Staff members at a California hospital have been fired after posting a ‘dehumanizing’ TikTok video in which they mocked their patients.

The healthcare workers at Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara were involved in a video with the caption: “Are patients allowed to leave you guys gifts?” The video then displayed several workers posing next to an exam table with a visible stain on it.

One of the images in the video included the text “Yes!” and another said, “All shapes and sizes.”

The video was originally shared by a TikTok user named @angieuncut, but it has since been removed.

Sutter Health, a major nonprofit healthcare network in Northern California that partners with Sansum Clinic, addressed the incident in a statement to KTLA: "We are deeply concerned about a disrespectful social media post made by a former employee, and we are conducting a full review in accordance with our policies."

The statement continued: "The trust and dignity of our patients remain our top priority. This post goes against the professionalism and respect we expect from all staff. We have strict policies to protect patient privacy and dignity, and any behavior that violates these standards is unacceptable."

Sansum Clinic also responded, posting a statement on Instagram: “We share the concern raised by a recent social media post at one of our care sites and took immediate action once we became aware. We take this matter very seriously and are conducting a full review. Patient trust and dignity are always our top priority, and any behavior that violates those standards is unacceptable."

The clinic clarified that the individual who posted the content was no longer employed at the time of the post. "Other staff shown in the video are part of our internal investigation and are on administrative leave pending the results."

Later, the healthcare network confirmed that all individuals involved in the video had been terminated from their positions. One user commented: “Wow! I am speechless. As a nurse, I feel secondhand embarrassment. This is beyond unprofessional and unethical.”

Another added: “They got all these on-the-clock nurses together to take a picture around a stain on the exam chair? This is extremely weird and childish.”

A third person wrote: “It’s insane how many people were involved in this, and not ONE thought it was wrong.”

A fourth commenter stated: “You know you don’t have to work in healthcare, right? Leave them sweet little gifts??? This is so insane that people would do this, and then she deletes it all. We have the pictures and saved the video and will not stop until you’re all held accountable.”