Photo: @isi_lynott / TikTok
Even professionals need a little refresher on the Internet sometimes.
By Megan Quinn — Written on Apr 10, 2023
When we go into the hospital with a medical emergency, we put our trust in doctors and professionals and assume that they know exactly what they’re doing. Or do they?
When one woman went to the ER, she was expecting to be treated by a doctor — not by somebody her doctor found on YouTube.
The woman filmed her doctor watching a YouTube tutorial in order to treat her symptoms.
When Isabelle was rushed to the ER with an ovarian cyst in April 2022, she was surprised at what she caught doctors doing as they were huddled around a computer.
Most of the time with ovarian cysts, one experiences little discomfort and they usually go away on their own. However, in more serious cases, they can rupture and it is recommended to seek medical treatment.
This was Isabelle's situation when she found herself at the doctor's unsure of what to do about her situation. And she wasn't the only one. While in the hospital, the woman discovered that the doctor and her colleagues were watching a YouTube video posted by another medical professional offering advice on how to treat an ovarian cyst. The woman recorded the experience and posted it to TikTok, where it has garnered over 9 million views and 1 million likes.
“Gor their MD at YouTube University,” Isabelle captioned the video.
According to most medical professionals in the comments section of the video, this is not an unusual occurrence and many of them use the Internet to double-check medical information.
“We do use YouTube for a refresh sometimes when it’s something that we haven’t done in a while,” one doctor confirmed. “We’ve ‘learned’ and practiced the skills prior I promise.”
“RN here, the human body is magnificent and endless. You can’t ever know anything. The willingness to learn is what makes a great healthcare provider,” another user commented.
Even the best of the best, including Mama Doctor Jones, a popular OBGYN with over 1 million followers on TikTok claims to still use YouTube for medical advice. “I have delivered hundreds if not thousands of babies and spent last week watching c-section techniques. Always room to improve!” she shared.
Other people poked fun at the fact that patients are charged an obscene amount of money to be treated by medical professionals who just do what we all do — Google our symptoms.
“That’ll be $75,000,” one TikTok user joked. “That’ll be $36,281 plus YouTube premium fee,” another user pointed out.
“They want to bill hundreds of thousands of dollars just for them to not know? In that case, you might as well YouTube it yourself!” another user wrote.
According to the most prominent insurance carrier in the U.S., an emergency room visit costs an average of $2,200.
Isabelle reports that she was unbothered by her doctor using YouTube to refresh her memory and has nothing but respect for those in the medical field. “I appreciate all doctors and nurses and understand that they are not walking encyclopedias. This TikTok was just a joke!” she shared in the comments section. “I’m glad that she refreshed her memory and helped me the whole time! My friend and I were just laughing that this was happening in front of us.”
Thankfully, other users agreed with her.
“I’d rather be treated by a physician who is willing to admit they don’t know something and ask for a second opinion or help,” one user shared.
“I’m glad that she didn't pretend that she knew! Her knowledge can still be applied while needing help!” another user expressed.
Isabelle added that she did not intend to offend any doctors, and just thought that the situation was funny. She claims that she loved her doctor, who was able to admit that she wasn't entirely sure what she was dealing with and brought in another one to examine Isabelle.
Megan Quinn is a writer at YourTango who covers entertainment and news, self, love, and relationships.