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Nurses go after ‘The View’ for criticizing Miss America contestant

Posted at 2:55 PM, Sep 15, 2015
and last updated 2015-09-15 14:55:23-04

During the 2016 Miss America Pageant on Sunday (Sept. 13), Miss Colorado Kelley Johnson performed a monologue in which she talked about her profession as a nurse for the talent portion.

On Monday’s “The View,” co-host Michelle Collins poked fun at the monologue, saying Johnson “basically read her emails out loud — and shockingly did not win.” Collins adds, “She helps patients with Alzheimer’s, which is not funny, but I swear, you had to see it.”

But the comment from “The View” that is earning some backlash online comes from Joy Behar, who quips during the segment, “Why does she have a doctor’s stethoscope around her neck?”

Video of the segment is here, starting just before the 3-minute mark.

Nurse Hilary Helkenn posted a response to Facebook, writing, “It is a NURSE stethoscope too. 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.Your comments denigrated our most noble profession. You owe all of the nurses of this world an apology.”

Other viewers upset by Behar’s comments are chiming in on Twitter.

As far as Miss Colorado’s talent goes, Twitter was divided. Everyone agreed nursing is a noble profession, but not everyone thought the monologue was an actual talent.