How to handle job until off probation

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I've been working dialysis since my consent order became official. God forgive me, but I hate it. I hate every second of it. 

On top of hating the actual job, there has been issues with me being bullied/used. One coworker printed and read my consent order out loud, on the treatment floor, in front of patients. No one was going to do anything until I went to HR. I am literally treated like a slave, the new guy who has only been there 3 weeks asks why I am asked to do EVERYTHING while others who was free were able to sit behind the desk chatting, even when I'm swamped. When I'm in the weeds, no one comes to help. They tell me "time management" is important... but today, the same coworker got 2 other techs and the manager helping her, and they couldn't even handle the pod between the 4 of them. I have 17 more months left on probation. I have no idea how I'm going to keep going like this for 17 more months. I've been told several times in dialysis, I'm just a tech (I'm an LPN), but they use my license as the second nurse or let me actually be a nurse when they don't want to deal with an issue. 

I've have so many call backs for positions I've applied for, but once they hear my narc restriction, I'm either told no or ghosted. I understand the other company's view, I really really do. But there has got to be something other than just dialysis. I'm getting my narc restriction lifted July 2026.

Any tips/tricks to deal with this? This is starting to wear me down, like really bugging me tonight. 

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I'm really sorry you're going through this. What you described is heartbreaking: and it's not okay. Reading your consent order aloud in front of patients? That's not just bullying, that's a violation of basic dignity and potentially patient privacy. I'm glad you went to HR, but I'm so sorry it had to come to that.

You are not alone in this. So many of us in recovery or under consent orders are placed in roles we didn't choose, where we're overworked, undervalued, and quietly punished for having made a mistake and trying to do the right thing. It's exhausting and dehumanizing.

You are still a nurse. You're more than a tech, even if some people try to reduce you to that label. The fact that they depend on your license and skill set but won't give you the respect or support that comes with it says a lot about their culture, not your worth.

I know the 17 months feels like a life sentence right now. But you've made it this far, and that means you can finish. That doesn't mean it'll be easy, and it's okay to admit that. Maybe try looking into smaller clinics, hospice, psych facilities, or even outpatient settings that are sometimes more flexible with restrictions. Some recovery-friendly employers do exist, it just takes persistence to find the right one.

In the meantime, please protect your peace. Therapy, journaling, prayer, support groups—whatever gets you through. You don't have to love this job, and you're allowed to grieve what you're going through. But please know it won't be like this forever. You're not broken. You're growing.

Rooting for you hard. Keep showing up, even if all you can do today is survive. That counts. That matters

 

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1. The reading of your consent order to patients is a criminal offense. Even though it is technically public knowledge, that public knowledge may not be used in an attempt to cause you harm. The coworker should be reported to the BON by HR and you have the possibility of hiring an attorney and filing a civil suit against the coworker who read your consent order and if no action is taken to discipline the coworker by the organization you work for, then you likely have a workplace harassment/civil suit type case against the organization for unsafe work environment. I am NOT telling you what to do. I am simply giving you my opinion that you have some options further here, IF you choose that path.

2. I read your past posts on here and you have said in the past you are in Georgia. The place to look for work in which you will not have to have narc privileges are in local underserved clinics. Atlanta metro will have multiple. Savannah, Brunswick, Macon, Valdosta area will have 1 in town also, maybe 2 in Macon. These are outpatient clinics that cater to underserved, lower income, vulnerable populations. Many of them do not have narcs in the building. Many of these jobs don't pay much and are not the most highly desired, but they are better than Dialysis. Many of the staff will have recovery backgrounds. It's a busy job as techs and LPNs generally check in patients for the Doctors and NPs to see, and you do treatments such as labs, UAs, vaccines, resp treatments if needed, etc, but generally these facilities have no narcs in the building or very very limited. These little outpatient clinics will have names that may seem just like any other medical clinic, so you have to investigate. You want to apply to the ones that cater to underserved populations and a good Google search would start with, "Atlanta Metro Low Income Clinics" and then go to those websites. If you see a bunch of things on that website about certain programs that are free, HIV items, LGBTQ, immigration services discussions, etc, then this is likely one of those clinics. The reason is that they rely on private, state and federal grants which are tied to a portion of their services to underserved populations. These places are often hiring and have a higher turnover because they don't pay a ton, but the work can be fulfilling and you are providing a great service.

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RNigothis said:

I'm really sorry you're going through this. What you described is heartbreaking: and it's not okay. Reading your consent order aloud in front of patients? That's not just bullying, that's a violation of basic dignity and potentially patient privacy. I'm glad you went to HR, but I'm so sorry it had to come to that.

You are not alone in this. So many of us in recovery or under consent orders are placed in roles we didn't choose, where we're overworked, undervalued, and quietly punished for having made a mistake and trying to do the right thing. It's exhausting and dehumanizing.

You are still a nurse. You're more than a tech, even if some people try to reduce you to that label. The fact that they depend on your license and skill set but won't give you the respect or support that comes with it says a lot about their culture, not your worth.

I know the 17 months feels like a life sentence right now. But you've made it this far, and that means you can finish. That doesn't mean it'll be easy, and it's okay to admit that. Maybe try looking into smaller clinics, hospice, psych facilities, or even outpatient settings that are sometimes more flexible with restrictions. Some recovery-friendly employers do exist, it just takes persistence to find the right one.

In the meantime, please protect your peace. Therapy, journaling, prayer, support groups—whatever gets you through. You don't have to love this job, and you're allowed to grieve what you're going through. But please know it won't be like this forever. You're not broken. You're growing.

Rooting for you hard. Keep showing up, even if all you can do today is survive. That counts. That matters

 

Thank you so much for those kind words. 

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SheelaDavis said:

1. The reading of your consent order to patients is a criminal offense. Even though it is technically public knowledge, that public knowledge may not be used in an attempt to cause you harm. The coworker should be reported to the BON by HR and you have the possibility of hiring an attorney and filing a civil suit against the coworker who read your consent order and if no action is taken to discipline the coworker by the organization you work for, then you likely have a workplace harassment/civil suit type case against the organization for unsafe work environment. I am NOT telling you what to do. I am simply giving you my opinion that you have some options further here, IF you choose that path.

2. I read your past posts on here and you have said in the past you are in Georgia. The place to look for work in which you will not have to have narc privileges are in local underserved clinics. Atlanta metro will have multiple. Savannah, Brunswick, Macon, Valdosta area will have 1 in town also, maybe 2 in Macon. These are outpatient clinics that cater to underserved, lower income, vulnerable populations. Many of them do not have narcs in the building. Many of these jobs don't pay much and are not the most highly desired, but they are better than Dialysis. Many of the staff will have recovery backgrounds. It's a busy job as techs and LPNs generally check in patients for the Doctors and NPs to see, and you do treatments such as labs, UAs, vaccines, resp treatments if needed, etc, but generally these facilities have no narcs in the building or very very limited. These little outpatient clinics will have names that may seem just like any other medical clinic, so you have to investigate. You want to apply to the ones that cater to underserved populations and a good Google search would start with, "Atlanta Metro Low Income Clinics" and then go to those websites. If you see a bunch of things on that website about certain programs that are free, HIV items, LGBTQ, immigration services discussions, etc, then this is likely one of those clinics. The reason is that they rely on private, state and federal grants which are tied to a portion of their services to underserved populations. These places are often hiring and have a higher turnover because they don't pay a ton, but the work can be fulfilling and you are providing a great service.

Sadly, I'm in NWGA, and have applied to no less than 50 jobs in the last year. Even jobs that have no narc access, like an injector for a MH clinic and MDS coordinator all said they will be more than happy to hire me once I'm off probation. The MDS coordinator/ID nurse jobs in my area also are required to take call, so that's a no go. 

The coworker that read my consent order isn't a nurse, just a tech. So IDK if the BON would even do anything. The tech is a float pool, so HR just said they will float them to other clinics "for a while". 

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It may be worth considering a move to Atlanta area. I know, financially brutal and hardly feasible, but as expensive as the move would be, you have to consider how much of that you get back over a 10 year period by having your license back to normal and peace of mind. 

Your facility still looks like they dropped the ball. You have a legal case against them in my opinion only, but I'm not an attorney, and I'm just saying that as a lay person.

The other option is the obvious one. Can you stick it long enough until next year when this ends? All the best for you. It's not easy, but you will get through it. Continue to apply, even to facilities that rejected trd you

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SheelaDavis said:

It may be worth considering a move to Atlanta area. I know, financially brutal and hardly feasible, but as expensive as the move would be, you have to consider how much of that you get back over a 10 year period by having your license back to normal and peace of mind. 

Your facility still looks like they dropped the ball. You have a legal case against them in my opinion only, but I'm not an attorney, and I'm just saying that as a lay person. As for whether the BON and the coworker who is a Tech and not a Nurse, the BON can't do anything. Techs aren't regulated by the BON, but that doesn't matter. You still have the option of filing a civil suit against that person, regardless of the BON having anything to do with it.

The other option is the obvious one. Can you stick it long enough until next year when this ends? All the best for you. It's not easy, but you will get through it. Continue to apply, even to facilities that rejected you. NW Georgia is a beautiful place, but a tough spot for job finding while on probation because it's so far from urban areas which have the clinics that serve the vulnerable populations. 

 

 

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