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Some people are not just professionals in their field. They’re superheroes, making sure that we’re safe and sound, and well taken care of in moments that matter the most.

Many of these superheroes are health professionals who, seeking to help those in need, have to deal with all sorts of gruesome situations on a daily basis. It’s not uncommon for said situations to become life lessons on what (not) to do or use in life, and today, we’re sharing those lessons with you.

On the list below, you will find comments made by emergency medical technicians (EMT), registered nurses (RN), and doctors, after one content creator—Anna Syme, going on TikTok by ‘the_singing_farmwife’—asked them about the things they wouldn’t do or purchase because of the traumas they’ve seen at work. Scroll down to find their advice below and make sure to pay close attention.

Anna turned to TikTok to start the important discussion

Image credits: the_singing_farmwife

Health professionals had plenty of advice to share

#1

Green traffic lights hanging over an empty road at dusk under a cloudy sky symbolizing medical field employee decisions. Look both ways before hititng the gas when the light turns green.

Shelby , Hartono Creative Studio / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #2

    Child wearing a sun hat and white dress standing on the beach near the water, reflecting calm and peaceful vibes. Never ever ever take my eyes off of a child near any body of water.. it takes a split second.

    kenzie.lodholm , hoylee song / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #3

    Person wearing gray socks resting feet on car dashboard on a rainy road, reflecting medical field employee work-life balance choices. EMT. Get ur feet off the dash please.

    zsazsa.ivy , Ljupche Vasilev / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #4

    Medical field employee performing massage therapy on a patient's back on a blue mat in a clinical setting. Rad tech here... I'd never go to a chiropractor.

    radtechtam , Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #5

    Three people walking on an empty road in nature, representing medical field employees sharing what they would never do. As someone who took care of the elderly, please MOVE. Go on walks, exercises, go biking. Do things that stimulate the mind, memory. Please take care of yourself.

    Yadhira , Armen Poghosyan / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #6

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Vet tech here and I would NEVER leave a child alone with a dog, let a child crawl on a dog. I don’t care if it’s the loved family dog, they are animals and I’ve been involved with cases of child death.

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    #7

    Medical field employee examining patient's head in clinical setting demonstrating professional care and attention. OR nurse here. Never let a chiropractor touch your neck. Ever.

    laurenkate4444 , Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #8

    Hand wiping a surface with a green cloth, illustrating hygiene practices by medical field employees. Also can we please treat every gun as if it's loaded especially when cleaning.

    Phoenix , Kübra Arslaner / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #9

    Husky with heterochromia lying on snow outdoors, illustrating medical field employees sharing what they would never do. I don’t trust other ppl’s dogs period.

    heather.havoc , Auréanne Mailhiot / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #10

    Woman riding a motorcycle on an open road with mountains in the background, symbolizing freedom from medical field employees. Motorcycle. Motorcycle. Motorcycle. Motorcycle. Motorcycle. You can do everything right, doesn't matter. One other person makes a mistake, done for.

    Luke Bonnett , Harley-Davidson / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #11

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Me and my husband are both EMT firefighters….. live your life. Just do the dangerous things carefully and teach your kids the same. We could die from anything any time.

    alyssarichardson96 Report

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    #12

    Two medical field employees engaged in a serious discussion in a professional indoor setting. Never arguing with strangers about anything. You never know who's carrying and has a temper. Taken one too many victims of this to the OR.

    Brennan , Mushvig Niftaliyev / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #13

    Smoke and carbon monoxide alarm mounted on a wall, showing a warning device for medical field safety awareness. As a paramedic I am BEGGING everyone to have carbon monoxide detectors in their house.

    user7127668658582 , TaurusEmerald / wikimedia Report

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    #14

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Retired Coast Guardsman here, wear your freaking life jacket.

    dhanley67 Report

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    #15

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do The pets you love will become projectiles in an accident, secure them ALWAYS, just like you put on your seatbelt.

    laura_norcal Report

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    #16

    Person holding a green bottle while driving a car, illustrating risky behavior medical field employees would never do. Alcohol causes more pain and ruins more lives than junk food, motorcycles, car accidents, criminals, or anything else.

    vinnymancini , Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #17

    Medical field employee wearing protective glasses and headset while focusing on a task in a clinical environment. I will never not wear eye safety glasses/goggle when working with handsaws/nail guns/anything sharp and I will never wear metal rings when using machinery.

    Suzi Peak , Jimmy Nilsson Masth / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #18

    Pregnant woman in hospital bed monitored by medical field employees during labor to ensure safe delivery. This is gonna make some people mad lol... I'm a labor nurse and I'll never get pregnant after seeing all the complications associated with pregnancy.

    Seraphine , Alexander Grey / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #19

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do I’ll fix a lot at the house, usually after some YouTube university… except electric. Nope. I’ll pay for that.

    cbarney210 Report

    #20

    Hands of a medical field employee washing under running water in a sink to maintain hygiene and safety standards. As simple as this, wash your hands, especially around babies. Seen too many babies in the ICU because grandma thought it was cute to let them suck on a finger to calm down.

    Millenial Ginger , F Cary Snyder / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #21

    Woman in a black top holding a glass with orange slice, representing insights from medical field employees. RN, probably an unpopular opinion: Stopped drinking when I started working in the ICU. Liver failure and alcohol withdrawal related complications are no joke and ridiculously sad.

    KrisTin , Aleisha Kalina / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #22

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do I will never plan to have a baby outside of a hospital.

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    #23

    Medical field employee in a pharmacy explaining medication details to a customer in a well-stocked medical environment EMT: please take your meds as prescribed. Don't adjust them on your own because you think it will fix something faster or because you googled something.

    user9838518884166 , Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #24

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do EMT: please buckle your kids in. it don’t matter if you’re going down the road.

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    #25

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do If I'm ever diagnosed with a terminal disease that's imminent I will never do chemo or radiation or immunotherapy. I'd rather do whatever I want with the days I have left.

    colsc721 Report

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    #26

    Worker using a chainsaw to cut wood outside with safety gear, related to medical field employees sharing what they would never do Xray tech. No doing my own lawncare/landscaping after age 65. WHY is your 85 y/o grandpa trimming the trees on a ladder?!

    Katie , benjamin lehman / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #27

    Medical field employee wearing gloves examines patient's teeth with dental tools under bright light in clinic setting. I'm an RT and a solid amount of my ICU patients are post dental work (usually a tooth abcess). I've seen eyes removed, brain death, jaw necrosis, pacemakers put in 30 y/o men. FLOSS & BRUSH!!!!

    Eve , Mufid Majnun / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #28

    Young woman with closed eyes applying cream on face, representing medical field employees caring for skin health. Dermatology — WEAR SUNSCREEN! TAKE CARE OF YOUR SKIN! It's your largest organ! We see people with a range of spots, lumps, bumps. Just saw a 24yr old that needed Mohs [surgery]. It can happen to ANYONE.

    Liz , Roberta Sant'Anna / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #29

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Do everything in your power to stay OUT of a nursing home. It's like prison and nobody takes care of you or helps you at all.

    kaetra1 Report

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    #30

    Medical field employees attending to a patient inside an ambulance at night, wearing masks and protective gear. As a 911 dispatcher who has done both police and fire... when purchasing a home ALWAYS CONSIDER response times in your area.

    JenGa , matnapo / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #31

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Sadly the worst things I’ve seen have been due to the healthcare industry itself. So many amputations, infections, deadly UTIs solely because people can’t afford to see professionals.

    exposingyouthots Report

    #32

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do CNA here. If you are building/buying a house, make sure the doors are wide enough for a wheelchair to pass through.

    beth___beth , CDC / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #33

    Medical field employee wearing a face mask and protective gown outdoors under clear blue sky. RT here. Wear a mask when gardening/working in a field or hiking through caves! You don't want those pathogens in your lungs. Trust.

    Amanda Hill , Luke Jones / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #34

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do I will ALWAYS take my mental health seriously. Too many cases I’ve seen children and babies suffer and pass away from their parents not choosing to get help.

    spookey_luna , Kateryna Hliznitsova / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #35

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do I decided against having kids. I just can’t go through the thought of knowing what I’ve seen can happen to them.

    deonnasteele1 Report

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    #36

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Optometrist here .. never swim in contact lenses, especially lakes and hot tubs 😬

    cajunjlo , Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #37

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do DO A LIVING WILL….. I’ve had mine since I was 44.

    appleuser98235990 , Romain Dancre / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #38

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Lululemon leggings or apparel. Their leggings have metal fibers and can harm the patient during MRI scans. Not everyone knows this and can be serious risk in getting treatment!

    karimerojast , Ambitious Studio* | Rick Barrett / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #39

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do I never question my gut NEVER intuition is everything saved my life more then once as a nurse.

    chrissybecker101 , SJ Objio / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #40

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Chiropractic cervical adjustments = bilateral carotid dissections.

    katphillips_ , Edward Muntinga / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #41

    Close-up of mushrooms grilling on a barbecue with smoke rising, person turning them with tongs outdoors cooking. I will never clean my grill with a metal brush.

    Delilah , Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #42

    Woman in medical field resting and gently holding a sleeping baby, showing care and compassion in a calm environment We don’t co sleep. no matter how hard the night is.

    secretagentronnie , Leighann Blackwood / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #43

    Medical field employees toasting with orange drinks during a casual gathering celebrating teamwork and dedication. Working in GI and the amount of people we had to save who were drowning in their own [blood] from alcohol cirrhosis is enough to make me strictly limit alcohol, if any.

    Chriss Smith , Kateryna Hliznitsova / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #44

    Medical field employee dressed formally riding an electric scooter on a city sidewalk near office buildings. Never riding a lime scooter. I’ll walk 🤷🏻‍♀️

    cmlemieux , Lia Bekyan / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #45

    “Never Sleep With Your Bedroom Door Open”: 45 Things Emergency Workers Advise People To Do Literally do not put anything in your car that you’re not comfortable getting hit with at 50 mph.

    draculatoofresh Report

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    #46

    Respiratory therapist here, I will never smoke.

    shelbyville__ Report

    #47

    My kids don’t go to trampoline parks anymore….cervical spine injury…nuff said.

    meredithhawkins30 Report

    #48

    Medic here- live your life free of fear, I PROMISE it’s a better life. Maybe shorter, but much more fun.

    imakeitrough Report

    #49

    Don’t ever get bariatric surgery, the amount of problems people come in from complications is outrageous.

    hatprohas Report

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    #50

    Almost every active heart attack says “ I tough it was heartburn or indigestion” just go to the ER please 🙏

    raulvaldez56 Report

    #51

    ATVs. Seen too many head injuries and internal decaps.

    keltendunlap Report

    #52

    As an mri tech, I will never have back surgery unless ABSOLUTELY necessary and I've exhausted all other treatment options.

    hollyradtech Report

    #53

    I’m not wearing a necklace to work. Especially on a psych floor…. Also, as a nurse I treat everybody like psych patients. You never know why ppl will snap.

    deannaxdulce Report

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    #54

    Cna here, all I can say is NEVER STOP WALKIKG AND DRINKING WATER PLEASE. The #1 way people pass in nursing homes is by laziness/giving up walking and dehydration!!!

    itsfaithbuchanan Report

    #55

    Not any of those things but I am a social worker. No sleepovers, no overnight camps, no Snapchat, and no interactive video games without supervision. Sorry not sorry.

    jolene.potter Report

    #56

    RN, amber teething necklace.

    morgan.p28 Report

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    #57

    Person fixing hair with a clip, illustrating medical field employees' perspectives on professional conduct and standards. ER tech here and hairclips while driving.

    Mersadies Gutierrez , Natalia Blauth / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #58

    Young child in a white shirt being comforted by an adult, highlighting empathy in the medical field employees context. Never leaving my kids to be watched by anyone other than myself or husband. I work for a children's hospital and the child maltreatment cases are horrifying and almost always by mom's new boyfriend.

    MonroelnWinter , Getty Images / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #59

    I’ll be thoroughly chewing my steak for the rest of my life.

    erikaolearyy Report

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    #60

    A medical field employee resting in bed wearing a pink sleep mask, highlighting healthcare worker self-care. Firefighter here. Never sleep with your bedroom door open.

    jaredk2020 , Dmitry Ganin / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

    #61

    I will not get out of a car that’s stranded on the side of the freeway.

    zgarcia9498 Report

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    #62

    EMT here, I will exercise for the rest of my life. The amount of people who have practically no mobility at surprisingly young ages is insane. I will be walking and moving around until the day i 💀

    samw.fit Report

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    #63

    I sign a DNI every time I have to get admitted for anything. You can preform cpr on me but do not intubate me. And keep that Lucas machine as far away from me as possible.

    slhopkins28 Report

    #64

    Post surg tech- Dang small dogs or cats when I’m old. The amount of old patients that have tripped over and broken something bc of the animal being by their feet.

    lillyroberts.tik.tok Report

    #65

    A lifevac. And im prepared to engage in good faith discussion as to why with anyone.

    quakajack Report

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    #66

    As an RT, I refuse to purchase gel blasters or gel blaster related products.

    churls2hawt Report

    #67

    OR RN here. I will never take Ozempic or anything of the kind. I think there’s a direct correlation between the rise in its use and the number of bowel resections due to blockages we are seeing…

    cmhembro Report

    #68

    Idk but get the Lucas machine away from me.

    k0deeyomama Report

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    #69

    Small hamster inside colorful bedding and near a purple medical field employee habitat in a close-up view. I will never, and i mean EVER purchase a gerbil. EVER.

    alivia.tailor , jennifer uppendahl / unsplash (not the actual photo) Report

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    #70

    Medication will be my last intervention. good diet, therapy, and movement are the go to. do your research. not all side effects are explained to you because "benefits" outweigh the risks.

    lefishindesea Report