Medical Writer?

Question

Hi,
I'm from Boston, MA and obviously Cambridge is like the mecca of biotechnology research. But I think I want to become a medical writer since I love to write. The problem is that I've noticed that all medical writer job requires like two or three years experience. Can anyone inform me as to how I could get medical writing experience or how to ask for this type of experience? Thanks.

Answer 1

Medical writer
If you can say words like "pharmacokinetics" 10 times fast and use them meaningfully in a sentence, you may have some of what it takes to be a medical writer in the pharmaceutical industry.

Medical writers -- unlike most of us -- have both an understanding of science and the ability to write about it, bringing clarity to complex topics.

Meticulous attention to detail and an ability to analyze both descriptive and numeric data also are musts, said Art Gertel, a past president of the American Medical Writers Association and vice president of Clinical Services, Regulatory and Medical Writing.

So, too, is the stamina to work very long hours under tight deadlines.

Here's why: A key task is to write study reports, a formalized report submitted to regulatory agencies -- for example, the Food and Drug Administration -- so that regulators can review a new product such as a drug or medical device that the pharmaceutical company wishes to market.

The report is an analysis and interpretation of the data results from clinical trials and often is written in partnership with the physicians and statisticians working on the project.

Medical writers also might work on print ads for a pharmaceutical product, prepare articles for peer-review medical journals or write copy for "poster sessions" at medical meetings – displays in exhibit halls that present the results of a clinical research project.

Gertel estimates that about 80 percent of medical writers who write regulatory copy have at least a master's degree in one of the life sciences. Of those, he estimates about 30 percent have a Ph.D. or a doctorate in pharmacy.

Most, however, never said, "I want to grow up and be a medical writer," Gertel said. Instead, many started out as "bench scientists" – working in a lab for long hours and relatively low pay.

Recently, however, medical writing has begun to be recognized as a career track unto itself. And some schools even offer a master's degree in the field.

Medical writers in the pharmaceutical industry may start out making $75,000 a year, but can top $100,000 after three or four years, Gertel said. Once you reach the managerial level, you might make $120,000 or more.

The population of medical writers who can write regulatory copy is small but that helps them command high pay. Said Gertel: "Medical writers are like gold right now."

Answer 2

First you need to get the training from experts. medical writing involves writing scientific documents of different types which include regulatory and research-related documents, disease or drug-related educational and promotional literature. The scientific information in these documents needs to be presented to suit the level of understanding. ACRI India is one of the best medical writing training institute in Bangalore providing Medical Writing Course to help the writers to make a positive contribution to the medical world,through their documentation.

Answer 3

First you need an expertise in some medical field. Most physicians in teaching institutions write articles on case studies of research. Text books even require expertise.

Answer 4

A lot of non-profit organizations (i.e. American Heart Association - but usually the smaller ones are easier to get into) hire people without experience... though they do not pay them much. You could start by working on some publications - perhaps even volunteering your services - in order to get a leg up.