How to Hire Yourself Out as a Medical Guinea Pig

There are many good reasons to rent your body to science: You can help advance medical research, benefit future generations or make some cash. Before you climb on that metal table, decide just how far you're willing to go.

Instructions

1. Decide what kind of experiment you'd like to be a part of. Any study will have requirements that you may or may not meet. The more specific they are, the more money you'll make. Research the qualifications to make sure you're a suitable candidate.

2. Choose a simple experiment to begin with. Some studies require you to undergo medical exams. Most common are: Questionnaires and interviews, type I medical exams and type II medical exams. They range from simple test-taking to more advanced procedures. As the level of involvement increases, so does the pay. All three options are relatively low-risk.

3. Research the more complicated types of experiments before you sign up. The pay is tempting (up to hundreds of dollars) but the experiment usually involves multiple visits or overnight stays in the hospital. While the risks do increase as the experiment becomes more involved, all regulated studies are generally safe.

4. Sign a consent form once you've found an experiment that works for you. This states the procedure and duration of the experiment, possible risks or side effects, and how much you'll be paid.

5. Listen to the doctors and do what they say. You're allowed to leave the experiment at any time if you feel sick or are in pain, but are not advised to do so against medical orders.

Tips & Warnings

• For information about the safety of human subject trials, visit the Office of Human Subjects Research of the National Institutes of Health (ohsr.od.nih.gov), and the Office for Human Research Protections of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (ohrp.osophs.dhhs.gov).

• See How to Sell Plasma.