How to Break Into Medical Writing: Your Ultimate Guide
From choosing a niche to setting up your very own medical writing business, we’ve got you covered in this ultimate guide to becoming a medical writer.
Are you a clinician or academic with a hankering to try something new? Many practicing healthcare providers (HCPs) and researchers are venturing from the demands of clinical practice and academia into medical writing, a career in high demand that can offer much more flexibility, particularly if you go freelance.
With so many people pursuing medical writing, we've put together this ultimate guide for you. Expect to read about what medical writing is, what you need to break into the field (and what you don't need), and to gain some practical tips you can put to use throughout your career. Let's dive in.
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 is a Medical Writer?
Medical writing involves creating documents that disseminate new information about healthcare and medicine to patients, healthcare providers, or both. Medical writers do need strong writing skills as well as practical knowledge of the life sciences. The life sciences is the study of living organisms and their processes, from single-celled organisms to human beings. Classic examples include biology, medicine, and even agriculture.
As you pursue a career in medical writing, you'll find that you need to balance the ability to navigate advanced subjects with the art of creating engaging materials.
Medical writing is a broad field, spanning industries from pharmaceuticals to grant writing and continuing medical education. In every industry where medical writing is required, there's a need to communicate in an easy-to-understand, accurate manner about new research findings, medical devices, and services. That's where you come in as a medical writer.
Depending on the type of writing you do, you might communicate clinical data to several different audiences, including healthcare providers, hospital executives, insurance companies, and patients.
You'll be required to work in distinct formats and learn how to write different materials. You'll also need to learn how to write for and work with several different types of people in your industry, including key stakeholders, healthcare providers, patients, and subject matter experts.
“One of the things I'm seeing now, and I'm interested if you're seeing this as well, is that there are a lot of people who are jumping to freelance from a clinical background or from an academic background,” - Sarah Nelson, Write Medicine guest
Medical Education Requirements
There are no formal education requirements to be a medical writer. However, if you do not have a terminal degree and are applying for jobs, you may find it difficult to find a medical writing job that's a fit for you.
Most medical writing jobs require a master's degree in the life sciences at a minimum. This can reassure a potential employer that you have experience working with different types of academic literature and understand complex concepts at a level necessary for medical writing.
On the other hand, if you decide to go the freelance route, you might find success without a terminal degree. Of course, there are types of medical writing you'll need more education for, like authorship on a primary journal article.
However, many freelance writers in the healthcare and medical sector who have a background in the sciences or healthcare, but don't have a terminal degree, upskill their way into patient education materials, whitepapers, needs assessments, and other more advanced types of writing.
Online Courses: Upskilling & Reskilling
Online courses are tried and true ways to stay relevant in your industry by learning new skills or enhancing your current skills - reskilling and upskilling, respectively.
In contrast to upskilling, many academics and clinicians find that they need support to boost their writing skills when they transition to careers in medical writing. This would be reskilling.
Those looking for either reskilling or upskilling when it comes to stepping into a medical writing career have plenty of options to choose from. Before you dive in to explore, here's advice to keep in mind. If you're considering taking an expensive certificate or degree-conferring course of study, talk to someone who is already where you'd like to be.
They can advise you on which certificates or degrees are best for your career goals, or if you need them. We'd also suggest starting small when it comes to taking online courses. See what you can do with a crash course on how to write a needs assessment before you jump into a one-year certificate course on regulatory writing, for example.
That being said, here are some of our favorite options for those looking to refine their medical writing skills.
University of Chicago's Medical Writing and Editing Certificate
University of Chicago's Healthcare Communications Certificate
and obviously, WriteCME Pro by Write Medicine for aspiring or curious CME writers
You may not find it necessary to take a course right away, but we recommend investing in continued learning throughout your career. Learning new skills and refining current skills is one of the best ways to remain resilient and relevant as a medical writer.
Types of Medical Writing
There are so many types of medical writing, so we're going to cover a few of the big ones you might encounter here so that you can explorewhat might be the right fit for you.
Grant Writing
Medical communicators are always needed to write and edit grant proposals. Grant proposals are used to seek funding for scientific research, and are written for universities, hospitals, patient advocacy groups, private foundations, professional associations, and nonprofit organizations.
Health Communications
Correctly communicating scientific information to lay audiences is done through materials like decision aids, website content, press releases, news articles, and any other materials designed to convey information to the public accurately. Health communicators work in government settings, public relations agencies, and hospitals.
Continuing Medical Education(CME)
For healthcare professionals to stay up to date with best practices, medical writers develop and produce continuing medical education (CME) content designed to educate and engage HCPs.
As a CME writer, you are likely to develop needs assessments, presentations, training materials, and outcomes reports. CME writing jobs can be found at universities, hospitals, pharmaceutical companies, or medical education companies. Note that CME relies heavily on freelance writers rather than employing writers in-house. If you are developing medical education for pharmaceutical manufacturers you will likely be working on contract for a third party vendor like a medical communications agency. If you are developing accredited CME, your client will be an accredited education provider.
Regulatory Writing
Regulatory writers write and edit documents outlining approval guidelines for medical devices, biologics, and drugs. They also write submission documents for regulatory filings like clinical trial protocols. These writers may work for larger government agencies like the USDA or FDA, pharmaceutical companies, biotech companies, and medical device developers.
Peer-Reviewed Journals
If you work on journal articles, you will help write and edit the manuscript in conjunction with the research team. You will likely also work on abstracts, posters, as well as news materials prepared for public dissemination. Writers in this space often work for government organizations and universities as well as for private companies in the pharmaceutical and biotech industry.
Medical Copywriting
Medical copywriting or medical marketing involves creating promotional materials for healthcare interventions, diagnostic tools, and medical devices. These materials could be aimed at a lay audience or an audience of healthcare professionals.
Literature Reviews
Literature reviews are a way to summarize and analyze what is known and unknown about a particular topic. They address existing research gaps, identify patterns, and give insights into that topic. Literature reviews are invaluable in every type of medical writing as a jumping-off point and a support. For example, reviews establish the background and rationale for the proposed research or approach when putting together a grant proposal. They also provide an evidence base for guiding clinical practice recommendations.
“When you're standing at the edge, preparing to dive into new waters, trust in your ability to swim. The skills you've honed in one career can be your lifeline in another.” - ep.95, Write Medicine Podcast
Choosing a Niche(or Not) When You Get Started as a Medical Writer
Many people who become medical writers start as generalists, taking on projects that range from medical research synthesis for whitepapers to editing, putting together presentations for medical conferences, regulatory medical writing, monographs, and more.
With the demand for medical writers high, you can enjoy gaining experience in different fields this way and learning what you do and don't like. However, this approach can lead to mental fatigue and frustration in maintaining consistent revenue. That's where nourishing a niche can come in.
When you nourish a niche and focus on one area of expertise, you can crack the client mindset code, streamline client acquisition, build your authority, generate higher revenue, and optimize your marketing efforts.
We expect you'll find that choosing a niche will benefit you in time, but there's no pressure to pick one right away—and there's certainly no "right" path to take.
How to Become a Medical Writer: What You Need to Get Started
Creating a Portfolio
When you start applying to either full-time medical writing jobs or pitching your first clients, you'll receive requests for a portfolio of work. Keeping in mind that we all start somewhere, head to a portfolio site like Clippings.me and put together your first portfolio.
At this point in your career, you may have co-authored journal articles or contributed to creating patient education materials, even when that wasn't your full-time job. Take any writing from your clinical or academic days and include it.
You can also write 1-3 samples of work you'd like to do and include those pieces in your portfolio. For example, if you want to become a CME writer, you can create a needs assessment and a patient case for your potential clients to view so they can understand what kind of work you're capable of doing.
Another way to get work to add to your portfolio is to take online courses like those Write Medicine offers. All our courses emphasize outcomes and provide oppotunites for practice as well as feedback. We want you to have stellar samples for your portfolio that align with industry standards. Lastly, remember to make it as easy for your clients to contact you as possible. Link to any social media sites in your portfolio, as appropriate (especially LinkedIn), and ensure an up-to-date phone number and email are available.
Business Setup & Costs
Determine if you want the protection of a business structure, such as a limited liability corporation. Consider if you want to invest in errors and omissions insurance. Many aspiring medical writers never think about the legal protections they may need as they prepare to transition into medical writing.
Also consider costs, from registering the name of your business to an at-home office setup, coworking space, and software to help you write or run your business.
Client Acquisition and Marketing Strategies
If you've gone freelance in the medical industry, you may be struggling to figure out a way to break into medical writing at all with emails unopened and pitches unanswered.
We recommend starting a "client wish list". From there, you can develop a marketing strategy that will help you directly target the types of clients you'd like to work with. Consider setting up a newsletter, a website, or having a strong social media presence on a platform like LinkedIn.
We know it can be overwhelming to figure out where to begin marketing your services for strong client acquisition, so here are a few of our favorite resources.
Experts
Podcasts
Others
With time, your best clients will keep coming back and sending new business your way.
Prepare to Invest in Technology
For the best medical writing and editing experience, you might want more than Microsoft Office. While the power of just sitting down and writing can't be underestimated, you're breaking into a career as a medical freelance writer - and establishing yourself as a business owner. Suit up accordingly with our tech suggestions.
Adobe Suite or a similar software for PDF handling
Reference + bibliography (Endnote, Zotero, Mendeley)
Graphics/image editing and data visualization software (e.g. Canva, Photoshop, Infogr.am, Piktochart)
Finance management + invoicing (e.g. Quickbooks, Fresh, Harvest)
Video calling (e.g. Google Meet or Zoom)
Dual Monitor support
Project outlining and management tools (e.g. Trello, Asana, Click Up) )
Customer/client relationship management systems (e.g. Airtable)
Set up Contracts for Your Freelance Medical Writing Business
Especially when you're starting out, contracts can protect you from scope-creep, non-payment, and even potential litigation. They're wonderful tools to ensure your peace of mind and can cover:
The services you are going to provide (along with any measure of those services, such as hours, pages, pieces)
Number of revisions
Phrases to limit scope creep (for example, stating how many revisions the client is entitled to receive)
Copyright ownership
Payment amount, terms, and schedule
Termination terms (important to include this if the project isn’t working out)
Confidentiality agreement
If a client pushes back on signing a contract, follow your gut feeling about if they're really someone you want to work with. Most of the time, trouble at the beginning of a relationship means trouble down the line.
Set Fees
Setting rates is challenging, and throughout your career as a medical writer your rates will evolve. As you start out you can base your rates on the current market rate for the services you're offering, as well as the level of education and experience in your writing niche.
The Editorial Freelancers Association and AMWA's salary and compensation survey are both good resources for setting your first rates.
“Do what feels right for you. Trust in what you want to do and try it. Don't be afraid to just start.” - Claire Bonneau, Write Medicine Podcast guest
Medical Writer Success Story: JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM
Dr. JoAnna Pendergrass realized the private practice world wasn’t for her right as she was doing her veterinary school rotations. Unsure where to take her career after graduation, she explored research during her postdod, but wasn’t too keen on the pace of research, either. Luckily, she found medical writing, and her principal investigator (PI) was in the middle of working on a book.
So, Dr. Pendergrass began her foray into medical writing by editing her PI’s book and doing some writing for an organization called Georgia Bio This way, she pulled her portfolio together. She also joined AMWA and got her first job at a medical communications agency shortly after finishing her post doc. After spending time at a MedComms agency, she realized her true passion was consumer education writing - and that’s what she’s been doing ever since.
Taking Care of Yourself as You Hone Your Writing Skills
Breaking into an entirely new career can be difficult, and as you grow your business, it's important to remember that YOU are your business's greatest asset.
Your skills, energy, and creativity power your success, so prioritize your well-being above all else.
Set boundaries around your time and workload, take breaks, and invest in activities that recharge you physically and mentally. Lean into your support system to hold you accountable for your well-being.
Here are 3 steps you can take today to start taking care of yourself.
Audit your weekly schedule. Block out non-negotiable time for exercise, hobbies, family, and rest.
Set communication boundaries. Let clients know your business hours and typical response times.
Schedule a check-in with a supportive colleague, mentor, or friend to talk about your challenges and, importantly, to celebrate your wins.
Similarly to honing your writing skills, learning how to carve out time for yourself while you run your medical writing business is a muscle you'll build over time. If you're interested in learning more about how to care for yourself while scaling your business, check out WriteCME Pro. We have a supportive community of medical writers practicing sustainable business growth together - and we'd love to have you join us.
Starting Your Medical Writing Journey with a Growth Mindset
Like with any journey, the road to having a successful medical writing business will be full of ups, downs, bumps, and unexpected turns. Navigating the obstacles with a growth mindset is key to learning from your mistakes and weathering storms with resilience.
“Growth mindset” sounds like an abstract concept you may find in a self-help book, and in some ways, the term can feel rather broad and nebulous. At the root of it, having a growth mindset simply means staying open to the changing and the new.
In the context of CME/CE writing and the medical field more generally, the ability to embrace and adopt evolving concepts and meet challenges as they arise is more of a necessity than a desirable trait.
As new therapies make their way into the market, medical writers need to constantly learn and re-learn not only new concepts and theories but also adopt their workflows to new processes. We need to view challenges as opportunities to grow, not obstacles holding us back.
There are several ways we can work to develop a growth mindset, but one is celebrating the small steps. This is something you can do with your peers in program like WriteCME Pro, designed to foster your writing skills in a supportive community
Nurture Your CME Medical Writing Expertise and Grow Your Career
From marketing your services to choosing a niche and creating your portfolio, there are a lot of moving parts when it comes to breaking into the medical writing industry. If you’re an aspiring freelance medical writer, WriteCME Pro is here to help you on your journey.
Enjoy one-on-one mentorship, peer support, and personalized guidance on the technical and practical aspects of CME writing from someone who’s made the transition from full time employment to freelancing. Learn more about how WriteCME Pro can help your freelance medical writing journey 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
