Sansum Clinic TikTok controversy explained: Why healthcare workers were fired over viral TikTok video

Employees at Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara were terminated after a TikTok video surfaced.

A group of healthcare employees at Sansum Clinic in Santa Barbara have been fired after a TikTok video showing them apparently mocking patients went viral and drew huge online backlash.

Healthcare workers at Sansum Clinic, Santa Barbara, were fired after a viral TikTok video showed them mocking patients. (Sansum Clinic)

The now-deleted video, shared over the weekend, was captioned ‘Guess the substance’ and showed several clinic staff members posing next to bodily fluid stains left behind on exam tables.

KTLA reported the clip quickly gained traction before being taken down, but several across social media saved and reshared it.

In the viral video, employees could be seen joking about the stains as if they were “gifts” from patients. “Are patients allowed to leave you guys gifts?” the text in the clip read, accompanied by an image of the group smiling.