ER nurse has the perfect clap back to male patient who requested different nurse because she had tattoos

Tattoos have become increasingly common in the US. However, women with tattoos are unfortunately subjected to judgment in various aspects of life just because they are inked. Erika, an ER nurse who goes by @dawntodusk9 on TikTok, talked about how she was insulted by a patient after he requested a different nurse just because she was covered in tattoos and piercings. In a video that garnered over 600k views, she addressed the male patient, telling him he would have better luck finding a "pot of gold" and that her tattoos were her way of finding an outlet for the "trauma" she faced in her job every day.

"You have better luck finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow than you do finding an ER nurse without massive amounts of trauma that turns into tattoos," she said in the video. "We are all covered in tattoos and piercings to hide our trauma," she added.

"I just thought it was a very odd request to make," Erika told Newsweek. "If you come to the emergency department but then provide stipulations to the care you receive, maybe it's not an actual emergency." She further said, "There are healthcare professionals that you can pick; your primary care provider, your obstetrician. But, the emergency department is staffed by different doctors and nurses, and technicians each day. We rotate out.... we are all highly skilled and trained providers, so we know how to handle emergencies."

Even though this incident frustrated Erika, she didn't feel hurt, as she said, "I've been doing this for over a decade now. I don't take anything patients say personally." Also, she added, "They don't know me at all, and I do know my own worth. So it's not like this bizarre behavior affects me at the end of the day. I know that I provide care to the best of my abilities to all my patients every shift and I have multiple patients a day thank me." She posted the video as she wanted to connect with people who worked in the same profession. People in the comments resonated with her thoughts and talked about their experiences and the bizarre request the patient had made. "If I ever end up in the ER, you'd better believe I want the nurse with tattoos and piercings! Signed, a nurse with no tattoos or piercings," wrote @sixinthesandbox.

"My all-time favorite nurse during my open heart surgery recovery had green hair, piercings, covered with tattoos, and wore combat boots. She saved my life and talked me through many hard times," added @jean_ferrante. "I was in the ICU, and one of my nurses was giving me ideas for cool tattoos I could get over the massive abdominal scars from my surgery. She was all tatted up, so she knew what she was talking about," shared @gigglesandscreams_. "As someone who is chronically ill and sees the ER regularly, I welcome tattooed and pierced nurses. Those are my kind of people. Thank you for what you do," said @troymichael38. 

You can follow Erika (@dawntodusk9) on TikTok for more content on lifestyle.