do they give ANY money upon checkout?

[donkamote]

hey guys,

i'm about to do my first study up there and wanted to know if they give you any money upon checkout or at the outpatient visit.

i appreciate the help.

[hairyscarylarry]

yes. You get a bit when you check out. don't freak out

[donkamote]

Haha. Not freaking out man. Thanks for the info, good news

[antecubital]

I've learned not to count on getting partial payments from Covance. I went out once for a study that consisted of three 8-night inpatient stays separated by about a week each. I was broke, but I was hoping Covance would give a partial payment after the first inpatient stay. Well, they didn't (and to be fair, they didn't say they would). I ended up staying in the Madison homeless shelter for about a week.

Partial payments at Covance (Madison) seem to up to the discretion of the study managers or whomever makes that decision there. Last study I screened for, about a year ago, I asked at screening if there would be a partial payment. The screening nurse went back and asked the manager/coordinator. The answer was no.

I've turned down a number good studies at Covance Madison simply because I couldn't afford to pay for multiple inpatient/outpatient visits and local stays in-between (or trips home and back) without any partial payments.

Personally, I think they either don't care about us in that regard, or they're just not aware of the reality some of us have to face financially. Maybe they have enough locals who don't have to spend big money up front to screen and stick around in between stays.

But, there may indeed be studies where Covance gives a partial payment after the first stay. Your mileage may vary.

[donkamote]

Damn it. that sounds like a shitty situation to find yourself in man. I guess I'll find out tomorrow what the deal is

[vark]

rule #2 in the lab rat 101 handbook: save enough from your last study to tide you over till you get paid for the next one. that means assume when you screen that you won't get in, that when you get in you'll be an alternate, that even after you dose they could find some excuse to send you home with half pay. so give yourself a 3 to 6 month buffer to cover travel and survival. otherwise you will lose out to some other lab rat who planned better.

i used to be a server. one of the reasons i got promoted to headwaiter is i alway carried enough to be able to change a $100, whereas some of the waitresses were having trouble being able to change a $20. i'd tell them, pick up an extra shift, make $50, and use that $50 as your stake, so that you can always make change; never spend it.
it's the same idea doing studies; always keep an extra $1000 stashed for when hit a long dry spell, or when you need to go from wisconsin to texas in a hurry unexpectedly. then when you get paid next refill your stake before spending the first dime.

i got called this morning. i was set to check in yesterday but the drug didnt clear customs so it was postponed, so yesterday i set up two more screenings as a backup plan, but today they called and said the study is back on for next monday, so i cancelled one screening and will keep the other in play till i see if i dose.

this is general advice, not specific to covance. screw covance, for reasons i've covered elsewhere.