Following Directions

Some days, my job is awesome and very rewarding. Other days it makes me want to kick kittens.

Admittedly, some of the not so great days can be easily turned around by changing my attitude. Monday was one of those days where it was really hard to put a positive spin on the situation. We weren't overly busy, but I feel like we accomplished nothing because no one could be bothered to follow directions.We spent the whole day repeating ourselves and cleaning up messes.

I knew it was going to be a long day when first thing in the morning, 2 students showed up for their TEAS test  without their receipts. Mind you it states on the scheduling website, they must bring a hard copy with them on their testing day. They have to check that they understand that if they do not bring the receipt and other required items, they will not be able to test in order to book their appointment. Also, they are told to bring their receipt again in their confirmation e-mail. They were told 3 times to bring it, but they either failed to actually read and/or just didn't follow the directions.

We open at 8:30, but the Bursar does open until 9:00. Even if the students were back by 9:05 and we had them started by 9:10, they would not get their full time ( we would need their computers at 12:30). Our policy is if you do not cancel at least 48 hours in advance or do not follow the instructions, you forfeit your payment. Our policy also states all appointments need to be made at least 48 hours in advance. One student asked if there was anyway I could squeeze him in to the afternoon session or a Tuesday session. The application deadline for the program he wants is Tuesday at 5:00. If he misses the deadline, he can't apply for another year.  Our afternoon session was full, but I had space in my Tuesday afternoon session. I told him I was willing to make a one time exception for him and let him test Tuesday, but he would have to retest. This made him mad. The woman was angry because she couldn't afford to pay again, but here is the bottom line:

1. They chose to not follow the directions
2. The rules and policy are clearly stated on the web site
3. The students in question are not entitled to anything
4. As the gentleman keeps interrupting me while I am attempting to finish checking in the rest of the group, my willingness to help him fades.
5. I am not going to give him a free pass just because a deadline is looming. How is that fair to all the other students that actually followed the directions.
6. While I understand that this is important to both students, if it was really important to them they should have taken the time to actually follow the steps. I know I do not want my medical professionals of any kind to be lazy and gloss over the details.

As we struggled through yesterday, we had people who had ignored us while we gave directions and failed to read the hard copy ones we gave them, and students who just didn't bother to read the website....or any or our e-mails it was hard to get anything accomplished. It was very hard to find a silver lining, but it was a good reminder about how we all (including me) should behave.

1. Shut up and listen
2. If it is really important to you: follow directions, listen carefully, and do your research. Know exactly what you are getting yourself in to.
3. When you do screw up, be apologetic instead of being a bully. People are more willing to help you out when you are being nice and owning up to your mistake as opposed to being a jerk to get your way. 
4. If someone won't give you what you want (especially when it your mistake), it isn't always because they are being unreasonable. There are rules in place for a reason, and sometimes there just isn't wiggle room.
5. If someone offers to try and help you, remember that what they *can* do may not match what you *want* them to do. That person is going the extra mile, and may even be putting their neck out for you. Any consolation prize is better than nothing. There is a price to pay for our mistakes.