![]() Medical writers produce the documents that help companies push a drug or device from clinical trials through FDA approval, including literature summaries, applications to FDA to investigate a new device or drug, and documents intended for review by institutional review boards (IRBs). So although an advanced degree in a relevant field isn't required for work as a medical writer, it's a distinct advantage. Companies often look for writers with an expertise in a particular medical area. And all those skills are nurtured, if not always systematically and intentionally, by graduate science training. "Critical-thinking skills, project-management skills, independence, and the ability to clearly communicate complex topics are key assets for succeeding in this type of position as well as in research," she says. Heier now works in management, hiring writers and editors and managing projects, staff, and workflow. "I felt like that was missing for me in my freelance career." "I enjoy the fact that it's a team effort," Heier says. After a year and a half of freelancing, she joined one of her client companies, working with doctors and writers to develop a package of medical-education materials. Working on a teamÄeanna Heier, a managing director for Clinical Care Options, a CME company based in Reston, Virginia, went straight into freelancing after receiving her Ph.D in biochemistry from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia. That experience allowed her to cross over to a full-time writing career. She wrote the company's customer newsletter and compiled the first consumer manual for its product, exercising her editing and writing skills to explain the technology and the product's use. in biochemistry and molecular and cellular biology at a small biotech when the company decided to build up its marketing department. Now a medical writer in Longmont, Colorado, Maggie Merchant was applying her Ph.D. "But once I had some samples that I could show people, things gradually started to snowball from there." "It was initially extremely difficult getting that first job because I didn't really have clips, and I didn't have any contacts," she says. Two ways inÄ«ecause she wanted to be near her future husband, Nyberg launched her career from Colorado. "And you can learn a lot on the job." AMWA provides several certificate programs that educate medical writers about the fundamentals of editing and writing, freelance writing, and writing for specific markets. For some people, this might mean taking a degree in journalism or technical writing, but a "couple of writing courses can show people that you're serious about writing," she says. ![]() "You need to get your writing to where you're confident in your abilities," says Emma Hitt, an Atlanta-based freelance medical writer. Medical writers need solid writing skills, attention to factual detail and accuracy, and the ability to see relationships between ideas and organize complex information. Employers (and potential clients of freelancers) seek writers who can translate medical studies into accurate but approachable language and tailor the information to audiences that include regulators, health professionals, investors, or the general public-but usually not all at once. Academic papers and conference proceedings make lousy writing samples because they are dense and jargon-laden, whereas the emphasis in medical writing is on clarity. Scientists interested in a medical-writing career should seek projects outside the circles they normally move in. Solid writing skills and clear understanding Medical writers also write about research discoveries for medical journals, Web sites, newsletters, magazines, newspapers, and any other medium that includes coverage of health and medical issues. Medical writers produce sales training materials, press releases for industry, and fact sheets or Web site materials for government organizations. Continuing medical education (CME) companies employ medical writers to produce educational materials and slide kits that doctors and nurses use to prepare for license renewals. Medical writers help doctors write research articles, monographs, and reviews on medical topics. ![]() Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for drugs and devices. Pharmaceutical companies, medical-device manufacturers, and clinical-research organizations (CROs) all employ writers to prepare regulatory documents used to seek U.S. The term "medical writing" encompasses different kinds of work for clients in media, government, and industry.
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