The Manitoba Nurses Union is describing an image used by the province to recruit nurses to Manitoba as tone deaf and demeaning.

The province has since removed it from social media, along with a number of others, and the health minister has apologized.

The image depicted a trio of women, one of whom is dressed like a nurse, wearing skin care facial masks while taking a selfie. It caught traction on Twitter Thursday, with some social media users questioning if that’s what the Pallister government believes nurses do.

Another version of the image without the nursing uniform is available for sale on a stock photo website, suggesting the uniform was added digitally.

A provincial spokesperson said the image was part of a campaign to recruit nurses “meant to highlight the quality of life in our province.”

Other images in the campaign included a person in blue medical scrubs cross country skiing without a coat, another snapping a photo at a gallery and another doing yoga.

In a post on Facebook, the Manitoba Nurses Union said the facial mask image was “tone deaf and demeaning to women and Manitoba’s nurses, who are dealing with 16 hour workdays, record OT, and crushing workloads.”

In a statement issued Friday, the Association of Registered Nurses of Manitoba said the campaign should be replaced with one “that promotes a realistic and professional image of our diverse nursing workforce.”

The statement quoted the association’s executive director Mary Smith as saying, “This campaign did nothing to promote a positive or representative image of our profession. The whole series shows a lack of recognition of nursing’s diversity related to age, gender and practice settings.”

The association encouraged the government to consult with nurses in the future when it comes to creating ads.

The province said it understands the concerns raised with the campaign, and it has removed all social media posts at the direction of Health Minister Cameron Friesen.

In a tweet Thursday, he said the image was odd and he shared the concerns people raised.

On Friday he followed up, offering an apology and saying he had met with the president of the Manitoba Nurses Union.

He said he told her a review is underway and the province wants to ensure it won't happen again.

Nursing students at the University of Manitoba reacted to the facial mask photo Friday, with fourth-year nursing student Brianne Vanderhyde saying she was disappointed when she saw it.

“We work really hard to get this degree and then we work really hard after. And to just show that all we do is wear face masks and take selfies is really disrespectful.”

Third-year nursing student Michael Weiss echoed a similar sentiment calling the photo inaccurate.

“In my experience in clinical, nurses have no free time. It seems like whoever made that doesn’t know what nurses do,” said Weiss.

Third-year nursing student River Steele voiced support for the Manitoba Nurses Union, while pointing to hours worked by nurses in Manitoba.

“In the state that our health care system is in, to see something like that. Like we’re sitting around in spas,” Steele said.

Meanwhile, a University of Manitoba marketing professor said the ad campaign showed a clear disconnect along with gender stereotyping. Fang Wan, a professor with the Asper School of Business, told CTV News the campaign seems to be inauthentic for the intended audience and left her wondering who had created the ads.

“Who is auditing and scrutinizing the process of getting this message out, because it looks like there is a blind spot here.”

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-With files from CTV's Gabrielle Marchand