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.