This Quebec ER nurse has become a TikTok sensation with millions of followers

An emergency room nurse from the South Shore of Montreal has become a TikTok sensation, with millions of viewers worldwide checking out his funny takes on hospital life.

Behind the humour, nurse and content creator John Dela Cruz tells his truth about health care during the pandemic.

"They see the real me, no pretending, no script. When ideas come to my mind, I just get my tripod, my camera and film," he said in a recent interview with CTV News Montreal.

He films fake patient/care scenarios, like himself dancing and singing, to get a patient to take their medication. The content he's created has struck a chord – he has over 3.3 million followers on TikTok and nearly 193 million likes.

@nurse.johnn EP 11 l It’s a very short staffed day today in the Emergency Department and Nurse Pamela isn’t stressing cause she refused the 4 other patient her manager assigned to her on top of her already 4 patient she said you add that number you subtract another nurse on this shift cause I’m leaving. #nursejohnn #nursing #nursesoftiktok #nurse #nursehumor #nurselife #nurses #nursingstudent #nursingschool #nursetiktok #nurseproblems #medicaltiktok #medicalhumor #hospitallife #hospitaltiktoks #healthcareworker #healthcarehumor #cnalife #cna #cnahumor #travelnurse #ernurse #fyp #foryou #acrylicnails #asmr #asmrsounds ♬ original sound - nurse.johnn

"The reason I became a nurse is I want to be part of a change in someone's life, and I would never have thought that social media would give me this power and influence. For me, I still see this as nursing. nursing you... through your phone while you're swiping, you're laughing, you're forgetting your stress," he said.

Positive online comments from health-care workers have rolled in, especially when he reveals authentic experiences in nursing. Sometimes he's dancing, others he's crying – sometimes he's doing both at once.

@nurse.johnn Like why are you all lying and then you pick up the phone just to ask me “dId YoU cHeCk tHe FrIdgE” like bchhhh I’m inside the fridge frozen waiting for you to send it. #nursejohnn #nurse #nursesoftiktok #nurselife #nurses #nursetok #nursehumor #nursetiktok #nurseproblems #nursing #nursingstudent #nursingschool #nursinghumor #hospitallife #hospitaltiktoks #healthcareworker #healthcarehumor #medicaltiktok #medicalhumor #travelnurse #pharmacy #pharmacist #fyp #foryou ♬ Opus No. 1 - Tim Carleton

"It's like, me in the bathroom at work having a mental breakdown, hyping myself up because of what we do, 'Okay, we keep going, we got this,'" he said.

Like nursing, his social media gig is a lot of work – and also like nursing, the pay is humble.

"There's a myth that I'm getting paid a lot from this social media. As a Canadian, they actually don't pay content creators for anything," Dela Cruz explained.

@nurse.johnn They really be coming to check you ever 30 minutes every damn time you fall asleep. Shine a light in your eyes, check the cooch every 2 hours and ask you if youre in pain. Love my L & D nurses. #nursejohnn #nursesoftiktok #nurse #nurselife #nursehumor #nurses #nursing #nursingstudent #nursingschool #nursetiktok #nurseproblems #medicaltiktok #medicalhumor #hospitaltiktoks #hospitallife #healthcareworker #healthcarehumor #cnalife #cna #cnahumor #travelnurse #ernurse #fypシ #momsoftiktok #mom #momlife #momtok #parents #parentsoftiktok #laboranddelivery #pregnancy #birth #laboranddeliverynurse #pregnancytiktok #momsontiktok #momsbelike ♬ original sound - nurse.johnn

The 27-year-old does have a partnership with Garde-Malade, a made-in-Quebec health-care worker scrubs company. He also has his own line of scrubs, with health-care workers modelling the products on his NurseJohnn.com website.

Dela Cruz started his nursing career during the pandemic, and after two years, he's now taking a mental health break.

"I need to be having a longer time off, and seek help at the same time," he said. "I am seeking help from a therapist. I talked to my physician, and he said I had all the signs of burnout."

@nurse.johnn You deserve to be loved and cared for. If you are seeing this video right now that’s because you choose to fight and get through another day and that is amazing. I LOVE YOU! #nursejohnn #nursesoftiktok #nurse #nurselife #nursehumor #nurses #nursing #nursingstudent #nursingschool #nursetiktok #nurseproblems #medicaltiktok #medicalhumor #hospitaltiktoks #hospitallife #healthcareworker #healthcarehumor #cnalife #cna #travelnurse #fyp #fypシ #mentalhealth #mentalhealthmatters #mentalhealthawareness #youareloved #yourenotalone ♬ Repeat Until Death - Novo Amor

When he's ready, Dela Cruz said he'll go back to work.

He loves the job of nursing, he said, just not the working conditions.