review of OCRC

[travelingrat]

i have done studies at OCRC a number of times now, and it is by far my favorite clinic.

on a scale of 1-5, 5 being the highest:

doctors: 5 ***** they are intelligent and caring. this is one of the few clinics where i feel COMPLETELY safe. my questions are always answered.

staff: 5 ***** i have never had the slightest problem. everyone has been so kind and nice to me. many times, staff have said to me if they think i may have any problems: "Remember, we are here for you." And i can tell they mean it!

facility: 5 ***** it is fairly small. most rooms are for 2-4 persons. there may be a few rooms for 6 ...i forget. they also have 7-8 tiny private rooms...it is really fun to be in one of those: your own tv and you can lock the door too. whoever chose the paint colors and designed the rooms did a great job. they are done in shades of a sort of mossy green that is very restful. instead of bed curtains, there are partial dividers between the beds. the rooms along the outside walls all have windows.

the dining area is not large but there are huge windows so you can look out at Orange Ave. and also the beautiful clouds of FL. it's a sunny, pleasant area and the kitchen workers are friendly and kind.

location: 5 ***** easy to get to, directly on LYNX bus route #11.

general attitudes: 5 ***** if you get sick and vomit the dose, they still retain you in the study and you get full pay, at least for the studies i have been in or heard about. this has NOT been true of most clinics i have been in, which will terminate you if you can't retain the dose, and then only pay you for the day or days you have been in the clinic.

most of the staff seems to work well together (with 1 or 2 exceptions). i wish i felt this safe in the large clinics in which i have ratted!!!!

food: 1 *. unfortunately this is the one exception to this 5 star clinic. it was edible and that is about it. a typical lunch might be 2 smallish slices of white bread, 4 paper-thin slices of not very high quality lunch meat, small bag of chips, small bowl canned fruit tail; dinner: greasy chicken piece, serving of overcooked watery peas or overcooked watery green string beans; gelatinous sticky rice (hard to swallow) or reconstituted mashed potatoes; and the ever-present small bowl of canned fruit. it just gets really hard to take after a few days. in november or december when i was there, there was a large group of smokers enrolled in some study or other, and their food was catered from local restaurants: Sweet Tomatoes Restaurant, Jason's Deli, i think Boston Market too, other places. it was awful to look down at my TINY salad of white chunks of iceberg lettuce, 1 1-inch strip of carrot, and 2 1-inch strips of purple cabbage, and then look over at my tablemate's HUGE catered salad of FRESH mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, big mound of shredded carrot and cabbage, etc.

i have been told in other clinics that the sponsor pays for the meals of the volunteers. if this is the case in all clinics, i really do not understand why each clinic director will not insist on quality food for the volunteers. good food is not only essential for good health, but it improves morale and i think that would be important in any clinic. i would bet that overall, good food in a pleasant setting lessens minor side effects as well ... maybe "they" should do a study and see!

anyway in spite of the food, i love the 5-star OCRC and i am eagerly looking forward to my next study there!!!!! anyone with any questions as to how to get there from the airport (easy!) or from greyhound ( a bit harder and the station is in a scary area), please PM me and i will try to answer.

[travelingrat]

i realize that i forgot to mention a few random bits of info:
1. they provide scrubs and bed linens but you must bring your own towels and washcloths. it is fine with them if you bring extra pillows and your own comfort blanket (some clinics don't let you).

2. there is parking at the clinic.

3. there used to be computers available for patient use but apparently some jerks wrecked them and they are not going to be replaced. they do have free wifi.

4.there were lots of dvd's when i was there in december but at my recent stay, i saw they are all gone, probably someone stole them, who knows. there is HBO however so usually one can find some interesting film to watch.

[mike]

Thanks for the review, I have never done studies in FL but I might get out there next winter (I have been in FL in the summer, and it sucks when you're used to CA).

I was a little discouraged because I have heard many bad things about some of the clinics there, it's good to know this one has it's act together.

[FloridaGirl]

Thanks I live in Florida but have not been to OCRC, I believe that they are primarily a healthy match facility and maybe since your post from a few years ago the food is better.
i must say that I have been at Covance in Daytona Beach and the staff and food are great.  You can not bring blankets or pillows since they provide and  but they have a great movie room and provide a book full of movies as well as shelves full of books.
The food is catered and for me it is too much food but for a guy it is probably perfect.
They do do a through baggage check and always fast even if they say not necessary. I have had only great experiences there but look forward to branching out. Have not been down to the Miami area since I heard it was dangerous but want to go to  the Orlando area.
Thanks for posting as it is through helping each other that we all happy research volunteers.
thanks.

[travelingrat]

Hi, i wrote that review 3 years ago. i still like OCRC but i would NOT give it a 5 star rating any more. i still believe in comparison to many other places, it is preferable, but a lot of the old staff moved on and their replacements just seem to do the minimum required. there is one coordinator that is simply awful; she NEVER returns calls unless it benefits her in some way.....not just me, many have complained about her. someone like her would not have lasted 3 or 4 years ago.

there was a phenomenal woman named Sharon who was one of the cleaners there and she kept that place spotless. unfortunately for the clinic, she moved on and it is not as clean now either. still ok, but not the same.

i do like the room situation there. if you do a healthy match, you usually can get your own tiny room. even for the bigger studies, the rooms with 6 beds seem a bit better than most clinics, a bit more spacious. they have a few bunks but i have never seen them used e(xcept for towel racks haha). maybe they use them when the place is packed, which occasionally happens.

the food is still really bad. every time i have ever been there (a lot), participants complain to the director or the doctor. by now, hundreds of persons must have complained. certainly everyone i know has, several times. they listen politely but have never changed a thing. well, the salads are sometimes a tiny bit better now, but that's about it. the food is edible however so i just put up with it.

however, f you get into a large study (not healthy match), the food is terrific since then they cater it and they are close to numerous delis and restaurants.

their healthy match studies are often low-paying but i still do them since they are usually quick, easy, and in-and-out.

i agree that the more persons post reviews, comments, etc., the better off we all are.

miami: i haven't been to any clinics there but i know many persons who have. most have said that they were ok but very noisy and food was aimed at Latino/Caribbean tastes. most of the staff and clientele are Spanish-speaking, so that makes sense of course.

in March of this year i talked to 3 persons who go to the one in jacksonville. they aren't crazy about it but consider it ok, just extremely noisy. i met someone 3 years ago who went there and told everyone she met NOT to go there. since it is easy for me to get to Covance DB and OCRC, i have just stuck with those.

i don't think i have ever seen a post about any of the Miami clinics and it would be great to hear from any of you who have been to one recently.

[ac]

For OCRC, you say the food is not very good. Do you have to eat it like with some clinics? I don't much care if the quality is low as long as I don't have to eat it if I don't want to.

[FloridaGirl]

Aug 13, 2016 10:03:19 GMT -5 travelingrat said:

Hi, i wrote that review 3 years ago. i still like OCRC but i would NOT give it a 5 star rating any more. i still believe in comparison to many other places, it is preferable, but a lot of the old staff moved on and their replacements just seem to do the minimum required. there is one coordinator that is simply awful; she NEVER returns calls unless it benefits her in some way.....not just me, many have complained about her. someone like her would not have lasted 3 or 4 years ago.

there was a phenomenal woman named Sharon who was one of the cleaners there and she kept that place spotless. unfortunately for the clinic, she moved on and it is not as clean now either. still ok, but not the same.

i do like the room situation there. if you do a healthy match, you usually can get your own tiny room. even for the bigger studies, the rooms with 6 beds seem a bit better than most clinics, a bit more spacious. they have a few bunks but i have never seen them used e(xcept for towel racks haha). maybe they use them when the place is packed, which occasionally happens.

the food is still really bad. every time i have ever been there (a lot), participants complain to the director or the doctor. by now, hundreds of persons must have complained. certainly everyone i know has, several times. they listen politely but have never changed a thing. well, the salads are sometimes a tiny bit better now, but that's about it. the food is edible however so i just put up with it.

however, f you get into a large study (not healthy match), the food is terrific since then they cater it and they are close to numerous delis and restaurants.

their healthy match studies are often low-paying but i still do them since they are usually quick, easy, and in-and-out.

i agree that the more persons post reviews, comments, etc., the better off we all are.

miami: i haven't been to any clinics there but i know many persons who have. most have said that they were ok but very noisy and food was aimed at Latino/Caribbean tastes. most of the staff and clientele are Spanish-speaking, so that makes sense of course.

in March of this year i talked to 3 persons who go to the one in jacksonville. they aren't crazy about it but consider it ok, just extremely noisy. i met someone 3 years ago who went there and told everyone she met NOT to go there. since it is easy for me to get to Covance DB and OCRC, i have just stuck with those.

i don't think i have ever seen a post about any of the Miami clinics and it would be great to hear from any of you who have been to one recently.

[FloridaGirl]

Thanks for the info. I have been tying to do the healthy match so far have not gotten in.
Do u know if OCRC has the verification system. Someone told me if a clinic has u sign two consents then one is for the verification.
I heard that Compass has it so I am going to be careful since I heard u can get fired for lying about recently being in a previous study and not being 30 days out.

I have only been to Covance and so far so good. The food and the staff are great, I don't know about you but the only person at Covance that I have an issue
With is Greg, he has no person skills. I always dread him doing my blood draws he just grabs your arm and if he misses he doesn't apologize like the other staff members but the bathrooms are nice so I do great as soon as I get through PK day.
Last stay they did not give us the option do do the exit survey though I don't know if it is a good idea to complain it is sorta like when you are leaving and the doctor asks how you are I have learned he best response it great, awesome, wonderful!!!
There is a study at Riverside in New Smyrna Beach but it is a vaccine study and ongoing for 6 months, not worth the I think 1,200

[travelingrat]

I havent been to OCRC for a while but the last time I was there (April 2016), they did not use VCT.

and yes, I have been told that Compass does now use VCT and Riverside Clinical Research also uses it.

I realize I didn't answer your question about whether one has to eat all the food or not. in my experience, no, with the exception of a large study I was in at OCRC with a high-fat "critical meal." "Critical Meal" is a term used by many clinics, and if they use that designation, yes, you have to eat every bite. and usually someone is watching to make sure you do!

best wishes to you!

[puntkicker]

I do not wish to sound ignorant, but when you say healthy match, is that the same as healthy particpant studies? Or is that a way of saying they use some healthy patients alongside the afflicted in patient studies? Or a 3rd choice I have not listed? I'm trying to learn as much as I can quickly, to be in the big leagues soon, and hopefully a JALR.org all-star eventually. I imagine my questions may benefit some lurkers as well.

[vark]

in a healthy match study, they are doing a patient study, and they match up their patient with a healthy control. somebody within 2 year of the same age, similar demographics. so you are screening for one spot, instead of screening for 20 or 40 spots. i was supposed to screen for a healthy match in denver a month ago, but they filled it before i could get there to screen. so i'm a little skeptical of these, never done one myself, but they are probably ok, but clinics may tease you with the hope of one of these that won't really happen. if you get one great but don't count on these; regular healthy studies are what you want. i like your attitude. when you call for a screening, always ask how many are in the study, how many alternates, how many are they screening. they may hem and haw at that last question. be polite but keep rephrasing the question until you get an answer. you don't want to drive a long way to find out they are screening 100 to fill 5 spots. that only happened to me once. also always call just before you drive, in case they cancelled without telling you. usually they call you a day or so before screening to confirm, but don't bet on it. find out if its first come first serve, in which case you want to screen the first day. find out how they choose who will be an alternate, and if being an alternate gets you anything more than a small check. (some places being an alternate helps you get in the next study, some places it doesn't.

[FloridaGirl]

Aug 27, 2016 16:51:23 GMT -5 FloridaGirl said:

Aug 13, 2016 10:03:19 GMT -5 travelingrat said:

Hi, i wrote that review 3 years ago. i still like OCRC but i would NOT give it a 5 star rating any more. i still believe in comparison to many other places, it is preferable, but a lot of the old staff moved on and their replacements just seem to do the minimum required. there is one coordinator that is simply awful; she NEVER returns calls unless it benefits her in some way.....not just me, many have complained about her. someone like her would not have lasted 3 or 4 years ago.

there was a phenomenal woman named Sharon who was one of the cleaners there and she kept that place spotless. unfortunately for the clinic, she moved on and it is not as clean now either. still ok, but not the same.

i do like the room situation there. if you do a healthy match, you usually can get your own tiny room. even for the bigger studies, the rooms with 6 beds seem a bit better than most clinics, a bit more spacious. they have a few bunks but i have never seen them used e(xcept for towel racks haha). maybe they use them when the place is packed, which occasionally happens.

the food is still really bad. every time i have ever been there (a lot), participants complain to the director or the doctor. by now, hundreds of persons must have complained. certainly everyone i know has, several times. they listen politely but have never changed a thing. well, the salads are sometimes a tiny bit better now, but that's about it. the food is edible however so i just put up with it.

however, f you get into a large study (not healthy match), the food is terrific since then they cater it and they are close to numerous delis and restaurants.

their healthy match studies are often low-paying but i still do them since they are usually quick, easy, and in-and-out.

i agree that the more persons post reviews, comments, etc., the better off we all are.

miami: i haven't been to any clinics there but i know many persons who have. most have said that they were ok but very noisy and food was aimed at Latino/Caribbean tastes. most of the staff and clientele are Spanish-speaking, so that makes sense of course.

in March of this year i talked to 3 persons who go to the one in jacksonville. they aren't crazy about it but consider it ok, just extremely noisy. i met someone 3 years ago who went there and told everyone she met NOT to go there. since it is easy for me to get to Covance DB and OCRC, i have just stuck with those.

i don't think i have ever seen a post about any of the Miami clinics and it would be great to hear from any of you who have been to one recently.

I was also told not to go to Jacksonville Seaview , that it is loud and the beds are in one big room , I guess one big dormitory but I have not tried to screen there plus they don't gave a website so I guess u have to call the clinic for info.
All I know about Miami area is that someone told me MiraMar is horrible and low paying. That all the dosing and blood draws are done in the same room and that they have you sitting in that room for the duration of the dosing and PK's so it sounds like a long uncomfortable day.

[puntkicker]

Sept 10, 2016 21:08:52 GMT -5 vark said:

in a healthy match study, they are doing a patient study, and they match up their patient with a healthy control. somebody within 2 year of the same age, similar demographics. so you are screening for one spot, instead of screening for 20 or 40 spots. i was supposed to screen for a healthy match in denver a month ago, but they filled it before i could get there to screen. so i'm a little skeptical of these, never done one myself, but they are probably ok, but clinics may tease you with the hope of one of these that won't really happen. if you get one great but don't count on these; regular healthy studies are what you want. i like your attitude. when you call for a screening, always ask how many are in the study, how many alternates, how many are they screening. they may hem and haw at that last question. be polite but keep rephrasing the question until you get an answer. you don't want to drive a long way to find out they are screening 100 to fill 5 spots. that only happened to me once. also always call just before you drive, in case they cancelled without telling you. usually they call you a day or so before screening to confirm, but don't bet on it. find out if its first come first serve, in which case you want to screen the first day. find out how they choose who will be an alternate, and if being an alternate gets you anything more than a small check. (some places being an alternate helps you get in the next study, some places it doesn't.

Thank you for this information.  The few times I"ve asked these type of questions, they seem not to know, even when they seem friendly and helpful.  Actually, I do think I remember one place telling me one of those numbers(I think the number of participants they wanted) without me asking.  I have it written down somewhere, it was actually kind of cool.  

About the healthy match studies, how does one go about finding them?  These aren't listed on the websites, right?  From what you're saying it seems like these arent to be counted on, but like every now and then they can help fill in some empty spaces when the well is dry for regular healthy studies?  

[vark]

"The few times I"ve asked these type of questions, they seem not to know, even when they seem friendly and helpful." When you ask hard questions, they'll be evasive. Persist, politely. You can tell them to ask the study doctor to find out. you can rephrase the question. As a subject, you are entitled to informed consent. So if you have questions they are supposed to answer them. There's a weird catch22 about that - in the consent it says if they didn't answer your questions you should refuse to sign. so at that point you have to lie and pretend they answered your questions, unless you want to not get in. I just did a study where the whole time it wasn't clear if they were going to pay me $3800 or $4000, and when i asked about it they didn't have good answers. ended up being $3900. i didnt record the call where they promised the extra $100 (for $4000), so not much i can do, and the $3800 was enough. but because i kept asking, they did come up with the extra $100 (for $3900).

at my most recent screening i didn't ask how many they were screening because i knew they needed 45 and were talking anybody they could get. but in general you always want to be able to get a sense of what the odds are so you don't make extra trips. like, if it's day 4 of screening for 12 spots, they probably filled those day 1 and are just looking for alternates. the more you ask, the more you know, the more you know, the more you can assess the odds of getting in.

edit:
"I have screened on the last day several times at Madison Covance as well as Spaulding and got in every time. I know some clinics it does matter what you screened in but it's definitely not all clinics."
That's true. So find out how your clinic chooses. Some go by best labs, some by of screening, some by phases of the moon.

[ac]

Sept 14, 2016 16:56:32 GMT -5 vark said:

"The few times I"ve asked these type of questions, they seem not to know, even when they seem friendly and helpful." When you ask hard questions, they'll be evasive. Persist, politely. You can tell them to ask the study doctor to find out. you can rephrase the question. As a subject, you are entitled to informed consent. So if you have questions they are supposed to answer them. There's a weird catch22 about that - in the consent it says if they didn't answer your questions you should refuse to sign. so at that point you have to lie and pretend they answered your questions, unless you want to not get in. I just did a study where the whole time it wasn't clear if they were going to pay me $3800 or $4000, and when i asked about it they didn't have good answers. ended up being $3900. i didnt record the call where they promised the extra $100 (for $4000), so not much i can do, and the $3800 was enough. but because i kept asking, they did come up with the extra $100 (for $3900).

at my most recent screening i didn't ask how many they were screening because i knew they needed 45 and were talking anybody they could get. but in general you always want to be able to get a sense of what the odds are so you don't make extra trips. like, if it's day 4 of screening for 12 spots, they probably filled those day 1 and are just looking for alternates. the more you ask, the more you know, the more you know, the more you can assess the odds of getting in.

I have screened on the last day several times at Madison Covance as well as Spaulding and got in every time. I know some clinics it does matter what you screened in but it's definitely not all clinics.