Just admit you were wrong....

The BBQ Pit
1

so I won’t have to daydream of kicking you in the junk every time I see you!

(A rant about a Ph.D. and his statistician.)

Background: I’ve had a bad week or two. I got dumped by the love of my life, I have to move (albeit to a great place), and I have some money problems right now. But the last straw is what is going to drive me NUTS!

I work in research. Specifically, I make all the medications that we use for drug studies in alcohol and drug research. I package medication, which is then checked by a pharmacist, and I dispense it to research assistants, who take it from there. I am good at my job. I do things correctly, and follow board review guidelines. I can do my job in my sleep. I always make sure that I am doing my job correctly, because I realize that if I fuck up, someone else could die, or a physician/pharmacist could lose their license. It’s my responsibility to make sure it’s correct before it gets checked. It’s not my livelihood on the line, and I sure as hell don’t want to be responsible for someone having wasted an entire college education only to have their license yanked because of me.

I recently was asked to unblind a study, and send the results to a statistician. I created a file, verified that everything was correct, and emailed the file to her. (Basically, it said Patient # blah-blah got medication Blah-biddy-Blah.) I was out for a day (recovering from bad break-up), and when I returned, I got an email telling me that I had filled EVERYTHING incorrectly, and I had basically screwed the entire study.

I opened the file. I knew I had filled everything correctly, because the table used to dispense medication was created by another physician in the study, and all I did was print out his email to dispense the meds. So, I compared the printout of the file with the table that I had used. Big suprise, same thing. (Well, I had to check… just so I knew I hadn’t done anything wrong.) So, I email the statistician and tell her that the file I used was created by a doctor, and if there was an error, it couldn’t possibly be on my part.

No, you’re wrong. You’ve screwed this up, she says.

I got frantic. I started checking everything I ever got from this guy. Everything was cool. I checked with the pharmacist in charge, and asked her to send me a copy of the file she had regarding the table. Yup, same thing. (Makes sense, as the doctor who created it CC:'d her on it.)

I emailed the Ph.D. in charge, to let him know that I had the original copy of the email, and that I had only dispensed medication based on what the other physician had sent me. About 10 minutes later, I ran into him in the hallway.

Basically, he reamed me, right in front of the patients sitting in the waiting room. “You’ve filled everything wrong, and now the study is useless,” he said, among comments about how pharmacy is always wrong, and maybe there needs to be a review, and how a LOT of money was wasted for me to give him shoddy work. (Keep in mind that this guy has also remarked before that he doesn’t know how anyone can live on my salary.)

Then I found out that he had told the other Ph.D.'s the same thing. So, now everyone thinks I’m the dumbass.

I went to the statistician’s office. I asked to see the file that she based her data on. Well, wonder of fucking wonders, IT’S THE SAME GODDAMN FILE! It turns out that she had entered data incorrectly into another program, which gave her entirely different results! I emailed the Ph.D. to let him know this, as politely as possible. I told him that if there were further problems that he could count on me to help get to the bottom of them.

This was last Friday. I’ve seen both the statistician and the Ph.D. in the halls, and NEITHER ONE has said, hey, sorry about that. That’s all it would take. A simple sorry, didn’t mean to yell at you, should have looked at all areas before making you a scapegoat. I mean, I know these people are more educated than I am, and I’m just the low-girl on the totem pole, but at least I ADMIT WHEN I AM WRONG! Both of these people act like I have just screwed the universe out of a cure for cancer, and then when I find out I am in the right, neither one has the balls to admit it and apologise.

I understand that maintaining a study can be stressful. I personally take care of all the medications for 8 different studies by myself. This Ph.D. has two studies right now, which research assistants do the majority of the work on. Work that they cannot do is done by research coordinators and three co-investigative physicians. The statistician compiles the data for those two studies. Between the two studies, there are approximately 10-15 patients a week. HE DOESN’T EVEN SEE PATIENTS! HE GETS THE GRANTS, AND WALKS THE HALLS! THE STATISTICIAN PLAYS WITH NUMBERS ALL DAY! I JUST BUSTED HER NAPPING IN HER OFFICE!

And I can’t even get a simple apology from these people…ARRRRGH!

2

Write a polite letter stating exactly what you discovered, and then point out that it might be apreciated by yourself if some aknowledgement was forthcoming.

If you get no reply than you could make it known that it has been circulated around other departments.

Get yourself a mentor too, helps enormously in such situations.

3

Arrg I hate fuckwit PhDs like that… It seems that MD/PhDs more often act like that… There has to be some sort of god complex in the course cirriculum.

His/her behavior is even more pathetic since in the majority of science everything you’re able to do is based on reputation… and if he is unable to act in a professional manner it’s a wonder how his career has gotten this far…

I’d complain to your department head.

4

Thanks, y’all.

I just don’t understand this guy. One day I came into work, on my day off (!), to make sure everything was going ok. I ran into him in the freight elevator, and explained that I came in to make sure my new boss wasn’t having any problems, and the reason I had on shorts and a t-shirt was because it was my day off. “Well, that’s wonderful, it shows you have great dedication to your job if you do things like that,” he said. Then he tells my boss he doesn’t understand how I live on my salary. Granted, I don’t make the big bucks. Like I said, I’m low on the totem pole. But, when I took this position, they offered me the position based on the fact that the salary wasn’t much. (Still more than I was making.) Now, I find out that other techs in the hospital that only have 3 years of experience are making more than me. And I’ve been doing the same kind of job for 11 years now. Does Ph.D. Guy offer to do anything about it? Maybe allocate more money to cover my salary? Hell no. Because that would take away from his salary.

Sometimes I wonder why I stay here. I mean, it’s an easy job, as long as I don’t have to deal with the morons around here. (Which I have to do on a daily basis, it seems.)

5

Skerri,

Ugh. I don’t mind getting yelled when I screw something up. I usually don’t mind too much when I get yelled at for something that’s really nobody’s fault. But when I get yelled at for something I did right and someone else screwed up, and then nobody apoligizes when the facts come out, that pisses me off. I certainly wouldn’t object to your kicking a little statistician butt.

Anyway, I’m really sorry to hear about your breakup. That stinks in every way possible. Good luck.

Bill

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Hospitals are the world’s worst for pay equality, Skerri. They will create a new payscale in order to recruit new techs/nurses, but then won’t do a goddam thing to equalize for the people who have been loyal and dedicated.

Sorry you’re going through this shit. Stay with us, and let us know what happens.

Quasimodem

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{{{{Skerri}}}}

If you feel like some beer & sympathy (or chocolate, whatever) e-mail is in profile - I’m sure sidle and I could buy you a few rounds. I’ll be gone until Monday but e-mail if you like. Hang in there, chiquita.

8

Ugh. Went out with another cow-orker last night. We bitched and drank the night away.

So, this morning, I sent an email to the Ph.D. and the statistician. Basically it said that I wanted to make sure the situation had been resolved, and to let them know that if they needed anything to contact me. Hopefully this will jolt their memory and let them know I haven’t forgotten the bitch-out I got.

As far as the money goes at this job, that’s just how it goes. My position’s salary is paid for out of grant money. I’m switching over to a different department, (basically just getting a new boss) and I won’t be paid for by grant money any more. So that should help, somewhat. At least I’ll be on the same pay scale as the other technicians now.

(Thanks for the sympathy about the breakup, you guys. Right now, I’m still at that point where I really don’t want to even think about it, but I guess I have to get used to the idea. Oh well, 10 years down the drain.)

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For either the ex or the PHD I recommend that you check out the revenge thread, if for no other reasons then to dream about getting revenge.

10

Fuck those funckin assholes!
Fuck em right in the EAR!
grrrrrrr

fuck with my Skerri asshole and I’ll fuck you up!

Let me at 'em Skerri. I’ll do a double blind study to test the reaction of my foot up their asses!

11

Hee hee hee. I knew you’d show up to defend me, Zebra. And you may want to watch out with the double blind study, there. The Ph.D is such a tightass that you may never see your foot again.

:smiley:

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Oh, and I just got an email from the Ph.D. that said the issue has been resolved, thank you.

Still no apology! I demand burning at the stake! Gouge his eyes out and fill the space with fireants! At least make him walk naked 'round a convenience store singing “I’m a little teapot”. Damn.

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[sup]Out of touch, I’m out of touch[/sup]
Hi Skerri!
Sorry to hear about the recent rough luck.
By all means, let’s go hang out soon.
I’m not necessarily all that great with chick talk, but I can get you good and drunk!

[sub]Wait…already did that…[/sub]

Definitely think you should have gotten an apology from that moron. Used to have a boss like that-she’d freak out about some perceived mistake, and I’d have to simultaneously talk her out of her tree, subtly make sure everyone realized it wasn’t my fault, and try to save her from embarassment.
It sucked, but I realized that at least I got to go home at 5 pm.
Some poor bastard may have to deal with these people for life!

I hope that things are looking up for you, sweet pea!
:slight_smile: