Incompetency Strikes Again
So I just got this e-mail from my supervisor at work. Apparently, someone messed up yesterday when preparing the aliquots (little tubes of chemicals/reagents/enzymes/whatever), so today the lab didn't work at all. Therefore, my supervisor has proclaimed that from now on, we all need to make an extra set of aliquots and actually run the experiment ourselves.
Yeah, so... all I can say is WOW. Way to screw up everything for the rest of us. (After finding out who works on Tuesdays too, all I can do is roll my eyes.) Those experiments aren't two minute things either. They actually take TIME, time I don't usually have if I'm thoroughly overhauling the lab I'm working on (which, as a matter of fact, I wouldn't have to do as often if everyone just kept up the lab everyday like they're supposed to).
I'm not going to lie. I've messed up on aliquots for this lab myself, specifically by using a stronger buffer than what was called for. Yes, I've been called out for not reading things carefully enough (in this case I mistook the tube labeled [in size 6 font or so by the way] 5xR buffer for the correct tube of 2xR buffer). What I don't understand, however, is how this person mistook a [clear] tube of buffer for [colored] tubes of enzymes. Mixing up the two types of enzymes, I've seen it happen before and I've almost done it myself at times too. But who mixes up the buffer and the enzymes?
(I know by this point you're probably lost or wondering why this is such a big deal, but believe me. It definitely is more difficult to confuse the buffer with the enzymes than with anything else a person is dealing with when preparing for this lab.)
And while I know this doesn't even compare to the huge mistake that got ME in trouble a little over year ago** (which I still claim wasn't entirely my fault), which also happens to be inconsequential nowadays anyway, at least my mistake got us OUT of doing work and not into it. (Alas, it was at the expense of that poor kid, but he should be alright by now.) I know that's not something to be proud of, but it's true.
Anyway, the point is that this only reaffirms my belief that the quality of interns is really going downhill. I know I don't compare to the interns before me, but at least things weren't getting neglected back then like they are now.
I wonder if it would seem too obvious if I talked to them about quitting now. Imagine if they found this post too. Though the chance of it happening is one in infinity, it definitely would entertain me for some time if I actually got dooced or something of that sort.
**We used to have to put saline (salt) solution in tubes, the same type of tube that was also used to hold ethanol (smart, I know). After covering my coworker's ass (again), I happened to get the second round of leftover aliquots that this same coworker herself had gone through, and in a frenzy to finish on time I failed to notice that these four particular tubes of clear liquid were not labeled "Saline" like the others were. Turns out that it was ethanol (how they ended up in the same rack in the first place is beyond me), and the poor kid who discovered this had his mouthed burned. (Did I mention that his mother is a lawyer?) She didn't sue, but all the blame was pinned on me. From that point on, we no longer had to aliquot saline solution, but nowadays, since it was deemed unsafe for the instructors to be making saline solution out of the sodium chloride that sat with the other chemicals used in the lab, the lab orders saline solution as it is anyway.
Yeah, so... all I can say is WOW. Way to screw up everything for the rest of us. (After finding out who works on Tuesdays too, all I can do is roll my eyes.) Those experiments aren't two minute things either. They actually take TIME, time I don't usually have if I'm thoroughly overhauling the lab I'm working on (which, as a matter of fact, I wouldn't have to do as often if everyone just kept up the lab everyday like they're supposed to).
I'm not going to lie. I've messed up on aliquots for this lab myself, specifically by using a stronger buffer than what was called for. Yes, I've been called out for not reading things carefully enough (in this case I mistook the tube labeled [in size 6 font or so by the way] 5xR buffer for the correct tube of 2xR buffer). What I don't understand, however, is how this person mistook a [clear] tube of buffer for [colored] tubes of enzymes. Mixing up the two types of enzymes, I've seen it happen before and I've almost done it myself at times too. But who mixes up the buffer and the enzymes?
(I know by this point you're probably lost or wondering why this is such a big deal, but believe me. It definitely is more difficult to confuse the buffer with the enzymes than with anything else a person is dealing with when preparing for this lab.)
And while I know this doesn't even compare to the huge mistake that got ME in trouble a little over year ago** (which I still claim wasn't entirely my fault), which also happens to be inconsequential nowadays anyway, at least my mistake got us OUT of doing work and not into it. (Alas, it was at the expense of that poor kid, but he should be alright by now.) I know that's not something to be proud of, but it's true.
Anyway, the point is that this only reaffirms my belief that the quality of interns is really going downhill. I know I don't compare to the interns before me, but at least things weren't getting neglected back then like they are now.
I wonder if it would seem too obvious if I talked to them about quitting now. Imagine if they found this post too. Though the chance of it happening is one in infinity, it definitely would entertain me for some time if I actually got dooced or something of that sort.
**We used to have to put saline (salt) solution in tubes, the same type of tube that was also used to hold ethanol (smart, I know). After covering my coworker's ass (again), I happened to get the second round of leftover aliquots that this same coworker herself had gone through, and in a frenzy to finish on time I failed to notice that these four particular tubes of clear liquid were not labeled "Saline" like the others were. Turns out that it was ethanol (how they ended up in the same rack in the first place is beyond me), and the poor kid who discovered this had his mouthed burned. (Did I mention that his mother is a lawyer?) She didn't sue, but all the blame was pinned on me. From that point on, we no longer had to aliquot saline solution, but nowadays, since it was deemed unsafe for the instructors to be making saline solution out of the sodium chloride that sat with the other chemicals used in the lab, the lab orders saline solution as it is anyway.
prism:
sunshine (daily rants)
No comments:
Post a Comment