A Washington state senator is being ripped for “demeaning statements” about the nursing profession for suggesting that the hardworking healthcare pros “probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day.”

State Sen. Maureen Walsh, a Republican who represents College Place, in rural southeastern Washington near the Oregon border, drew the wrath of state nurses after making the comment on the floor of the Senate.

The comments came during a debate on a union-backed bill that would require uninterrupted meal and rest breaks and mandatory overtime protection at all hospitals, the Spokesman-Review reported.

Walsh was arguing that small hospitals with few beds should be exempt, or they may have difficulty staying open under the requirement.

“I would submit to you that those (small hospital) nurses probably do get breaks,” Walsh said, according to the outlet. “They probably play cards for a considerable amount of the day.”

The Washington State Nurses Association called the comment “incredibly disrespectful and patronizing,” in a blog post that drew so many clicks, the site crashed for a time on Friday.

“No, Senator, nurses are not sitting around playing cards,” the post read in part. “They are taking care of your neighbors, your family, your community.

The post noted that research shows that mandatory overtime is bad for patient care and results in increased errors.

“And it’s bad for your rural hospitals. With all due respect, Sen. Walsh: perhaps it’s time for you to put down the cards and pick up the literature.”

The bill passed the state Senate with the amendment excluding small hospitals. It had previously passed the House without the amendment.

A separate amendment Walsh proposed that limits nurses to 8-hour shifts also passed.

The different House and Senate versions of the bill will have to be reconciled before being signed into law.