Medical Writing
by Olga Kostiouchina
Medical writing is a great career choice for technical writers who have studied medical sciences before, such as biology, anatomy or pharmaceutical sciences.
What do medical writers do?
Medical writers develop documentation about drugs, medicine, health and related technology. Some of the materials a medical writer may be creating are: articles for health care professionals, medical research grant proposals, training and marketing materials for pharmaceutical industry, patient education materials which may include brochures, flyers news articles, both for print and web. There are many more various documents that medical writers create; it’s a broad field where you can apply your skills and make a good living.
What if you don’t have a degree in medicine or the sciences?
You can still develop a successful career as a medical writer! Enroll in some basic courses, such as Medical Terminology, Anatomy 101, or join the professional association which may provide a lot of necessary training. Professional association in US called AMWA (American Medical Writer’s Association) has a great website with lots of training and certification courses you may take if you’re a member. If you want to try your ambitions in Europe, they have their own membership association that offers courses in medical writing – EMWA. Both associations have job boards as well.
Salary and Outlook for Medical Writers
According to many sources the absolute majority of medical writers are very satisfied with the money they make. You can expect a pretty high entry level salary, especially if you have a degree in science or health care. What’s more, the employment prospects are growing all around the world, which means that the outlook for those entering the medical communication field is very good.
Looking for work
Network! Attend medical conferences, join professional associations and web communities, research the local industry – medical or pharmaceutical. Start or update your LinkedIn profile by listing your new skills and joining professional groups that often have job boards. Participate actively in discussions held by the groups you’ve joined. Create or update your website. Add medical writing pieces to your portfolio. To do this try contacting many non-profit organizations dealing with health care issues and offer some pro bono work. You may end up getting employed!
Further reading and resources:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/0813812534?tag=mediwrit-20&camp=14573&creative=327641&linkCode=as1&creativeASIN=0813812534&adid=0WG5BY8E3CTY3S23H5YK& : An excellent guide for present and future health writers
http://www.amwa.org/default.asp?id=1 : American Medical Writers Association
http://www.emwa.org/Home.html : European Medical Writers Association
http://medicalwriter.blogspot.com/ : A resource-rich Canadian blog maintained by medical writers.
http://intercom.stc.org/2011/05/medical-writing-and-editing-opportunities-for-the-independent-consultant-or-contractor/ : A success story article from the current (May 2011 issue) of STC Intercom publication – accessible without STC membership.
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