How to Become a Medical Writer Without a Scientific Background
No scientific background?
No problem. Let’s start your career as a medical writer.
Medical writers are some of the most in-demand professionals in the writing industry. Unlike many other areas of writing, medical writing isn't as subject to the whims of evolving technologies, making it a very desired niche for many writers.
While no industry is immune to the tides of change, the demand for medical writers is expected to remain high for the foreseeable future, with favorable factors influencing medical writer market demand.
If you're a writer, editor, or content creator without a scientific background, you may wonder if you can become a medical writer. You absolutely can, and we're here to walk you through what that looks like, how to get started, and what you need to know as you venture into your career in medical writing.
The Two Ways Into Medical Writing
There are two primary ways into medical writing. The first is more "traditional," if only because it's more common.
A researcher, physician, nurse, or care provider decides they're ready to transition out of their current career and discover medical writing. Many may not have known a medical writing profession was an option, but a colleague or mentor may introduce them to the idea. The biggest challenge for this group of medical writers is usually honing their writing skills. Writers with these types of backgrounds may need to address weaknesses such as relying on technical jargon or overusing passive voice r .
The second path into medical writing is that a copywriter, copyeditor, journalist, or someone in a similar profession decides to make a lateral career move by learning to adapt their writing skills to the medical writing industry. While it's definitely a challenge to learn the ins and outs of different types of medical writing, the biggest obstacle for people in this area is often overcoming barriers to entry.
You may have noticed that many agency or in-house jobs for medical writers are looking for writers with terminal degrees, typically a Master's of Science at minimum, if not a PharmD, Ph.D., or M.D.
Many requests for freelance work in the medical writing field also have the same or similar requirements, which can discourage new medical writers without a background in clinical or academic medicine from entering the field entirely.
But don’t be discouraged!. Let's walk through how you can transition from your current career to a career as a professional medical writer.
Are you ready to launch and grow your specialist freelance medical writing business?? Get on the waitlist now for WriteCMEpreneur to make your mark in CME…
What Do Medical Writers Write? Accessible Types of Medical Writing
When you're new to medical writing, knowing where to start looking and what jobs best suit you can be hard. Medical writing is such a broad industry, with writers asked to generate:
Press releases
Consumer education materials
Copywriting for social media and websites
Continuing education and professional development materials for healthcare professionals
Whitepapers and other marketing materials
Literature reviews
Edits for peer-reviewed journal articles
Many writers with no scientific background may find it easiest to transition into types of writing that are fairly universal to all industries and require less immersion in extremely jargon-heavy, data-heavy work.
For example, if you have experience writing press releases, considerworking in healthcare communications for a hospital, clinic, or research institution. Similarly, copywriting in the medical space is often accessible to writers without a scientific background who are willing to learn the ropes or invest in professional development—like the Medical Copywriting Training Program.
We'd also recommend consumer education materials and patient decision aids as a great starting point for writers without a scientific background. While this may require more knowledge of specific diseases and therapies, there is unlikely to be a demand to dive into hundreds of journal articles simply to write a good piece of consumer education.
There's no rule that these are the only types of medical writing writers with non-scientific backgrounds can pursue. However, you may find they provide a smooth entry into medical writing. With that in mind, let's discuss medical writing vs. medical editing for writers seeking a career in medical communication.
Medical Writing vs. Editing
When choosing between pursuing writing or editing, the decision should hinge on where you have the most expertise. So, what if you have expertise in both areas? Medical editing tends to be more accessible for writers who don't have the clinical or academic background that many medical writers possess.
This won't be true for every type of medical writing. Still, if you're editing regulatory documents, your primary responsibility as an editor is to ensure that they comply with certain standards set by regulatory bodies.
Writers, in contrast, need to be very familiar with what they're writing about - whether it's a new therapy, analyzing a gap in recent research, or recommending certain health measures to patients with type 2 diabetes.
Whether we have a medical background or not, building familiarity with a subject and a type of medical writing is a practice.
Building a Reputation as a Medical Writer
So, how can you practice becoming more familiar with the world of medicine and ultimately position yourself as a capable medical writer? We've got you covered with some actionable tips.
Immerse Yourself in the World of Medicine
You should be able to understand the medical jargon that is frequently used in all types of medical content. Start by reading medical journal articles like those in the Public Library of Science (PLoS), industry-specific whitepapers, patient education websites like VeryWellHealth or WebMD, consumer-oriented journals like Scientific American, and even pharmaceutical company marketing materials.
If you have an idea of the type of writing you'd like to do, read that type of writing. For example, explore examples of continuing medical education activities if this type of writing interests you. Medscape is a good place to find accessible examples.
You can also listen to medical writing podcasts like Write Medicine and medical news podcasts that overview recent research for an audio-learning approach.
Expect to do your research as you acclimate to the highly complex language of the medical industry, and consider networking with other medical writers you feel comfortable going to with specific questions.
Build on Your Portfolio
You should already have a portfolio if you're transitioning from another type of writing, editing, or content creation. Keep your portfolio as proof that you're a strong writer and build on it with industry-specific samples. As you face the "chicken-and-the-egg" paradox when trying to break into a new writing field – how can I get a job without a work sample? – consider creating hypothetical pieces. You’ll find a complete portfolio-building breakdown here. .
Create hypothetical pieces that will appeal to your target audience. Do you want to work with pharmaceutical companies, healthcare organizations looking for a communications expert, or patient education websites? And remember to keep the ideal client in mind as you add medical writing work to your portfolio.While we almost never recommend unpaid work, if you're looking for that first portfolio piece as you make this lateral career move, a volunteer blog or article is sometimes the right move when you need a specialist sample.
Get Familiar with Available Resources
In accordance with the high demand for medical writers, there are a lot of resources for aspiring and current medical writers. These include:
LinkedIn for networking & reaching new clients
University of Chicago's online medical writing certifications
Specific Resources for Freelance Medical Writers
Marketing Experts
Podcasts
Write Medicine
Others
Refresh Your Writing Skills
Transitioning to a new industry, particularly a technically complex one, can stretch many writers' limits. Creating narrative-driven, engaging materials that incorporate complex information for a target audience of highly educated physicians, stakeholders, and patients is a learning curve for anyone, and it will challenge your writing skills.
Brushing up on those skills, whether with a free or low-cost online course through a platform like LinkedIn Learning or Coursera or an industry-specific platform like AMWA or Write Medicine, can be beneficial when starting a career as a medical writer.
5 Common Questions From People Who Want to Become Medical Writers
1. Do I need a degree in a scientific field to be a medical writer?
No, you don't! People making a lateral career move into medical writing may have degrees in other areas like Communications or Marketing. Whatever your degree, if you have an undergraduate degree, it's important to remember that a writer's strongest currency is evidence that they're capable of doing the work. If you're a freelance writer, clients are much more likely to care about proof that you can do the work they need than any degree you have.
2. How can I gain the necessary scientific knowledge to write about medical topics?
Start with activities like reading scientific literature and media, using medical apps like Medscape and Human Anatomy Atlas to learn about different subjects, listening to podcasts on medical writing like the Write Medicine podcast, and staying up to date with medical news. We like STAT News or MedPage Today.
You can also audit a course or two at a local community college or university to get classroom exposure to scientific concepts.
As a new medical writer, consider taking short courses and seminars offered by groups like industry regulators and professional organizations like AMWA to learn more about science and healthcare.
While you're embarking on this learning journey, try and find a mentor. Network and see if you can meet someone willing to give you advice, answer questions, and share knowledge. A mentor can't teach you everything you need to know, but they can give you priceless insights and guidance as you make this career transition.
3. What resources are available to help me understand medical terminology and concepts?
If you're new to medical terminology like double-blind randomized control trial, knockout mice, and internal review board, we recommend starting here:
Jones BD. Comprehensive Medical Terminology. 2016
Ehrlich A. Introduction to Medical Terminology. Cengage, 2014.
Kryder CL, Bass B. Nude Mice: And Other Medical Writing Terms You Need to Know. Booklocker. 2009.
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, 2016
4. What are the prospects for job growth in the medical writing field?
The prospects for job growth vary depending on how you enter the field, and most of the chances for growth are salary-wise, although there can be some chances for a promotion.
Medical writers who take traditional full-time jobs may have the chance to move into manager roles or transition to editing.
The average salary for a woman working full-time as a medical writer with a bachelor's degree is $73,522. For men, it’s $90,640. Yep, you read that right. Gender pay discrimination is alive and kicking in medical writing too.
How much you make as a full-time medical writer is affected by your experience, where you work, the company you work for, and maybe most prominently, the sector you work in. For example, pharmaceutical jobs pay on the higher side, while universities pay on the lower side.
On the other hand, you can go out on your own as a freelance writer, setting your own rates and finding clients that fit your skill set and pay expectations.
While going freelance can be tough, it can also be gratifying in terms of pay and flexibility. As a freelancer, your salary and skill growth prospects are really up to you.
5. What are the most common challenges people transitioning into medical writing from non-scientific backgrounds face?
The most common challenges include grasping scientific concepts and medical terminology and finding opportunities not limited to people with scientific backgrounds.
You can address these challenges by following our recommended techniques to better understand scientific concepts and medical terminology. You can also show off your capabilities in a well-designed portfolio as you search for work opportunities open to people with non-scientific backgrounds.
Start Your Medical Writing Career Today
Transitioning to a successful medical writing career can be difficult, but with the right tools and resources, you can set yourself up to succeed. WriteCMEpreneur is a step-by-step program for aspiring and current freelance medical writers that will teach you the fundamentals of CME writing and how to find and connect with your first client. Join the waitlist today.
→ Join WriteCME Pro, a CME-specific, skills-based membership for CME writers who are ready to create CME content with confidence.
→ Listen to the Write Medicine podcast or watch our YouTube channel for weekly best practices in creating content that connects with and educates health professionals.
→ Subscribe to the Write Medicine newsletter for tips, tools, and tactics to help you create CME/CE content with confidence
