Careers in Medical Writing

Medical writing is a very exciting and lucrative career. Medical writers work basically for contract research organizations (CROs) and pharmaceutical companies. Medical writers are responsible for creating medical and scientific documents. They work closely with the scientists, researchers, clinical operations, data management and biostatistics departments to provide accurate information. They translate complicated scientific, medical and statistical language into simplified formats.

Medical writers should possess scientific and medical knowledge along with excellent and passionate writing skills. As mentioned above medical writers work in teams in conjunction with other professionals to deliver high quality and accurate information to clients.
Medical writers can also work as freelancers and work independently with more than one organization. Medical writers are required by almost all organizations involved in the healthcare business. Following are some main responsibilities of medical writers:

• Development of Clinical Trial Protocol, Clinical Study Report (CSR), Investigator Brochure (IB) etc
• Development of all study related documents
• Summarizing data from clinical studies and clinical reports
• Developing disease specific monographs
• Preparing safety report documents for submission to regulatory bodies
• Preparing appropriate templates, formats and styles to ensure that documents meet industry and client requirements
• Preparing marketing materials and package inserts for marketed drugs

Education:

- Any Master's or Bachelor's degree preferably in Life Sciences


- Medical qualification is not necessarily needed although a good understanding of basic human anatomy and physiology is preferable. Knowledge of disease pathology and their treatment is an advantage.
- Strong understanding of writing techniques is also important.



Skills:



A good medical writer needs organizational skills to handle multiple projects and meet tight deadlines. A medical writer should possess good attention to detail and good word processing skills. A medical writer should be self motivated, adaptable and posses independent working ability with strong interpersonal skills.





Which Course/Program should I choose if I want to become a Medical / Scientific Writer?

Programs recommended if you wish to become a Medical / Scientific Writer are:
• Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Clinical Research & Medical Writing

• Professional Diploma in Medical Writing

• Advanced Post Graduate Diploma in Scientific Writing & Medical Journalism