Last week the Miss America pageant took place in New Jersey, and of course several contestants made newsworthy soundbites. But for many, the best part of the event took place during the talent competition. Rather than singing, playing the piano, or dancing; one contestant, Miss Colorado’s Kelley Johnson took a very different tack.

What a beautiful and powerful way to articulate ALL that a nurse is. Kelley is indeed not JUST a nurse. She was Joe’s nurse. She was Joe’s friend. Joe himself, was not Alzheimers, he was JOE. I have no doubt that it is her monologue that catapulted Kelley to a 2nd Runner Up finish in the pageant.

Unfortunately, there are others who, after viewing Kelley’s monologue saw things differently. The brain trust (and I use that term VERY loosely) at The View is one such group.

https://youtu.be/WNQW9l5_2y4

Yes ladies and gentleman, Michelle Collins and Joy Behar slammed Kelley and Joe. Not only that, they demonstrated remarkable ignorance about the nursing profession as a whole. Understandably, nurses around the country are providing some necessary education for them.

https://twitter.com/shannan_crowson/status/643903514133921792?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

I saved someone's life the other day in my "costume and doctors stethoscope" @TheView #NursesMatter #nursessavelives

— Kaity, RN, BSN (@LifeofMrsE) September 15, 2015

Hilary Helkenn, voiced her displeasure on her Facebook page:

“It is a NURSE stethoscope too,” she wrote. “I use it to listen to a child’s lungs, so I can quickly get them to the appropriate level of care, reassuring both child and parent. I also use it to listen to our elderly loved ones, who sometimes have aging hearts that go into abnormal rhythms. It is the NURSE that usually sees the patient first, and it is often the NURSE that notifies the doctor of what is going on.”

Helkenn then added that an apology should be given.

“Your comments denigrated our most noble profession. You owe all of the nurses of this world an apology.”

Michelle and Joy? Take a look at what Hilary is wearing.

Nope, sorry. She’s not wearing a costume nor is that a prop around her neck. That stethoscope is a necessary tool that she uses every day to save lives. RN Daphne Neuhaus eloquently writes:

Nursing is a talent. It takes a talented person to put an IV in a dehydrated newborn with veins as fragile as a piece of hair. It takes talent to perform CPR for 2 hours while desperately trying to save someone’s child. It takes talent to safely manage a confused and combative patient. It takes talent to place a body in a body bag and wheel a ghostlike figure covered in a white sheet down the hall to the morgue. It takes talent to walk out of one room where a patient is sitting up laughing, to another room where a patient has just found out he is paralyzed.

I’ve been fortunate in my life to know many nurses. All whom are more than JUST a nurse. Many of them, especially those who spent years by my grandparents’ side are now family. It is the nurses we see first when we go to a doctor’s appointment, to the hospital or the ER. It is the nurses we see first in the morning, many times throughout the day, and who we see last at night caring for their patients. It is the nurses and paramedics that our men and women in uniform see first if they are wounded. And it is the nurses who are the ones there for their patient and the family when it comes time to say goodbye.

Kelley Johnson, I thank you for speaking such powerful words. They have made and will continue to make a lasting impression on many. Most of all, thank you for your chosen life of service as a nurse. Your patients are blessed to have you by their side.

UPDATE: The hosts of The View are feeling the heat. The backlash is continuing even now. Earlier today, this photo was posted by Aren Zadien with his commentary just below:

I would like to thank “The View” for reminding me to confiscate all the doctor stethoscopes since my nurses only use it as fashion accessories. Let’s just hope none of the 200 patients in the ED today need vitals taken, have to be triaged, need to be reevaluated or have unimportant organs like lungs, heart or bowels that need to be evaluated. Let’s just hope the nurses don’t want their nurse costumes back from me.

Nurses around the globe are sharing their reaction to The View’s commentary.

@ANANursingWorld 6,000 miles from home, wearing a costume & doctor's stethoscope. #NursesShareYourStethoscopes #USAF pic.twitter.com/4be0d5F4il

— Kaitlyn Norris (@KatieNorrisUofA) September 16, 2015

ooohhhh boy – this one’s gonna hurt

Thanks to nurses today & every day. We disagree with comments made about nurses on daytime TV & have paused ads accordingly. #NursesUnite

— Johnson & Johnson (@JNJCares) September 16, 2015

Sooo, the brain trust at The View had a few things to say this morning.

To all the hosts at The View, let me tell you something. We were definitely paying attention to the entire conversation you had. We, and especially nurses around the country, are very VERY smart people. Do NOT try to kid us into believing that A. the Joyster was so distracted that she didn’t know what the whole Miss America clip was about. Bullhockey. B. Raven – sorry dear, but we were paying attention and we know exactly what was being conveyed. C. Whoopi, we WERE listening and we totally understood that what we saw and heard WASN’T a joke. Furthermore, Michelle sweetie, you knew exactly what you started and doubled down with your tweets yesterday.

One last note. If anyone thinks for ONE second that the commentary about the Miss America pageant and Kelley Johnson in particular was a total off-the-cuff moment for the show and hosts, Think. Again. Its a TV show that is scripted and timed. Everything is done and planned down to the very second. Everyone at The View knew exactly what they were doing for that sequence. Their entire goal was to make fun of the Miss America pageant and specific contestants in particular. And…their so-called “joke” bombed in a big way. Hate to tell you ladies, but your #sorrynotsorry apology has missed the mark.