Student nurse's Facebook post goes viral after she's asked why she chose to 'wipe people's a***s for a living'

Student nurse Charmaine Briggs took to Facebook to hit back after being asked why she chose to 'wipe people's a***s for a living'.

The 23 year old penned an emotional post defending the hard work that she and her fellow medical staff carry out each and every day, and often through long hours of the night.

'Today someone said to me "Why would you want to be a nurse and wipe people's asses for a living? You may as well just be a HCA"', she wrote.

'This made my blood boil. No one is "just a HCA" for a start, I've been a health care assistant before being a student nurse and you are your patient's only support in some cases. We are the staff with the patients 24/7.'

'We are the ones changing the beds, changing our own clothes for the fourth time due to other people's bodily fluids, the ones mopping up the nosebleeds and cleaning comodes on a loop. We are up close and personal with our patients – we hold their hands when they fear the unknown, we listen to them when they need someone to talk to, we've cried with them.

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'We work around the clock 365days of the year, we sometimes sit with patients who have no family so they simple don't pass away alone. It is physically and emotionally challenging, and one day you'll need that help from "just a health care assistant" not just when you're old, you don't know what tomorrow holds.'

'Nurses save lives everyday. I don't know if people think it is only doctors who save your life but it's really not the case. Everyone comes together as a team and doctors wouldn't be able to do their job without nurses, as nurses wouldn't without HCA's.'

'Some people really do need to stop and think what they say to people, as one day you might need that life saving help from the people you run down.'

The post has since been shared more than 40,000 times, with more than 17,000 comments from people around the world praising Charmaine's sentiments.

'Well said that lass your parents and colleagues must be very proud of you,' one said, and a second agreed: 'You do a dedicated job and go beyond the call of duty, not every one could do it or would want to.'

'People often say ignorant things like that!' another empathised. 'It's sickening but most of us know how valuable nurses are, so just ignore these daft comments and continue to do your fabulous work.'