Lesson learned?

Some of these so called "adults" have some learning to do in sharing equipment.

Because of a disaster in one of two autoclaves, we're stuck with one autoclave for the department for the long term future. There's a sign in sheet that you're supposed to fill out when you use it.

THIS IS IMPORTANT!!!

Why? For some stupid reason, if you are running a liquid cycle you need to purge the machine first by running a 5 minute wrapped cycle. However, if someone has run a wrapped cycle within the last two hours, you don't need to purge the machine.

Besides, if you signed in, we'll help you out. It's an unwritten rule of cooperation. If I need to use the autoclave and it's finished its cycle, but there's something in it, I'll go to the room on the sign in sheet and ask them if it's okay for me to take out their stuff so I can use them. Others have done that for our lab as well.

Yesterday, a student came to me and asked what to do. She needed to use the autoclave, and had checked at 11:45 and it was in use. Came back after lunch, and the cycle was done, but there was still something in it. But the last time someone signed in was 9:00 AM, and she was sure that the 9:00 person had already gotten their stuff out.

I told her it's tough love time. You're doing everything in your power to be cooperative, but they didn't sign in. Their loss. Take out their stuff, and use it.

She put her stuff in, signed in, and ran her cycle.

When she came to get her stuff, she saw that the person that had used it before signed in AFTER she signed in and used the eariler time. Better late then never, hun?

Maybe that person learned a lesson. Probably not, but I'll try and be optimistic.