Careers in MCB:Medical Writing

Paul FergusonSenior Account Manager

My Background

Paul Ferguson, Senior Account Manager• BS in Biology, Southeast Missouri State University• MS in Biology, UIUC• Certificate in Business Administration from UIUC• Course coordinator, MCB, UIUC• Prescott Medical Communications Group

What is Medical Writing?

“Medical writing is the activity of writing scientific documentation by someone who is a specialized writer (a medical writer) and is generally not one of the scientists or doctors whose research it was.”

Source: www.wikipedia.org

Examples of Medical Writing

• Journal articles– Original research– Review articles– Editorials, case reports, etc.

• Abstracts– Publication in journals– Submission to medical meetings

• Posters– Presentation at medical meetings

Examples of Medical Writing

• Slide presentations– Original research– Symposia– Roundtables– Advisory boards

• Medical education materials– Monographs– Training materials– Prescribing information

Examples of Medical Writing

• Regulatory documents– Clinical Trial Reports (CTR)– New Drug Applications (NDA)– Investigational New Drug Application (IND)

• Marketing materials– Advertisements– Public relations materials– Internet documents– Patient education

Required Skills for Medical Writing

• Attention to detail

• Excellent writing skills

• Interpersonal skills

• Organizational skills

• Scientific skills

Education by Degree

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Other

Communication

Medicine

Pharmacy

Journalism

English

Science

Medical Writers (%)Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004.

Level of Education

2%

33%

35%

30%Associate's Degree orBelow

Bachelor's

Master's

Advanced

Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004.

Primary Employers of Medical Writers

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Other

Professional Society

Research or Education

Health Care

Publishing

Clinical Research

University

Agency

Pharmaceutical

Writers %Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004.

Freelance

• 1/3 of Medical writers

• Work at home

• Set your own schedule

• Income based upon ability to get work

• Discipline

• Experience

• Ability to market yourself

Salary

• Commensurate with experience and education

• $38,000-100,000+

• Mean income of full-time employees approximately $74,000

• Pharmaceutical and communication companies pay best

• “Interesting 6-figure job” as seen on CNNMoney.com

Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004.

Tips for Writing Career

• Build skills– Composition, grammar– Read medical literature

• Training– Medical writing certification– Statistics

• Networking– American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)

Resources

• American Medical Writer’s Association (AMWA)

• American Medical Association Manual of Style

• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)