How to Be a Good Research Study Patient by Terri Rimmer - originally published by Associated Content, 2007

Having participated in research studies for extra money on the side since 1992 off and on, I have learned some lessons about how to be a good "test subject" for medical students.

Always be on time. I can't stress this enough. You have a whole class of med students and sometimes professors/doctors waiting on you and they're on a tight schedule. I have recruited various friends through the years and the number one thing that makes some of them not get used again is tardiness.

Study your script. Often the research coordinator will email each research volunteer a script to study. If you can't study it ahead of time, study it in between each student's exam of you. Before the end of the day you'll know it by heart.

Dress appropriately. Women are often told to wear sports bras and underwear as they go through the head-to-toe physical exam by med students. Nothing is more embarrassing than going through these exams and forgetting to wear a bra. In that case, the student is forced to examine the patient through the gown and the exam is not as effective. (Source: Dr. Thomas Dayberry).

Don't complain. Even if you're sick or tired the research coordinator, doctors, fellow volunteers, and med students don't want or need to hear it. Unless you're deathly sick and have to leave or it's affecting your performance, it's best to keep it to yourself. The research coordinator may not use you much or in the future if she hears you complaining all the time. Plus it takes away your focus which is to be the best patient you can be, benefiting both you and the student, the latter of whom is being graded for their efforts.

You can joke around to break the ice but not excessively, lest the student loses their concentration. Plus it takes up time that they are being graded for and since it is a timed exam, every minute counts for them to get the best grade possible and all the information needed from you, the patient.

Don't try to control the patient/student scenario. It's fine to make suggestions because they want to know how they can improve but if you drive them and the research coordinator crazy with a litany of demands or questions it just slows down the process. Case in point: There was a female volunteer who used to be a Well Woman patient but she tried to control each exam so much that it aggravated the research coordinator who eventually stopped using her.

Recommend friends and family members to research studies. Sometimes you get a bonus, but more importantly, you're helping out the coordinator so she doesn't have to try to round up people, which, believe it or not, is a hard job.

Educate those you refer to the studies ahead of time about your experiences, what to expect, the length of time, and pointers or tips you can offer. It will make things go faster in the long run and your referrals will be grateful that they got a "heads up" on how things will likely go.

Get plenty of rest before and after. If you are participating in research studies at a teaching hospital, for instance, your busiest times will be from Jan.-May with a break in March for spring break. Then from Oct. through the end of November you will have more work with a break in December when the students get out of school.