brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Jul 6, 2021 16:35:50 GMT -5
Interesting… I had that happen, and never had Tb in my life…was vaccinated as a child. There are tests that aren’t accurate, and pneumonia can leave scars. I was told this after an “abnormal” test result at Parexel LA, and even though it might’ve been a false alarm, was told I’d never be able to screen there again. I’m not upset- they’re a weird place with a bipolar study coordinator…just mystified because it never happened at another screening before or since.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Jul 6, 2021 16:29:48 GMT -5
My bp goes up,performance anxiety. I just had it done and was thinking to try and see the whole process as me being on stage and I am just acting out a part for this particular play. So strange that I just saw yr post. But it is upsetting/disheartening when you invest time and money and get sent home. It happens to all of us and we just have to keep trying. My labs always good so it is my bp that has gotten me kicked out usually at screening. Learn to meditate, or imagine yourself anywhere that’s peaceful and supportive.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Jul 6, 2021 16:25:27 GMT -5
If so, I’d love to know if you noticed anything different about protocol, screening requirements, etc for non-covid studies.
Anyone been a rat for a COvID study?
Trying to decide if it’s safe to consider jumping back in…
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Jul 6, 2021 16:20:38 GMT -5
Received a text 7/1 sharing that news and the message “same commitment to clinical research…”
Based on history, I’m not sure that’s good news.
br] The website doesn’t reflect it.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Jan 17, 2020 15:40:02 GMT -5
Update: Finally got paid...10 weeks later. Won't be going back here.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Dec 17, 2019 10:54:01 GMT -5
8 weeks.
no payment.
No lab results.
8 calls. No response.
See previous posts about poor conditions and communication.
They may advertise a lot of studies, but if the management is poor, it’s filthy, and other conditions aren’t good, and you don’t get paid, its a just waste of time and a health risk.
Next outreach is the IRB.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Dec 10, 2019 20:57:14 GMT -5
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Dec 1, 2019 10:04:58 GMT -5
...have deteriorated here according to returning rats :
1- communication: before, during, and after is inconsistent. Several studies being checked in at the same time with mixups and confusion during check in/labs.
2- organization - from check in to release there isn’t a schedule provided except a check in time and check out date. Even the techs are confused.
3- Preference given to return rats.
4- cleanliness- bathrooms and showers are shared by all genders and several study populations and are filthy. Most showers not working, water us never hot. Rooms and common areas are not maintained clean. No hand sanitizer and with trash, toilet paper and bodily fluids clearly visible on floors and other surfaces, definitely wear shoes at all times, use toilet tissue as a buffer between hands and surfaces, and cover the toilet seats before use. (No, I’m not a germophobe. It’s gross.)
5- food- It’s catered and decent quality/quantity but not kept at required/safe health code temperatures, so make sure you nuke it thoroughly and allow it to sit at high heat for several minutes before eating. A line builds up at the microwave and it erodes your allowed eating time, but it’s better than getting food poisoning. There was a 2day delay in the start of the study. By the 3rd/dose day 1/3 of the study population had chills, vomiting and diarrhea before dosing (common symptoms of food poisoning). There weren’t enough alternates to address that many replacements and were dosed anyway to maintain the timeline.
6- Payment- No clinicards/debitcards. Direct deposit or mailed check only from an obscure out of state bank not local to Dallas or most other places with an eta of +/- 3 weeks, and most banks hold funds on non-local checks for 3-10 days, further delaying access to our earned funds. No inquiries before 3 weeks allowed. No exceptions.
7- Its freezing inside, so make sure you bring warm clothes (with easy arm access) to stay warm and so your veins don’t hide. 8- phlebotomy- is inconsistent; night shift is worse.
I will not consider returning to this facility.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Nov 12, 2019 22:53:09 GMT -5
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Nov 12, 2019 20:55:54 GMT -5
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
|
Post by brat on Oct 24, 2019 14:28:46 GMT -5
I concur with LAbrat. This is NOT full time, stable, or even safe income. You'd be better off training to be a phelbotamist or answer phones in a study facility to pay the rent, and then there's the stress on your body and mental health to consider as well.
Would you really choose to move for a temp/freelance writing job...or live where you're happy, have friends, enjoy being, and find/make work there? Waiting tables or cooking can pay the rent.
If you're healthy, it's a major gift in life. I refuse to consider many studies because of the drug class or procedures like spinal punctures, which can leave you in chronic pain for the forseeable future amongst other complications. The CRO and sponsor do not have your back if the symptoms pop up later (how can you prove it was due to the study?), and sometimes even when they happen in house. My veins got destroyed by terrible phelbotamists in a study and kept me from qualifying for others for over a year, so if I were depending on another study to pay rent, I'd have been homeless. Most here are fortunate to be able to work legally at soing, so we're not forced into making this into our major income source like many who can;t legally work here, or live in other countries where there is less other work and study oversight.
This is a lot like acting (and a lot of actors do studies to make ends meet); you're always freelance, always replaceable, the auditions can be expensive, painful, disappointing, and having a bad day doesn't get you off the hook. The producers stand to make the big bucks off your back, and they're not your friend anymore if there's conflicting politics or soing goes wrong...and VCT is no different than any other political vehicle: If you get a demerit, no one will hire you... ...but at least if you're an actor, you have a union...if you can stomach all that's required to get into it.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Oct 24, 2019 14:08:34 GMT -5
Wow...Just the tip of the iceberg...yes, especially in areas of the world where there is less regulation. Thanks for this. It's good to keep a balanced perspective, especially after seeing healthy rats covering up AE's for themselves and each other in a study I participated in and was told NEVER to report them by those same rats, or you'd be banned from there and elsewhere via VCT. So much for altruism... Here's an interesting industry insider look at how suspected fraud is handled internally that explains a few things. One "bad apple" can spoil many careers of others, so action is likely to be subjective. Good to know info at the end about possibilities for reporting beyond the IRB's: www.the-scientist.com/critic-at-large/scientific-misconduct-red-flags-34422
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Oct 24, 2019 13:47:17 GMT -5
Has anyone else had issues trying to get through to Covance make a screening appointment?
After 3 weeks of trying various times/days, spending upwards of an hour on hold each time, and leaving call back messages that never happened, I finally got through this morning. According to the rep I spoke with they've modified their phone systems (aka downsized staff). By the time I got through, the study I was interested had already begun, and it was the only one worth traveling for. I asked if they'd filled all of the screening appointments, and she said no.
Meanwhile, other places I'm not interested in are calling me.
If we can't get through, we can't screen. I can;t imagine the phone staff is a major expense compared to the amount sponsors are paying.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Oct 10, 2019 7:07:46 GMT -5
Yes, I’d stay at the Baltimore Hostel again as well.
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brat
Junior Member
I'm alive because of needed exp procedures as a child and glad to be healthy.
Posts: 64
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Post by brat on Oct 10, 2019 7:00:42 GMT -5
Better functionality is welcomed...and it all sounds pretty corporate...
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