Having finished my university degree I was working a summer job as a tourist guide, deciding that I would do that before entering the scary world of having a real job. Like most recent graduates I had a mountain of student debts that I needed to pay off and I was looking for any (above board) way of earning the money to do it. That’s when I found out about medical trials that pay.
A number of my friends and colleagues told me about the huge amounts of cash they were making by signing up for medical research trials at a nearby clinical research unit. They told me about getting paid thousands of pounds for taking part in these trials. It seemed like an opportunity too good to miss out on.
I found out how to contact the places conducting these medical research trials so that I could be sent the necessary forms. I received the application forms that I needed to fill in and was almost put off by all the questions they asked but then I remembered the money I could be making. The forms needed my medical history and health details filled in as well as the name and address of my local doctor. I had to consent to them being contacted to get hold of my medical records. The information is necessary for the doctors at the clinical research centres so that they can be sure you don’t have any health conditions that could be a problem if you took part in a drug trial.
After filling in all the details required, I returned the forms to the address supplied and wondered how long it would be before I heard anything. Being the impatient young man that I was, I decided to apply to both of the medical research units based near where I lived just in case I got rejected by one or found out that one was better than the other. I got a letter from them after they had been through my forms and processed all of the information. I was being asked to go to the unit for a comprehensive medical check up to make sure I was fit and healthy enough to be a volunteer.
They carried out tests such as lung capacity, ECG (electro-cardio graph), various blood tests to check liver function, cholesterol levels, etc – all to make sure I was in good health. If nothing else, I was getting the kind of health check up that would have cost a few hundred pounds to get done privately and would be very difficult to get hold of on the NHS.
I was rejected by one of the units because my eye pressure was higher than the limits they allowed. The other unit hadn’t even tested for this and having passed all of their tests I was accepted as a volunteer to be eligible to take part in paid medical trials.
Having been accepted I waited eagerly for the details to be sent through of the first trial that I could volunteer for. When it finally arrived, it detailed the drug being tested, the possible side effects, the length of the trial and the number of visits to the clinical research unit that would be required and (of the most interest to me) the financial compensation that would be paid for taking part (let’s face it, no one does these trials out of a desire to further medical science, they do them for the money!).
I went for another medical to be accepted onto the trial but was rejected on the basis of my medical history. I forget which it was now but it was either an allergy that I had listed or a medical condition that they told me made me ineligible. I was very disappointed. I had this happen to me on a number of occasions – being invited to screenings for trials, going for a medical then being rejected on the basis of my medical history. Eventually I complained that they were wasting my time inviting me for these screenings then rejecting me based on something already on my file.
Something must have changed over the years because eventually I was successful in getting accepted onto a trial. It didn’t involve any overnight stays and it wasn’t a new drug being tested so perhaps that’s what made the difference. Anyway, it felt like a victory to me, I got paid over 500 for taking part and more importantly than that after that I wasn’t rejected for any more of the trials I applied for, allowing me to take part in several more and make lots of money over the next few years.
Along the lines (having finally been successful with one medical research unit) I reapplied to the other one. The second time around I didn’t have any problems with anything and I was accepted there as a volunteer as well. My persistence and stubbornness had paid off.
Get more information about medical testing for money you could earn thousands of pounds by doing them. You can also get other ideas on making money from home by visting the site. Unique version for reprint here: How to get paid for volunteering for medical tests.
