Stethoscope

Dear The View hosts,

That was a token apology. In fact, your misguided attempt to explain made your original ridicule even much worse. That was a prime example of ignorance and disrespect about a profession that deserves much more recognition.

Flashback to last September 13, 2015, in the Miss America pageant. For the talent portion, Miss Colorado opted out of a gown and proudly wore her nurse’s uniform with a stethoscope draped around her neck. Kelley Johnson offered an impassioned and heartfelt monologue about her experience as a nurse to an Alzheimer’s patient.




The View hosts proceeded to ridicule her choice of talent presentation. Michelle Collins remarked, “She came out in a nurse's uniform and basically read her emails out loud and, shockingly, did not win.". Joy Behar, who just recently returned to the show, wondered "Why does she have a doctor's stethoscope on?". A female with scrubs and a stethoscope. The implication is that a nurse does not have the right to use a stethoscope.




Of course, the backlash from the nursing community was explosive. Social media erupted with rightful indignation from the nurses, the doctors, and the general public.

And you call that an apology? Thanks, but no thanks. Joy Behar said that she “was not paying attention”. Did the neurons misfire and you were not able to associate the scrubs with a healthcare worker? Aren’t you being paid to know what you are commenting on?

Michelle Collins profusely praised the nurses, even asking our “bosses” to give us raises. Poor Michelle, her statement was just “misconstrued”. Whoopi accused nurses of taking things out of context and of not knowing that the stethoscope statement was just a joke. Raven Symone called out the nurses for not listening to the intent.

No, I am not too sensitive. I listened to everything you said in defense. And I do have a sense of humor. At this point, you should have been educated enough about the many uses of the stethoscope in the nursing world. The internet is full of stories about how nurses make a difference every day. Even better, you should realize why the outrage from the nurses is justified.

How about spending an hour or two following an emergency department nurse around? And then maybe, you can try another apology.