Yes! I have it as well. How many times we have to go to the ER, get a pelvic, then be told we are crazy or in our heads. It's traumatizing
Or normal, because every menstruating person experiences pain 🙄 I feel you. I have endometriosis& pcos.
@@livenitup862 I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been told that it’s “normal period cramps” ... I’m sorry but not being able to walk from the pain is not normal 🙄 I’m so sorry you deal with it too. I wish this disease would just die..
Also an endo warrior, as a sophomore in high school I was told my pain was just psychosomatic, as a senior, its just a cyst it'll pop. Finally as a Jr in college I had surgery and was narcotic free for months for the first time in years.
I can't speak on a lot of these issues for various reasons, but I wanna add something to the self harm/suicide thing. The way Steve has talked about this issue reminds me of how I was treated by medical staff after my suicide attempt. Please, for the love of god, take suicidal people and their pain seriously. Don't ever put on a patronizing voice when explaining what you need to do. You may be tempted to try and make the suicidal person feel bad in the situation so they won't try anything again but this is NOT. HELPING. You're literally just making them feel worse.
The way medical staff treats suicidal patients is so dehumanizing and objectifying. I hope you're doing better now and I hope you heal from what happened.
@@Tera_totally Thank you
@@Tera_totally I am curious, are you referring to the removal of personal possessions and having a staff member watch the patient all the time? Or is it something else you experienced?
I am really wanting to know your thoughts, I am a nurse and sometimes we have patients who are on suicide watch.
It's on purpose they want you to feel worse because they're inconvenienced by your mental health. I know how that sounds, but it's the same way disabled people are treated when they go to the ER we are inconvenience we're not supposed to exist.
@@Crystal5672cats just the tone can sometimes make the whole situation worse. I understand that you guys are overworked and probably overwhelmed but some medical professionals treat people with mental health issues in the ER like we are wasting their time and taking care away from someone who really needs it.
Ew. Just Ew. His attitude regarding these procedures reveals his absolute lack of empathy for patients in the medical system. This can absolutely harm people by turning them off from wanting to get medical help.
I am personally pissed at the person who told you to “delete” yourself. Under NO circumstances should anyone ever tell someone to do what that statement suggests. I would never even say that to a person I hate.
Having trauma from ER visits, which were caused by staff being unkind and dismissing my already present ptsd, this is...validating. When I first saw his videos, I felt uncomfortable, shocked even. And then I thought it was just me and didn't talk about it because "Im too sensitive". Thank you for speaking up about it.
I saw a few of his videos and he scared me to be honest. It made me wonder if this is really what the doctors/ medical professionals thought about me and made me even more scared of them.
Your feelings are valid even if you are sensitive. I also have PTSD and that makes it hard to believe that my feelings are valid bc of the narrative that we are "too sensitive." In my case, I'm trying to learn that just because something doesn't upset someone else doesn't mean that I'm wrong for being upset. Our experiences shape our reactions and it would be unreasonable to expect you not to react negatively to something that triggers you. Actively unfollowing or blocking things/people that trigger me has been a huge help, I highly recommend.
I do not have ptsd, but after being hospitalised for the first and - so far - only time, I needed therapy for anxiety. Not because of the medical condition that got me into hospital, but because of the way I was treated by the staff.
His fanbase is kind of rabid. They love him and his jokes, and they aren't nice to people who see his videos and express discomfort. You are not too sensitive! Neither am I or Footless Jo for thinking his videos are harmful. It's completely reasonable to be concerned about all the bad his videos might be doing.
He's humor is my kind, but I really think he's being harmful without realizing it. He's going to discourage people from going to get help...and I didn't know that he WASN'T an er nurse. Thank you for talking about this. It made me really sad to hear him talk about people "not really being sick" when doctors can't find what's wrong. I guess since I have fybro M. I'll just not move my whole body 🙄😐
He’s being pretty specific when he talks about that though. You don’t go to the ER to get a fibro dx. I think a bigger issue is the hard network shows do when they show everyone getting a definitive DX and effective treatment when coming in through the ER all in the span of 24 hours. People don’t understand wha an ER is really for. Its for LIFE THREATENING EMERGENCIES, or things you legit think are life threatening, or broken bones, and little else. Period. You will not walk out of there with a dx for anything other than a broken bone or a heart attack. If you can beat it until normal business hours tomorrow, you will be discharged and told to call your primary care. You might get antibiotics, MAYBE a painkiller. I have been discharged at 25 with no ability to WALK and no MRI or any imaging.
ERs are not diagnostic centers, not “Dr’s offices”. They are there to stabilize your vitals and make sure you can survive to be someone else’s problem tomorrow. More people need to know that. This ER technician isn’t “harmful”. Someone’s sense of humor is going to always offend someone else. I think Jo was in a bad place to take this humor so it hit her the wrong way. I could see myself taking it the same 8 years ago. I subscribe to him and laugh every time now, though. Pelvic exams used to be traumatic for me because of my history and ptsd, but they are just annoying now, like for most women.
Also, a fair amount of his content is funny with a compassionate twist- like when he feels sorry for the person with no one to list as an emergency contact and offers himself.
I just don’t think this is harmful. It humor that isn’t for everyone, but not harmful. I feel for Jo, but she is internalizing way to hard here.
@@juliejanesmith57 But sometimes gynecological concerns can cause pain so severe that you think you're dying.
I have been to A&E because my period pains were so severe I couldn't stand straight. I went very pale and clammy. My mum took me in because she was worried I had appendicitis or a cyst that had burst.
Turns out, it's adenomyosis. Which causes exceptionally painful periods. Hormonal contraception and prescription pain relief helps. However I'm not wasting resources by using A&E when the pain is so bad I can't stand.
@@juliejanesmith57 and he is harmful. He is offensive. He paints things in such a harmful light that he would put people off getting help that they need.
i'm in the same place as you. i used to follow him. it's so hard to watch that video regarding self harm and see him being so disrespectful when he was once part of a healthcare team. that will absolutely turn anyone who is seeking help, away. and who knows what could happen. ):
I really disliked his one on self harm.... that's gonna scare away people who need help.
I do find his content funny, but some of them go overboard...
The one with the "we don't know what's wrong" makes me so angry to the ends of the earth. I went through 7 doctors, 1 ER visit, a physical therapist, and it was finally the freaking naturopath that figured out that I had bulging discs in my lumbar spine that if I continued to ignore, could have herniated or even ruptured. Even at the ER, they ran x-rays, and when I asked for an MRI, they said that since the x-ray didn't show anything, there was no need. Well guess what? When the naturopath ordered me an MRI, lo and behold, it showed things the x-ray didn't. It wasn't my fault, I was taking more than the safe limit of ibuprofen per day (when I already have liver problems), and even when I was going to physical therapy, they weren't focusing on the right things because the doctors were giving incorrect notes (they were treating muscles, not bones). Three months of chiropractic adjustments and a personal trainer helping me make a workout plan that worked for my spine and I'm better now, but things like this just make me irate.
It is insane to me to hear that if the ER cannot figure out what is wrong they will just send you home with nothing rather than referring you to a specialist or running more tests, or even just telling you to come back if anything changes. That's absolutely irresponsible and dangerous- People seeing you in the ER don't necessarily specialize in whatever might be wrong- they should know that them not finding something doesnt mean it's not there
This has happened to me more than once!
It happens. If it's not your heart, if you aren't bleeding or screaming in pain?
You go home.
Specialist don’t take referrals from ER that’s not what an ER is for that’s what your pcp is for
You are 1000% correct on this subject. As a person who has been known to laugh at highly inappropriate/dark comedy, I believe what he is doing is wrong. Comedy is not an excuse to deliberately mislead people in ways that could hurt them. Maybe he needs to experience what a speculum feels like, and maybe he wouldn’t be so damn flippant about it.
It’s not even comedy. Repeatedly referring to patients as “motherf*ckers” is at the least, extremely weird. Comedy implies that the general population finds it funny, but this comedy is at the expense of others...
as someone who has been to the ER for a suicide attempt he's just straight up wrong. at least at my hospital: they don't do any of that shit. I changed into a gown but still had my phone and ear buds, as they left me alone for hours at a time. also the way he talks about it is just weird. "suicide is a longterm solution to a short term problem." is !. a horrible misunderstanding of the causes of suicide and 2. when stated in that tone, while smiling, honestly feels condescending
Exactly ur hospital my hospital takes everything bras yess shoes ur phone earrings anything u can use to harm urself u only get a hair tie and socks a gown underwear that look like boxers
Your hospital failed you if they didn’t take your things and put you with a sitter.
This. Plus the way he called suicidalness a short term problem when for some people those thoughts are indeed not short term just seems ignorant in a way.
Well I don't know what hospital you were at, but they were not following procedure. I am an ER nurse and in every video I've seen of him he's been right. Or am I not "medical professional" enough eighter? Crude humor is how we deal with the tramatic shit we see in there and a hefty amount of patients appreachiate it too.
@@antheiheiant "Crude humor is how we deal-" ok, doesn't mean its not wildly inappropriate. Especially if the patient is the butt of the joke. The way you responded makes me think you are exactly the kind of nurse who would make very transphobic jokes about me to your coworkers with me in earshot.
A critic of the nursing professsion shouldn't feel like a personal attack, unless. . .
My husband wasn’t believed in the ER. He was in agony, couldn’t bend his neck, and felt ill. They sent him home……while he had meningitis. He almost died because of it. It’s not a joke and while I think his symptoms were obvious….I even asked if it maybe it was meningitis, but they missed it. I realize doctors are humans, but I agree this kind of message is harmful.
As a nurse, and also someone who has been in the hospital for mental health and found the experience extremely traumatizing, I find this guy absolutely disgusting. I also thought he was a nurse or doctor.
Hey Jo, you're not the first one who's had a problem with him. I've seen a couple other creators who have opened up about how they think he is unprofessional and I totally agree. I've unfollowed him a couple months back because he just started to annoy me.
I saw a few that were funny- then was bombarded with WAY TOO MUCH INSENSITIVE crap 💩
Masquerading as humorous information.
I found it annoying and had him removed from my feed.
I agree that this guy needs a Warning ⚠️ 🏷 label
The tone was off….
I have my own chronic issues.
It's his tone of voice and misrepresentation of his role is unethical. I enjoyed a few videos than there was one that really turned me off, so I've sort of refrained from watching him. There are other medical professionals that have videos that are actually funny and sensitive.
He's not for everyone.... Lol
I agree, his tone was very upsetting and frustrating. I think each of these videos are stigmatizing towards patients. For me, the most upsetting was the pelvic exam video...
his videos really set off my anxiety. I'm pretty used to dealing with doctors and hospitals etc but I'm constantly worried that I'm going to be accused of making it up or that maybe it is all really in my head (internalised ableism is a hell of a thing). Everything about his attitude just gives me such bad vibes.
It also makes me concerned that the doctors I thought were listening and understanding me were actually thinking like he does
I am already worried about going to the ER only to be told I'm faking it or nothing is wrong (when something is definitely wrong) Those videos made it worse. I'm disabled and chronically ill, and I completely agree, this really just made me double guess every ER experience I've had
I’m doing a masters of information and you very accurately described how people gather information nowadays. By seeing a person in scrubs giving information online, people are going to find authority in that information. Especially if that information is on a platform like TikTok. Thank you for sharing :)
I wondered how he was able to make these videos if he was currently, as I assumed, a nurse.
Knowing he isn't makes a lot more sense all around.
He is hurting hospitals reputation in addition to the crazy costs. Like, we do not need more reasons to not go to the hospital when we need to.
Oh give me a break.. it's just a comedy video, people got too sensitive with time, I am probably diagnosed with every known illness in the medical book but I am able to laugh at stupid stuff like this..
even though most of his jokes suck imo, you can still clearly see that he is just trying to be funny..
@@georgebruh8325 Every illness? Wow, and you function enough to rant on YT?
@@protoclone138 yep, still got a functioning index finger for hunting and pecking unfortunately, carpal tunnel hasn't got me yet.. that's the only thing preventing the achievement from being unlocked
@@georgebruh8325 Wow, and your typing is so coherent. You're so brave.
@@protoclone138 Oh yes, as you can see I am a very high achiever even with only one functioning body part, if you are impressed with my one finger typing you should see me wiping my ass truly a feast for the eyes
Dude! I cannot stand him. I didn't know he's a former ER tech, like he's clearly wearing scrubs to legitimate himself and yet, he's no longer in the field and that's telling. He wants people to think he's credible by his clothing.
Regarding the self harm related video, I absolutely agree. I have been in that headspace and if I were there again thinking I might do something drastic and someone told me that they were going to strip me, take away everything I have, and stare me down even while I pee I think it would make my anxiety about the situation that much worse. It would almost certainly influence my decision to seek help. I think this situation is absolutely harmful, and now that some time has passed since the video was released I hope some progress has been made in making people aware that he is not to be seen as a medical authority.
I have had this exact experience. I was seriously thinking about hurting myself when I came across his self harm video specifically. It made me so much more scared to seek medical help.
As a retired psychiatric nurse, this made steam come out my ears. I’ve never seen these particular videos by him. You are correct. It’s harmful. It’s inappropriate. And it’s not funny.
As a nurse of everyrhing... I find it complete funny and love my patients that are able to express healthy thoughts. ❤
He has released more recent videos where he is more sensitive about certain subjects. For instance, he did a newer one on self harm that mentioned all the same things that will happen if you come in reporting intent to self harm, but he framed it as a conversation between a concerned nurse and a suffering patient who understands why they need to do those things. People in the comments section who had self harmed really appreciated that video. I hope he’s taken down the mean spirited ones.
I'm pissed off over the continued belief that depression or suicidal idealation is a temporary issue. I have depression and anxiety due to trauma and genetics. Will be taking meds for the rest of my life to keep balanced.
Also he's an ablist ass. Not funny
I'm so with you! From the outside it might be true, that suicide is a long term solution for a short term problem. But when you are ready to do it? You don't care anymore.
And also, like Jo said: When I have suicidal thoughts and then hear how I will be stripped down and taken my bra away in the ER? I will not go there. Especially as a person with sexual trauma. I will stay away. And I will tell noone so they don't bring me there. What I would need is: We are here, we care about you. Come to us, someone will talk to you and then discuss if you have to stay and how to proceed. If you have to stay, you might have to change into a hospital gown, but we will talk you through all your options.
I 100% agree. For many of us, depression is a lifelong problem.
Yes, exactly. There's nothing short-term about my mental illness, it's life long. People saying that just make me feel even more alienated because it shows they really don't understand what I deal with.
Yeah, saying it’s a life long solution to a temporary problem makes it sound like the person randomly had something happen that made them suddenly want to do it. That isn’t usually the case. Often, people struggle for months or years before they finally attempt suicide, because they’re tired of suffering and being miserable.
Also, I hate when people say it gets better. That’s not always the case.
As someone who’s been through SA and is effected by it everyday, I wholeheartedly agree about your thoughts and especially on the pelvic exam video. I am definitely very sensitive to these things, but it’s a very sensitive topic and shouldn’t be discussed so flippantly,
if they bother you.....stop watching. his lighthearted humor makes me feel more knowledgeable when going to the ER
"If it hurts to move it, stop moving it!" Is so unbelievably unhelpful when EVERYTHING HURTS ALL THE TIME 😂. Also terrible advice when too much immobilisation causes issues with your fascia, which will only make things worse in the long run 🙄🙃
I understand and agree.
I just wonder is your condition something you would go to ER for help?
This happened to my dad. He had leg pain, and didn't move the leg. He had other issues, too, with his knees, but now he's disabled.
@@laululla Not usually! I have central sensitisation pain which is likely due to hEDS, ADHD undiagnosed & untreated til I was 25, and trauma... but if I dislocated something and it didn't go back in (which has never happened so far, and won't - fingers crossed!) I would go to urgent care 😅. I did go get medical treatment for a broken foot 2 years ago, which posed another problem because I walked on it for nearly a week thinking it was just bruised/sprained due to it not hurting that bad to me (other than when it actually broke, and when I accidentally kicked something 😫, but that pain was very sharp and short so it was easy to push aside) because my pain perception is all wonky 😅. But even then it's really important to mobilise sensibly without causing significant pain - using the foot helps it heal properly, and reduces any atrophy (I still have some, but it's not that bad, and it would be way worse if I kept off the foot completely 😬).
I would only go get emergency treatment if something significant happened tbh, and now I _know_ what a broken bone feels like, at least I wouldn't chalk up another one to my usual pain 😅
Also.. stomach pain? How do you stop moving your stomach lol
@@TheEmmakathryn Well I guess you just stop moving at all 😅
Saaaame.
When something is wrong and you're gaslit and harassed and charged $2k. It's one of the worst experiences and really drives you away from help you *need* to survive.
I'm so glad to see you calling this out. How severely harmful it is.
I have watched some of his videos & found them funny. I have also found some that are quite disturbing. I also have to say that the ones that you showed I had not seen before today. I agree with you that he does give the impression that he is still in the profession. I agree that a warning or disclaimer should come with each of his videos to state that this is not medical advice from a professional. We should not have to go to the profile page for that information. It should be right up front with every video.
I recently just quit my job as a patient attendant at a hospital and I can say with 100% confidence that his statements in the self harm video are a complete deterrent for people to seek help when they need it. I was the person who would stay with potentially suicidal patients at all times, including watching them in the bathroom. Almost every time that I went down to the ER to sit with someone who was just admitted, they would say something along the lines of "I didn't know I would have no privacy here." I had many patients who, upon my arrival, would want to leave. I assume that if they had heard his "jokes" about what it is like to go to the ER for self-harm reasons that many of these people wouldn't have actually come to get the help that they needed, and that is a huge problem
Considering more people get more traumatised by these places than actually helped, it doesn't matter. Lots of my friends ended up places for suicidal thoughts/attempts. Every one got worse, qnd a few even tried the moment they left the hospital and had a chance.
I totally agree, but I have something to add being on the other side:
I see people saying "well he's just telling the truth about what happens" and sure, I guess. But for me, the deterrent is not the "information" but rather his crude and unempathetic way of talking about it. It makes me think "If I check into the ER, is HE what's going to be watching over me?"
All of my traumatizing experiences with the medical system have revolved around a doctor who talks about me like that man talks about suicidal patients. If I had to surrender control to a local ER because I feel like I'm going to hurt myself, I would never ever want to surrender control to him.
There is no help though. As a person who has tried many times to beg for help at various ERs, all they do is hurt. You'd honestly be better served going out into the night and asking someone to kick you in the face. It'd be less damaging.
@@mariaa8659 dude, when i woke up in the er after an attempt i felt beyond violated and degraded and like all autonomy was taken from me. They lost my clothing and i never got it back, left me on a respirator thing for a near hour while i could breathe fine on my own and the thing was just making it harder for me to, they ignored me and looked me in the eye while i was begging for them to help me, give me a pen and paper so i could communicate, anything, they looked in my eyes multiple times and just left me like that for an hour. Because the dumb doctor didn't have the machine set up right and thought i "wasn't breathing" when i was trying to tell them i could. and the head of mental health tried to convince me I was bipolar within 5 minutes of talking to me and gave me a very big starting dose of mood stabilizers when I've been even taken them before (I've been found to not be bipolar at all and that medication made me someone Im not.) It was just a horrible experience and it's made me promise myself to never be in that situation again, no matter what that means.
@@mariaa8659 I'm so sorry it happened to you as well, some doctors just shouldn't be allowed to deal with patients who are going through that because they're clearly not prepared to :'( it's really sad how instead of trying to actually help they strip a person of all their rights and try to drug them into submission, all the sitters and nurses were very kind and nice but the doctors, god they were just cruel. Things need to change :',','( I really hope you've gotten to a better headspace since then because it can be very traumatizing going through what we did, but people don't really care and then blame us for it, like we would've known it was going to happen or we chose to do it, just know that you're very valid in how you feel about it, we all are
I'm late to the party but thank you for making a video about this. I found his videos through TH-cam Shorts and at first loved them, but then I saw the video about assuming passed out people on the ground are just drunk homeless people and to LEAVE THEM. I felt really icky about it, but wrote it off as a fluke, a product of a bad day at work. Then I saw the video about the dehumanization people having a mental health crisis face with such callousness, and I quit watching the videos.
I had thought maybe I was just being sensitive, I have too much empathy for a lot of dark/edgy/offensive humor so I stay away from it since it just isn't for me. I'm glad I'm not the only one objecting to the nature of these videos.
All I can say is that it is a part of medical ethics to, "Do no harm." and by Steve blatantly making fun of patients is what I would consider "doing harm."
Agreed.
Depends on how you define harm. Maybe the methods aren't ideal but he points out a lot of the ways the medical community does immeasurable harm. Take suicide for example. A hospital might let you keep your bra or not actually watch you pee, but they will absolutely strip you of your dignity, agency, self efficacy, etc. in an attempt to help you. The dignity I can do without; last time I was in the ER not only was I ok with them watching me pee, they had to help me pee. It's the agency and self efficacy that get me. They apparently don't understand what it means to be human or the irony that in many of their methods of attempting prevention they're justifying or validating actually committing suicide. Maybe I'm wrong but I personally would rather someone kill themselves, taking control of themselves and living for a moment, however brief, than being alive for an extended period but not truly living.
He's literally an actor/comedian. Like he has a commercial agent and a sketch group. Do no harm does not apply.
LMAO.
I'm guessing you're in the "words are violence" camp too
SMH
I used to work in a clinic. As shocking as he is, that’s pretty typical of the way techs, CNAs and even some nursing staff talked when patients weren’t around. It offended me for 6 years. Our doctors would even get into that mix sometimes. Looking back on it, it’s one of the things I hated most about my job. Once in a while a patient heard it. Some of those complained. But the cynical, dismissive, crass attitudes persisted. That included jokes and annoyed comments targeting patients in pain, with disabilities, having treatment issues or with quirky personalities. It’s the smelly underbelly of local healthcare.
This is incredibly accurate. It is such a double edged sword to work in healthcare. I’ve tried to have us laugh at ourselves, more than other things, but some are too far gone. They need to retire. I will NEVER work in an ED. Depending on where I worked, the staff was rude to even me, coming in before, during, & after a code to help. It made me hate my job. Thankfully my passion for helping others outweighed it, but it has almost killed me a few times.
I was hospitalised only once - about a year ago, during the pandemic. I had to stay for a week (kidney inflammation), alone in a room with no chance to get visitors. This was one of the worst times in my life.
And although nobody was openly offensive towards me, I sure as hell got a lot of these condescending vibes, "caught" nurses making fun about me and so on. Medical staff being dismissive about my concerns.
The day I was sent home, the doctor actually wanted me to stay one more day because it was a serious issue after all and so she thought I should stay "to get some rest" and "relax". I managed to convince her that I was ready to go home.
I found out that many ppl think of hospitals as places where you are safe and taken care of, but I just felt so threatened there.
(sure this wasn't the nurses fault alone but they surely played a significant part in it)
And now that everybody is on this trip about "nurses have such a hard job", "nurses need to get paid more",... I just can't get myself to acknowledge that or feel for them. So they didn't get paid 'enough' while sh*t-talking about their patients whose lives were in their hands? Do we not have more serious problems to discuss?
(I know it's kinda unfair to judge a whole profession based on one single one - week experience. Only that knowledge won't change the way I feel, right?)
@@joschistep3442 you're allowed to have complicated feelings about the health profession. Im very sorry this happened to you. There needs to be quality control for nurses that just isnt there.
You're 100% right that this is typical. I've been dealing with chronic illness symptoms for 19 years that have been dismissed and mocked that whole time, right in front of me in some cases. I recently had a lesion with radiating nerve pain and numbness, and had a dermatologist look at it. She said to put benadryl cream on it, and while I was checking out, I and everyone else in the waiting room heard her loudly mocking me for "coming in to see her over a mosquito bite." Two months later I am getting spinal taps and dozens of MRIs because the nerve issues associated with that lesion, and everything else I've been dealing with for two decades, are textbook MS; but because of that smug, smarmy, mocking attitude, I've gone decades being laughed at instead of listened to. Even if that TikToker were a licensed clinician, he wouldn't have been any different. He would have just been hurting people more directly.
I used to go out with a nurse and they were very like him. Plus extremely indiscrete. I have multiple health issues and let's just say we are no longer together.
I'm a RN. Humor is definitely needed to get through this job sometimes, especially after this past year. But also after this past year, many people are burnt out and bitter. I understand the frustration and why people are leaving en masse, and that's probably why he's (and probably others) acting like this. It does not make it okay. He's being unprofessional and either needs a break or to leave the medical field.
Well and Jo said that he left the field years ago so he hasn’t even experienced the pandemic as a healthcare provider!!
@@ladybugcutiemj I did not know that... he talks as though he's still working
Amanda, if you're an RN like me, he actually sounds like an individual who may have worked in an ER but not in a critical thinking capacity. In my experience ED techs dont need any education or healthcare background and their interactions and involvement with patient care are very limited.
@@ladybugcutiemj He quit during the pandemic due to burnout. I don't know who said he quit years ago, but that info is incorrect.
Yeah, the fact he's portraying himself as a doctor - he knows exactly what he's doing! An ER tech is important, but nowhere near as important in the way a doctor is. And has nowhere near the same amount of medical knowledge. Its dangerous, what he's doing, and its not okay
Personally I find Steve's videos absolutely hilarious and they've almost always made my day. But I do know he's a retired ER tech and I also do know not to take him too seriously. So I've never thought much about this.
However, what you say in this video makes total sense now that I do think about it. I've had experiences with gaslighting doctors, some of my friends have also been abused, and yeah, biewing it from that perspective changes my opinion a lot. A disclaimer of some sort at the beginning of his videos (at least the "tips from the ER" series) would be necessary indeed. Something along the lines of "I'm a retired ER tech, this is comedy, don't take it too seriously, and if you're sensitive to X, Y or Z, this may not be for you."
Thank you for this well-differentiated view on Steve. Fwiw, I don't think you're a jealous bitch or anything at all like some of his other followers obviously think ✌️
This is the comment I came to make, but you said it better than I would've.
I totally see how his content can harm people and I think if someone is actually going through a medical crisis his tone and style wouldn't be helpful. I assume he was never actually like this to patients in person and this is just to make the point more comedically. I've never been offended or affected by his videos, even the ones that apply to medical problems I have had, but it makes sense some people wouldn't enjoy them and some scenarios are more appropriate to joke about than others. I do agree he should make his profession known
In the 'tips from the er' videos he doesn't but he states that he's not a Dr and is an er tech many times, especially on his TH-cam videos. At least a few on tiktok that the said it in have been removed.
Eta that I just noticed he lists he's retired now on his TH-cam
"Long term solution to a short term problem" is the worst way to phrase it and shows fundamental a lack of understanding of depression and suicide.
Its the most disrespectful way to explain a death of a family member or friend. A kid in my class hung himself. All I could imagine was his cousin who at the time was his best friend having to listen to that. And know based off this one video that it probably would have been worse if he had gotten help.
What would you describe it as then? A short-term solution to a short-term problem?
@@kiwikiwi2483 it's not possible to simplify it like that, it's way more complex, and it definitely doesn't feel like a short term thing when you're in it. It's hard work to get out of it and even then it's hard work to stay out of.
Most attempts are made within 5 minutes of the decision, most people are capable preparing preventative measures beforehand because they don't actually want to die, big on that list is getting rid of fast ways to do it and creating plans to get you through those moments and controlling those impulses.
"It's a long term solution for a short term problem" completely misses the point, depression is a long term problem and suicide is usually an impulsive decision, not something that people would see as the absolute solution, they know it's not, they don't actually want to die, putting it like that is belittling to the people who are in this situation.
@@l.c.8475 Elaborate more on how you think long-term solution to a short term problem is wrong though. You're simultaneously saying so much while also saying so little.
@@kiwikiwi2483 because it fundamentally misunderstands the thought patterns that lead people to attempt suicide, it's not about a solution, it's about poor impulse control.
Have you ever looked over a railing on a bridge and had that little voice at the back of your head telling you to jump? But you actually jump instead of moving away from the railing, because looking down makes you queazy after the voice did that.
because it frames depression as a short term problem, something people do when they conflate the mood with the disorder, and that's how it's most often minimised, because everyone gets depressed some times, but not everyone has clinical depression.
As someone who has suicidal thoughts from time to time (don’t worry, I try my best to yell back at them and try to stay around people when I’m at my worst) The way this video is presented makes me not want to go to the hospital for help. And that is precisely what I should be doing!
hug
As a nurse I find most of his videos to be humorous. Yes, he jokes about patients, but I've never heard him joke about any specific patient, just the general types of situations every nurse encounters. And even though it's a little dark or vulgar at times, I don't see a problem with that, since it's the same kind of humor you see on other medical sitcoms like Scrubs. And I know he's not a real nurse, but he used to work with us so he knows alot about what nurses do.
And there's probably a reason he's not working in the medical field anymore
According to one of his longer videos, it's because he was overworked and burned out during Covid and started making money on TikTok.
@@bijou3000 i mean, if I can stay home and make more money that being overworked and exposed to a virus, I'll gladly stay home. We can't blame him on that
@@freyjia5067 Exactly. It doesn't nullify his experiences as an ER tech.
@@bijou3000 Yep totally.
Plus the problem here being his humor, not his work in the er. No one can deny that 1 he never claimed to be a doctor, 2 he said that he left.
@@freyjia5067 I've heard him say, "Not a doctor, not a nurse" in a number of his longer videos. I guess I don't have a problem with dark humor because it's a coping mechanism that a lot of professions develop.
As someone who just 2 months ago went to the ER for severe neurological symptoms and ended up being held against my will for 12 hours with no way to contact my husband... until they discharged me onto the street the following morning with no one there to pick me up, without having dressed a single wound and after having dosed me with something also against my will, I am horrified that this guy hasn't been disciplined by every one of his female friends. or maybe he has. I can't watch the whole video, it's still too fresh for me. Thank you for talking about it.
Thats just horrible =( i am so sorry that happend to you.
The way they treated you is despicable. I'm so incredibly sorry. I personally know that I have neurological issues and I am personally terrified of doctors to the point that actually getting checked and diagnosed terrifies me. (You didn't make that worse). And you just proved me right in that regard. Its attitudes like Steve's and other medical professionals that treat their patents with such disregard that lets everyone down.
@@shannonhensley2942 yep, literally the story of my entire life. For all it’s advances, western medicine kinda sucks
Seriously glad they let you go that quickly and you had someone to take care of you, but that’s still terrifying. I’m… not going to ER’s unaccompanied anymore?
@@israel963 Absolutely not, always always have someone there to advocate, I knew this before I went but then I thought to myself.. heyy this is Canada what’s the worst that can happen? … 🤯
Thank you for speaking up about this. I suspect the majority of Steve's fanbase are young people who have never had any serious medical issues with themselves.
The last time I went to the ER my husband literally had to drag me into it. I was in the middle of a depressive episode and I didn't want to be subjected to the humiliation that would happen if they found out what i was thinking.
For nearly a year, my mom kept going to the ER for help because she had pain in her stomach and it was causing her to lose a lot of weight very quickly. 2 years ago my dad had to convince my mom to go to the ER again, because even for the pain she was in, she felt going was just a waste of time since doctors had told her multiple times that they didn't know what was wrong, and because she wasn't actively dying, she gets sent home. My mom went, and got diagnosed with stage 3-4 lymphoma. There was a tumor in her stomach.
He has been getting better, lately. His most recent videos are far more sympathetic and actually helpful. But his older ones definitely were upsetting. I've had horrible experiences in the ER, pretty much grew up in them, and have chronic illnesses.
I did get desensitized to his videos and started finding them funny after I started to understand his humor (and his humor started getting better). But that requires understanding his humor, and being able to appreciate it. The big rule is to recognize when it is exaggerated and not directed at the minority of people who it is not applicable to.
BUT not everyone can do any of the above. There is nothing wrong with that. His type of humor is not a 'stop being so sensitive' level, it is legit triggering level. And the fact that so many of his viewers don't understand the exaggeration is a huge problem.
I do not understand how anyone can mistake him for a doctor. I thought he was a nurse, but nothing about him makes me think he's a doctor.
That’s to bad, get out of your feelings and deal with it
I've watched his most recent stuff and he still has a ton of that mocking-the-patients content. I can't subscribe to that.
People generally seem to think anyone in medical field = doctor
You are sick @@King.of.dreamz
EXACTLY! I love Jo, but her complaint that "he was never a medical professional" really pissed me off. Just because he's not a doctor or a nurse doesn't mean he is not a valuable part of the medical community. ER techs are not fucking janitors, they do actual patient care which makes them medical professionals. What's next, now EMTs and paramedics aren't medical professionals either? And also, he never implied he was a doctor. If people assumed he was, that's their problem.
Anger and frustrations 100% valid. Those TikToks are done at best, in poor taste, and at worst, could keep someone from getting the help they need/deserve. Yikes 😠
Well said!
Seriously! The video that made me unsubscribe was him telling people not to call Emergency Services on a passed out person on the street, because they are ‘just a drunk homeless’
There's another video I found fairly problematic. He had a video on faking seizures to avoid law enforcement. But it came off as extremely harmful because of those of us (like me) who suffer from Conversion Disorder or other Somatoform disorders where things like seizures can be caused by acute psychological distress, but won't read as "real seizures" on an EEG. I wouldn't expect him to know this exists, but it isn't that hard to do some god damn googling about seizures. It's everywhere. As a medical professional, it shouldn't be difficult to research the disease you're claiming to be a professional on. He could even have asked a neurologist or put any effort at all into the background checks on his work. Its harmful. Extremely harmful.
I didn't realize he wasn't actually in the field anymore for the reasons you mentioned (dress/use of "we") and I do find that to be upsetting. I've only seen a couple of his videos and have enjoyed them, but I hadn't seen any of these (surprisingly enough, he just reposted the self-harm one on his IG today) before your video and I really didn't find any of these to be funny.
As you mentioned, context matters. If Steve was a woman or AFAB, that pelvic exam one might play different. If Steve was talking about self-harm from the standpoint of someone with suicidal ideation or who had self-harmed as well as his prior ER experience, again, maybe it would have played different. But in these cases, it just feels harmful.
Yes!! Joking about a situation that actually affects you (I’ve definitely made some dark jokes to help myself cope with situations that, in a different context, would be horrible) is totally different than profiting (either monetarily or socially) off of other people’s pain.
So, I am a current "medical professional" (I am an RN working in a hospital with 8 years of experience in all levels of care (med/surg, tele, ICU). I don't usually work in the ED, but have been floated there on occasion. First, *everyone* is wearing blue scrubs like that, especially during covid when they're literally dispensed by a machine like a vending machine. That way they stay in the hospital and you're not bringing home hospital nastiness. So, no I don't think he's trying to pass off as a doctor. ED techs to PhD MDs all wearing the same thing. While he says "we", that is quite literally what we do in a hospital setting. Just because he's not currently working in the hospital doesn't mean he suddenly lost all his knowledge and experience the last day he walked out of the hospital. When I was floated and flailing as the ED is a much different setting setting from inpatient, the ED techs were honestly the most helpful. No, they're not nurses and sometimes don't have nursing level assessment skills, just like we don't have the same skill set as NPs, PAs, and MD/DO have. Some ED techs are in nursing school and will be working as nurses soon, so no, I wouldn't discredit him as "not a professional". He certainly was and still has that level of knowledge and experience. I haven't watched too many of his skits, so I can't attest to whether or not he was sowing misinformation or not, but to be fair there were an embarrassing number of nurses and doctors that *do* have that level of education spreading mis/disinformation regarding covid. Now, where I do agree with you. He does come off as callous and flippant. Most if not all medical people do, especially when we're stressed and need an outlet. *But* that should be kept amongst ourselves and loved ones that know us and know we're not terrible human beings. Putting all that out there for lay people to see isn't great imo. *I* was cackling laughing because we've run into these situations and are all *thinking* (ok sometimes saying what he said to coworkers). He's saying the quiet part out loud, which is funny a lot of times for us, but sounds horrific to an outsider looking in. I do also agree that he could put something in the beginning stating his role in healthcare and that he's retired from that role. Also a content warning for veiwers that this is medical humor and other potentially sensitive topics like suicide, rape, etc. so you know what you're getting in to and have the opportunity to not watch if you know it'll make you uncomfortable/upset. That's all, and sorry for the long comment.
Exactly! I love Jo, but her complaint that "he was never a medical professional" really pissed me off. Just because he's not a doctor or a nurse doesn't mean he is not a valuable part of the medical community. ER techs are not fucking janitors, they do actual patient care which makes them medical professionals. What's next, now EMTs and paramedics aren't medical professionals either? And also, he never implied he was a doctor. If people assumed he was, that's their problem. As a future nurse, I'm not sure what makes me angrier; people not recognizing any other healthcare workers but doctors, or upon finding out that *gasp* other positions exist, they devalue them. Here's a song I made to the tune of "If Your Happy and You Know It":
doctors are not the only medical professionals *clap clap*
doctors are not the only medical professionals *clap clap*
don't devalue all the people who see you when you're sick
acknowledge other healthcare workers exist *clap clap*
I came across his videos accidentally-I thought it was JUST ME taking offense to how he was presenting what he was presenting
Just.... all of this content could be expressed in a kinder, sympathetic way, even the uncomfortable topics. For the pelvic exam one, phrasing it instead as. "If anything happens during the procedure, there will be a third person present you can immediately report it to" could help. Or for the self harm one, "Be aware that they will take your clothes from you, including undergarments, and there will always be someone present with you, including in the bathroom. We want to ensure you are completely safe and unharmed." Make it more clinical. It can really help. These are really sensitive topics and can really affect your views going forward. All of this information is valid and important to express to those who may be going through these procedures, but it should have been given in a different way when its being spread to a wide audience by someone who is acting like a ER doctor.
That is information freely available online though.
That third video made me so angry I am similarly blinded with rage. As someone with invisible chronic pain which has robbed me of so much in my life, just knowing this thinking exists is beyond heartbreaking. To see it as the butt of a joke? Even worse. Shameful. Your radar is bang on, as usual, Jo.
I 100 percent agree with you. Some of his videos I thought were okay but he does kind of rub me the wrong way and I don't like his excessive use of "mother fucker".
His vids remind me a lot of how doctors talk about my disorders, i have FND witch is quite literally "in my head" due to my nervous systems overreacting and i can't count the times doctors would treat me as a hysteric. not only do this videos normalise this attitude but also make light of real pain.
reminds me of when my dr told me I just felt cold because my brain was lying to me. if I hadn't pushed we wouldn't have found out I was hypothyroid and my internal body temperature was actually dropping too low. thankfully he was at least open to being wrong in his initial diagnosis. (also once told me I went blind briefly due to... a panic attack. it was probably a high blood pressure episode due to a combo of dysautonomia and temporary illness. definitely wasn't a panic attack.) it makes sense that doctors look to the most common answer first, but it sucks that the minority then get ignored when we need the most medical attention.
I also have FND. And I'm always worried doctors will see it, just as it being "all in my head" and not an actual disability that effects my daily life
Your feelings about this are valid. I find those videos offensive. I hate the fact that he thinks cussing and turning traumatic topics into a joke is a great way to grow your presence online. Who cares about how many followers he has? If the wrong person sees one of those videos, it could actually cost a life.
He doesn’t put a familiar or human twist on it that makes others feel it is okay to laugh. I am not laughing, and I do have a broad sense of humor, that sometimes accepts offensive topics, depending on how they are delivered. You’re not a Karen, you are conscientious.
Agreed.
I agree. There are offensive jokes that are generally funny because of the way they are constructed. I think the question here is how considerate do we want to be of people who refuse to look beyond the scope of their own feelings which seems to be the audience he is targeting with these videos.
I feel like that content is more damaging than it could ever be helpful. Jokes and sarcasm don't always come across that way to certain people and even more people when they are in vulnerable states. Personally I feel like all those types of videos should have a quick warning along the lines of this is not coming from a medical professional and is meant to be a joke/parody/sarcasm etc.
Hi Jo,
Long time watcher and I thoroughly enjoy your content. I have always appreciated your open, warm and genuine presentation.
I’m a medically retired nurse with 25 years experience nursing people with mental health issues. I was medically retired because I was very badly assaulted by a violent patient. I have had multiple surgeries and now struggle to mobilise even with a cane. By all accounts a wheelchair is in my future so that’s something to look forward too. Personally I want alloy wheels and ‘go faster stripes’ on it. 😆
Anyway, I think that you hit the nail on the head at about 13:45 when you said about comedy being different things to different people. When I was still able to nurse face to face I, and those I worked with, dealt with our fears, anxieties and frustrations with comedy. Sometimes it would be highly inappropriate jokes or comments. But they were never said within earshot of a patient and were only shared with colleagues that trusted each other. None of us would ever intentionally denigrate a patient or their feelings, but we needed a release as our own mental health was impacted so hard by the work we did. As you said, you yourself have cracked some very dark jokes when with people you trust, that the general population could be offended by. Laughter is a coping strategy that works better than any medication to lift your mental state.
I enjoy Steves videos and have experienced a number of the circumstances he describes, both as an healthcare professional and as a patient. More often than not I find his comments amusing. But he is subtle, much like a hammer, and can trivialise topics more often than not. There have also been times where I have found his ‘welcome to the ER’ series therapeutic as he is able to express the frustrations we have all faced in an underfunded, understaffed and poorly resourced healthcare system (UK here) when we ourselves would be struck off for saying the same things.
I respect both you and him and can only comment from my own perspective which does not allow me to comprehend your/his personal experiences and emotional attachments.
I am also a great believer in people making their own minds up and, if so, skipping a contributors content for whatever reason.
To aid that decision making, I agree a warning/disclaimer should be used on some videos. The three you highlighted would appear to be good examples of where that warning might have helped avoid triggering some people.
Anything more than that would start to look like censorship more than a neutral warning for the general good.
Sorry it’s a long ramble, morphine does that to me sometimes. Keep up the excellent content. I’m so glad you won the battle when you were demonetised and labelled as offensive. Absolutely crazy.
From one person with limited mobility to another, have a great day. Find love, happiness and peace at whatever opportunity you can. You deserve it
You have expressed exactly the same thoughts I've had while reading these other comments. I was also in the medical field for 35 years. Medical secretary/assistant, transcriptionist; in hospital and private practice. We hear about, see and/or help people during so many difficult situations. A sense of humour doesn't mean we don't care but we need a little stress relief.
Yeah his videos are massively offensive. It does not help.
As a fibromyalgia patient, and being spoken down to and flippantly dismissed by the professionals I counted on to HELP me, I agree this is a bit infuriating. I've also had multiple other very painful conditions that were untreated for entirely too long bc of this crap.
I have fibro and it took me 10 years to get diagnosed. No one would listen. I was called a liar and crazy so many times. I do not trust doctors. I see integrative doctors. But yes, Im scared to go to the ER for any reason.
Hes so aggressive. I completely agree with you, Jo. Listening to him makes me uncomfortable and makes me hope that my family or myself never come across someone like him in a medical emergency.
I'm an RN and my 8yr career has been in behavioral health- inpatient (in hospitals), outpatient (residential) and in case management. I agree that humor can be used to cope, and can be incredibly dark sometimes, but there is never an appropriate time or place for tearing another person down for laughs. All he is doing is perpetuating the stigma of mental health, and normalizing the dehumanization of patients. I have worked at some absolute shit shows (literally and figuratively 😅) but it hurts my heart to see someone misrepresenting healthcare workers. That's not professional, it's not healthcare, and it's sure as shit not why I became a nurse.
^^^ also, we are reading One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in school so I immediately recognized your pp