Working for money is kind of terrible most of the time. But is it more terrible than getting the flu?
If you apply (and get picked for) a medical trial at Cincinnati Children's Hospital tracking flu symptoms, you could find out at a fairly high rate of pay. Plus you'll get to chill at the hospital for more than a week. It's basically a paid staycation. (Sounds great!)
Children's is currently accepting applications for the trial, which involves something called the "challenge virus." (Sounding less great.)
The National Institute of Allergies and Infectious Diseases is conducting the trial at Children's and three other major hospitals around the country. Five folks have already been exposed to the virus, and now NIAID is looking for up to 80 more healthy people between the ages of 18 and 49 to basically get the flu sprayed up their noses and then receive careful monitoring and testing while they spend 10 days as inpatients at the hospital. If volunteers fall ill during their stay, they'll be cared for free of charge by hospital staff and researchers.
After they've stayed — getting fevers, chills and other symptoms that come with the flu — volunteers will be released and get more monitoring via three follow-up visits. They'll then be asked back after 90 days for a final visit.
Children's says the trial pays up to $2,550. That's $31.85 an hour if you think about it as two 40-hour work weeks (pretty good deal!). But it's only about $7.50 an hour when you realize that you'll probably have the flu 24 hours a day (still better than paying for Tamiflu and having your significant other/parent/roommate/child make you soup, probably). Either way, you'd be helping researchers learn more about flu symptoms.
You can find out more about the trial here.
