Questions About Medical Writing
What is a Medical Writer?
Where do Medical Writers work?
How do I become a Medical Writer?
I am a physician looking to change careers. Is medical writing for me?
I have no scientific background but love to write. Can I become a Medical Writer?
How much does a Medical Writer make?
Should I become a regulatory writer?
Questions About our Courses
Who created your courses?
How long does it take to complete a course?
Which course should I take? Do I need prior experience to take any of them?
Are your courses certified by an accrediting agency?
Will I be able to get a job after receiving my certificate?
A medical writer is someone who writes about medicine. Not only that, but a medical writer can write about complex topics in such a way that scientists with no background in the topic (and even non-technical readers) can understand it. Some medical writers write for the general public; others write for health professionals; and others write documents for regulatory agencies like the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Where do Medical Writers work?
Medical writers are in great demand today. Although many have chosen the freelance path, others prefer the security of a company job.
Pharmaceutical companies: they research, develop, market, and/or distribute drugs. Some of the major pharmaceutical companies (a.k.a. Big Pharma) in the world are Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, GlaxoSmithKline, and Sanofi Aventis.
Biotechnology companies: they may also produce drugs but using derivatives of biological systems or living organisms. The leading biotech companies are Genentech, Amgen, and Genzyme.
Contract Research Organizations (CRO): these are independent contractors that offer their services to pharmaceutical companies—the services include product development and formulation, clinical trial management, data management, preparation of regulatory documents, and more.
Medical Device Companies: they develop instruments or machines intended to diagnose disease or other conditions, or cure, mitigate, treat, or prevent a disease. Examples of devices include cardiac implants, infusion pumps, and elastic bandages. Top medical device companies include Boston Scientific and GE Healthcare.
Medical Communications Agencies: these provide marketing and public relations support to pharmaceutical and medical device companies, targeting both health care professionals and consumers. Some medical communications agencies are Pascale Communications (www.pascalecommunications.com), Rete Biomedical (www.retebiomed.com), and Complete Healthcare Communications Inc. (www.chcinc.com).
Other organizations that hire medical writers (and which do not need an explanation) are:
- Associations
- Clinical practices
- Foundations
- Medical publishers
- Medical schools
- Patient advocacy groups
- Government (all levels)
How do I become a Medical Writer?
Many people ask, “How do I know if I would become a good medical writer?” Below are five tips to get you started.
1. Get some training. Depending on your background you may need to work harder either on your medical/science knowledge or on your writing skills. While physicians, for example, would need to take writing and editing classes, a person with an English degree would need to take basic science courses.
Many certificate and graduate programs are now available for medical writers. You can find comprehensive programs that cover all types of medical writing or very specific programs such as the Regulatory Writing Certificate at the University of the Sciences in Philadelphia or the certificates we offer here at MedicalWritingTraining.com.
2. Join a professional organization. Professional organizations such as the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) and the Council of Science Editors (CSE) offer new medical writers educational, networking, and career advancement opportunities. Members of these organizations will not only share your same interests, but will direct you to new business opportunities—and they may even offer you a job!
3. Build some writing samples. Whether you look for freelance work or a medical writing position at a company, you need to demonstrate your writing skills with some published samples (sorry, but your A+ English class paper doesn’t count). You can build a portfolio by writing for your local hospital’s newsletter or by submitting health-related articles to Web sites such as AssociatedContent.com.
4. Create a strong resume. Your resume is the key to landing a great medical writing job. A strong resume is free of spelling and grammatical errors and focuses on the qualities required for your target position. In other words, if you are applying for a medical writing job at a biotechnology company, your resume should demonstrate knowledge of the therapeutic area the company works on. The resume should also demonstrate your experience with the kind of writing you would be doing in the desired position.
5. Submit your resume to personnel recruiters. Recruiters maximize the job hunting process by matching candidates with employers. They will look at your resume and then pass it on to the companies that are more likely to hire you. That means you won’t waste time applying for a job you are not really qualified for but wish you were!
I am a physician looking to change careers. Is medical writing for me?
Yes, medical writing is for you.
Many physicians are frustrated with their careers. They complain that the doctor-patient relationship has turned into a provider-customer relationship. Patients are more demanding than before and the practice of medicine is more cumbersome because of:
- Long hours
- Increasing paperwork
- Decreasing compensation
- Malpractice accusations and lawsuits
- Stringent government regulations
In fact, there are several organizations and networks advising frustrated physicians on how to restore their love for medicine or change careers. However, one of these organizations reported that only 20 percent of its customers return to their practices; 80 percent leave medicine.
Below are some reasons why a physician looking for a career change (and who has a way with words) should consider becoming a medical writer:
- You can use your skills and knowledge in medicine in a new and exciting way
- You would still be involved in medicine while having more time for your family
- You will find plenty of opportunities available in the market
- You have the potential to earn as much or more money than when you were a physician
- You won’t have to work night shifts
- You could become a published author
- Medical writing rocks!
See what some medical writers have said when I asked them why they loved their careers:
“I love the variety of it. Working with different researchers in different kinds of papers.” SP
“Medical writing is the best job I’ve ever had, as it draws on so many different parts of me.” BH
“I love being a good medical writer. I have learned so much about so many different topics in science and medicine–really fascinating!” SB
I have no scientific background but love to write. Can I become a Medical Writer?
Yes, you can. Medical writers usually fall in one of two categories: scientists or doctors who loved to write and writers who loved medicine.
Not having a medical background does not impede you to become a medical writer, but you will have to get some science training eventually to be competitive. It doesn’t have to be an advanced degree necessarily, but you will have to know what you are writing about.
If you want to become a freelance health writer and have no science training, you can join the American Medical Wrirtes Association (AMWA) and obtain its Science Fundamentals Certificate , for example. You can also take advantage of all the courses offered here at MedicalWritingTraining.com.
Many employers, especially in the pharmaceutical and biotech industries, do require their medical writers to have a strong science background. However, if you are willing to learn and are resourceful, you can be a successful consumer-health writer at a hospital, university, organization or as a freelancer.
How much does a medical writer make?
It varies a lot, depending on several factors. The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) periodically surveys its members about their salaries. According to their findings, rates depend on sex, educational level, years of experience, and type of employer. Below are some data from the 2007 AMWA Salary Survey.
Mean Income by Educational Level and Sex (working full-time for a company)
Bachelor’s: $73,522 (women); $90,640 (men)
Master’s: $77,339 (women); $86,240 (men)
Advanced: $91,797 (women); $101,872 (men)Mean Income by primary Employer
Biotechnology company: $102,297
Pharmaceutical: $97,807
Medical device company: $85,451
Communication or advertising: $83,338
Clinical research organization: $76,620
Medical Ed company: $77,088
Web/medical company: $73,500
Government: $71,014
Association or professional society: $68,574
University or medical school: $64,438Income by Job Category
Supervision or administration: $120,629
Writing/editing/supervision: $99,004
Writing (primarily): $80,441
Writing/editing (equal mixture): $73,954
Editing (primarily): $64,500
Research and writing: $69,099
Education: $63,000
Other: $91,021Freelance Income
Mean gross income: $119,295
Mean net income (gross income – deductible expenses):$93,306
Net income as percentage of gross: 78%Net Freelance Income by Job Category
Writing (primarily): $110,232
Editing (primarily): $46,071
Writing and editing (equal mixture): $75,891
Research and writing: $76,620
Other: $97,181
Should I become a regulatory writer?
Knowing that regulatory writing is one of the best-paid venues in medical writing, some people have asked me how to break into this industry. But I always tell them that regulatory writing is not for everyone.
First, you must consider your background. Most regulatory writing positions at pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies require that you have an advanced degree (MD or PhD); some prefer or require experience in a particular therapeutic area. There are exceptions of course, and some CROs may give junior writers opportunities at regulatory writing.
“Our experience is that you need to be a good scientist first, preferably with a degree in the health sciences (pharmacist, pharmacologist, nurse) and then hopefully have a talent for writing,” says Larry Liberti, an experienced regulatory writer at Thomson Scientific. “The latter can be developed but it is rare to be able to train someone in the health sciences on the job.”
Second, you must be detail-oriented and be comfortable working with set guidelines and forms. If you are the creative type who likes to inject some art into your writing, well, you may want to try something else.As a regulatory writer you should have good knowledge of clinical study design and conduct; how to write protocols and how to read and interpret clinical data (summary tables and listings). You should also be aware of case report form design, good clinical practice (GCP) regulations and regulatory document guidelines such as the ICH. You can learn all these skills by taking our Regulatory Writing Course.
Questions About our Courses
Each of our courses were developed by experienced medical writers and they reflect the most current knowledge and information in the industry.
How long does it take to complete a course?
All of our courses are self-paced and there is no deadline to complete them. Some students complete them in a few days and others take a few weeks. Depending on the course you enroll in, there may be more or less material to study.
Which course should I take? Do I need prior experience to take any of them?
The selection depends on your background and your goals as a medical writer. Ask yourself who do you want to write for (the public, the medical professionals, regulatory agencies?), and what type of work you would like to do. One good way of doing this is to search job listings for medical writing and look at the requirements–then making a list of the areas you need to obtain training or experience to meet those requirements. If you are new to medical writing, we suggest you first read the book, Becoming a Medical Writer.
Are your courses certified by an accrediting agency?
Unfortunately, there is no existing organization that would accredit courses on medical writing. Accreditation in the United States is done through private agencies focused mainly on institutions of higher education, such as colleges and universities. Most accredited online courses are so because they are provided by a university through its continuing education office. MedicalWritingTraining.com is not affiliated with any university. Certificates are provided by MedicalWritingTraining.com which is a service provided by the MWT Group, an educational company specialized in medical writing.
Will I be able to get a job after receiving my certificate?
Although we cannot guarantee that you will get a job, nor do we do referrals, our experience is that specific training in medical writing increases your chances of getting hired. Students have told us that the certificates we provided, helped them to obtain employment. In fact, some pharmaceutical and biotech companies use our courses to train their employees. Contact us for more details.
