A Career in Medical Writing :- Medical writing is a white collar profession! The work is exciting and often rewarding, and the demand for medical writers is huge. Few people opt to be medical writers; most of us suit to it. Many of us have scientific or medical degrees (e.g., M.B.B.S, MD, PhD, PharmD, in a scientific field) and have worked in the field (e.g., as an academic, scientist, physician, pharmacist) or in management and in some way engaged in medical communications function. Some of us have English degree or college diploma or Journalism or, work in marketing communications, and end up writing regarding health and medicine.
There are two fundamental types of medical writer: scientific and non-scientific or marketing. In general, scientific medical writers have higher science-based degrees (pharmacy, science, medicine, etc.) and habitually learn about writing by becoming a medical writer. Marketing medical writers have a English degree or journalism and regularly study about medicine by becoming a medical writer. Scientific medical writers usually do more technological/scientific writing for professionals. Marketing medical writers do product promotion-oriented writing, often for customers or lay audiences.
Beginning a career as a medical writer is always a bit tough. Employers generally want to hire people having experience, but how should a writer gain any skill if nobody is willing to hire them? One of the best ways to enter into this profession is to enroll in JLI medical writing training. Not only do you gain training as a writer, it shows potential employers that you are positive and serious about being part of the industry as you can publish your writing work in different medical websites. In addition, James Lind Institute offers guaranteed freelancing opportunities after conclusion of medical writing training. This is a kind of an internship so that you get some hands-on experience in medical writing.
Exciting career prospects exist for both scientific and marketing medical writers.
Kinds of work scientific medical writers do include:
- Marketing and Advertising copy for pharmaceuticals and other products
- Journal abstracts and articles
- Web content
- Editing
- CD-ROMs
- Monographs
- Medical education and learning materials
- Multimedia projects
- Posters
- Physician speeches and presentations
- Pharmaceutical product marketing and advertising
- Regulatory documents including clinical study reports (CRS), incorporated summaries of safety and efficacy, Investigational New Drug documents, investigator brochures (IB) New Drug Application (NDA) submissions, protocols submissions)
- Slide kits
- Sales training manuals
- White papers