An Open Letter to Joy Behar, The View, and ABC.

Dear Joy Behar, The View, and ABC,

Some are born with grace, humility, and compassion but many others are not. The View has given me a clear picture how those lacking in these traits portray themselves. Because of you Joy Behar, healthcare professionals around the US-and far reaching across the globe- have banded together using our largest tools, our voices and compassion.

In just two short days, almost 600,000 healthcare professionals, mostly nurses, have come together in a Facebook group. Our call to arms is for a greater cause than just having our professions humiliated by The View and ABC. The blatant disregard to healthcare professionals has grown into a ball of energy and positivity that is snowballing. We have shared our own stories of struggle and hope, including a nurse who is still working every day to care for others as she is undergoing chemotherapy treatments for her own battle with cancer. Many others have shared their stories from the battlefield, posting their pictures from halfway around the world in non-optimal conditions doing what they do best, exhibiting care and compassion. And I shared a picture of getting into my “costume” as you eloquently put it, including my Wonder Woman Chuck Taylors and my scrubs, along with my doctor stethoscope.

The halfhearted apologies on The View Wednesday and your publicist’s apology to “those I offended” via Twitter will never be enough. Nurses are strong, stronger than you can ever imagine or comprehend. Miss Colorado, Kelley Johnson’s monologue is a mere glimpse into the nursing profession but you obviously didn’t see it before uttering ignorance and stupidity in front of your audience watching The View. Kelley has made those of us in Colorado and every nurse in America proud. Proud to be a nurse, proud to allow others a glimpse into our profession, and our compassion.

I think your comments along with Michelle Collins’ obvious delusion about Kelley reading her e-mails on stage and Raven-Symone blaming nurses for not “listening” are examples of poor humor and women bringing other women down. Strong women build each other up, this is not the case with you, Joy. I don’t want an apology but I do want The View to shadow nurses and make a segment, an episode, or a special exemplifying –not glorifying mind you- what nurses do. To remind you, that is to show grace, humility, and compassion.

The possibilities are endless now with our Facebook group and tweets with #nursesunite #nurseshowyourstethoscopes. I find it incredible and exciting that so many nurses and our compatriots have banded together in support of our profession. I’m not angry at you Joy but I am baffled at the lack of compassion from you and your hens concerning the most compassionate career there is, nursing. I won’t go into any detail about what our days and nights are like, the chaos we see and calm. I don’t want to give you and The View any more fodder to berate our profession. However I will remind you, nursing is not for the faint of heart, we all have thick skins. But not for ignorance and lack of regard for those that take care of others without judgement. 

Again I want to thank you for your ignorance and The View for allowing such ignorance. Nurses are proud, loud, and compassionate no matter what we do. We have banded together in solidarity to make others like you understand what we do.

Genevieve Giammo BSN, RN

Edit: I wrote this on Wednesday (9/16) there are now almost 800,000 members in the Facebook group as of today, 9/19.