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Another great way to find clinical trials is checking with local colleges. Universities often host clinical trials and advertise not only the nature of the study, but also the compensation rates. These studies often draw students looking to make some extra cash, but generally aren’t just limited to the university community. To find them, simply contact the medical and scientific departments at your local college and ask if there are any current studies.

Types of Trials
According to the National Institutes of Health, there are five types of clinical trials:

Treatment: Experimental treatments like new combinations of drugs or new approaches to existing surgeries or therapies
Prevention: Medicines, vaccines, vitamins, minerals or lifestyle changes to prevent diseases or prevent relapses
Diagnostic: Procedures for diagnosing conditions, typically testing those presenting symptoms
Screening: Detection methods for certain diseases or health conditions, often testing both those with and without symptoms
Quality of life: Also known as supportive care trials, testing ways to improve the quality of life for those with chronic illnesses

Within each of these types, there are four phases:

Phase I tests a small, typically healthy, group of 20 to 80 people for the first time to evaluate a drug’s safety. After this phase, the drug may be refined based on these results for continued study.
Phases II and III test progressively larger groups of people as more becomes known about the drug or treatment’s efficacy and side effects.
In Phase IV, studies are done on the drug or treatment after it has been marketed and sold to compile more information on the drug’s risks, benefits, and other possible uses.

Each level of trial carries its own risk and drawbacks, such as a higher chance of side effects in Phase I, but a lengthier testing time in Phase III.

In each case, there are several safeguards put in place such as rigorous laboratory testing before it ever comes to a human study and federally mandated insurance for all patients involved. These regulations also cover patient privacy.

The biggest safeguard is the exit clause built into every study. “A participant can leave a clinical trial, at any time. When withdrawing from the trial, the participant should let the research team know about it, and the reasons for leaving the study,” according to the NIH.
This policy is mandated for all human research trials by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.