Career Paths for
Medical Writing
ASPET Diversity Mentoring Breakfast
April 27, 2014
Victoria A. Love, PhD
www.linkedin.com/in/valovephd/
Todays Agenda
Present a brief introduction
Define medical communications and medical writing
Describe the scope of work encompassed by the field
Provide information pertaining to how to establish a career in the field
Discuss my professional journey
Offer information about resources
Give an overview of tests developed by medical communications
employers
Answer any questions
Current Professional Bio
Scientific Operations; Section Manager of Documentation and
Archiving; Drug Safety Evaluation (DSE)- Allergan, Irvine, CA
Non-clinical sections for global drug applications
Non-clinical study related protocols & reports
Toxicology, Pharmacokinetics, Bioanalytical and Immunology
reports (> 600 annually)
Support information platforms that support transfer and storage of
electronic documents used by DSE
>20 submissions scheduled for 2014
Current Professional Bio
Scientific Operations; Section Manager of Documentation and
Archiving; Drug Safety Evaluation (DSE)- Allergan, Irvine, CA
Facilitates archival of all study and submission related documents
Manages training curricula for > 200 employees
Oversee the regulation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)
and controlled form documents for DSE
Supports electronic platforms that support transfer and storage of
documents used by DSE
Coordinates inspections and audits
Life After Academia
Career Options for Scientists
Patent Law
Science Research Analyst
Scientific Consulting
Medical Science Liaison
Other
postdoc
Alternative Careers in Science: Leaving the Ivory Tower by Cynthia Robins-Roth
What Do Medical Writers Do All Day?
Medical Communications
Encompasses the development and production of materials that
deal specifically with medicine or healthcare
Write, edit, or develop materials about medicine or healthcare
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
Medical Communications:
General Categories
Materials prepared by medical communicators, collaborating
with others or working independently, include the following:
Patient education brochures, news articles, Web content,
and books for the general public
Journal articles and continuing education monographs for
health care professionals
Regulatory documents for government agencies
Grant proposals for research scientists and institutions
Sales training and marketing materials for the
pharmaceutical industry
Medical Writing: Specific Examples
Journal articles
Original research
Review articles
Editorials, case reports, etc.
Abstracts
Publication in journals
Submission to medical meetings
Posters
Presentation at medical
meetings
Medical Writing: Specific Examples
Slide presentations
Original research
Symposia
Roundtables
Advisory boards
Medical education materials
Monographs
Training materials for physicians,
other medical professional &
laypeople
eLearning content
Prescribing information
Medical Writing: Specific Examples
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
Attention to detail
Excellent writing skills
Interpersonal skills
Organizational skills
Scientific skills
Ability to work quickly and multi-task
Required Skills for
Medical Writing
Scientific accuracy
Sufficient references and
documentation
Clear and succint writing
Ethical standards and practices
Characteristics of Good
Medical Writing
Who Are the Medical Writers?
Education by Degree
0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40
Ot her
Communicat ion
Medicine
Pharmacy
Journalism
English
Science
Medical Writers (%)
Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004.
2%
33%
35%
30%
Associate's Degree or
Below
Bachelor's
Master's
Advanced
Who Are the Medical Writers?
Level of Education
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.
Primary Employers of Medical Writers
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
Freelance Medical Writers
Medical Writer Salaries
Commensurate with experience and
education
$38,000-100,000+
Mean income of full-time employees
approximately $80,000
Pharmaceutical and communication
companies pay best
Interesting 6-figure job as seen on
CNNMoney.com
Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ , 2004.
Resources
American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)
http://www.amwa.org/toolkit_new_med_writers#Getting
Started
American Medical Association Manual of Style
International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)
How to Become a Competent Medical Writer
Perspect Clin Res. 2010 Jan-Mar; 1(1): 3337
Getting Started
Practice writing frequently
Pay special attention to grammar and style
www.grammarly.com (for quick feedback)
Improve writing competency through self-paced and formal
writing courses
Become informed about the field
Join a professional society like AMWA
Attend local and national meetings
Networking
Find mentors (at meetings, LinkedIn, etc.)
Request informational interviews
Have your writing evaluated by professional writers
Formal writing courses
Self-paced learning (grammar, statistics & writing guides)
Keep a science blog
American Journal Experts (http://www.aje.com)
Potential to earn a small wage in grad school/or postdoc while gaining writing/editing experience
Getting Started
Professional documents
Curriculum Vitae
Science CV is not equal to the medical writing CV
These documents highlight vastly different skills and experience
Ask feedback from a professional medical writer
Cover letter strategies
Tailor to each specific position
Clear, concise, error-free
Attempt to address letter to a person
Find HR rep for company via Linkedin at the very least
Address the cover letter to Dear Hiring Manager if attempts to identify a
specific contact fails
Always print and proof read documents prior to submitting applications
Long-term Training
Certificate, Undergraduate and Graduate Programs
American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)
University of Chicago
University of the Sciences in Philadelphia
Johns Hopkins University
Tufts University School of Medicine
University of California San Diego
UCSD Extension School
Many other professional programs
Some programs offered online
Writing Samples
Content produced in graduate school/postdoc
Peer-reviewed journal articles
Internship with medical communications company
Maintain a science-related blog
Produce content for a newsletter
Take a medical writing course
Crooked Path to Medical Writing
Strong life-long interest in writing
Gravitated towards grant and report writing
in graduate school
Enjoyed writing manuscripts,
presentations, patent and regulatory
applications, protocols and SOPs when
working as a scientist
Motivation to transition from the bench
Paid for a course and worked as a
contractor for Emma Hitt, PhD.
www.hittmedicalwriting.com
Applied for and accepted medical writing
positions
Scientific Career
San Diego State University (B.S. 1999)
Undergrad researcher at Scripps Research Institute
Harvard Medical School (PhD Immunology 2006)
Cell and molecular immunology (T cell biology)
Pfizer, Inc. San Diego, CA (2007-2012)
Transition away from the bench (2012)
Transferable Skills
Skill Example
Writing
Peer- reviewed journal manuscripts,
dissertation, protocols, scientific
presentations
Computer skills
MS Office suit, graphing/statistics
software, document formatting
Presentation skills
Lab and departmental meetings,
scientific talks, job talks
Project management
Development, execution and
presentation of scientific projects
Project leadership and mentoring
Mentoring students,
teaching/demonstrating
Team work
Collaborating with colleagues and
research groups
Opinion leader experience
Conversing with experts in your field
Formal Medical Writing Experience
Hitt Medical Writing, LLC (sub-contractor)
Projects: manuscripts, medical news, continuing medical
education (CME)
ScienceMedia, Inc. (full-time medical writer)
Projects: Immunology and Oncology subject matter expert
(SME)
Allergan (Section Manager, Documentation & Archiving)
Direct experience with regulatory writing NDAs, INDs,
MAAs, IRFs, and IBs) non-clinical sections
Medical Writing Tests
Power point presentation
Based on a clinical or scientific paper
Produce a white paper
On a topic selected by the potential employer
Create documents specified by the
employer
Section of a storyboard
An introduction
An abstract
Time allowed
1 hour a couple of weeks
depends on the employer
Medical Writing Tests
Tests are not designed to:
Test level of expertise in a specific scientific area
Tests are developed to evaluate applicants ability to:
Write (spelling, grammar and flow)
Follow instructions and meet timelines
Interpret and assimilate information using materials and
instructions provided for the test
Some tests are completed:
During the site interview
At home
Tips: Keep it simple, use short, familiar words, avoid jargon and
acronyms, be specific and concrete; not abstract
Frequent Writing Problems
Encountered by Editors
Seldom Occasionally Frequently
Poorly written, excessive jargon
Inadequate/inappropriate presentation
Poor description of design
Excessive zeal and self promotion
Rationale confused, contradictory
Essential data omitted, ignored
Boring
Important work of others ignored
Byrne DW, Publishing Medical Research Papers, Williams and Wilkins, 1998
On the Job Training
Gain as much information about the assignment as possible
Ask questions
Develop a thick skin
Work will be reviewed and critiqued by senior writers and
clients
Be prepared for rounds of revisions
Be prepared for cuts, scope changes and shifting deadlines
Focus on meeting or exceeding deadlines
Get used to multiple competing projects
Get used to not being the owner of the project
Benefits of Transitioning to a
Career in Medical Writing
Love of science x love of writing = interesting career
Flexibility (as long as timelines are kept)
Options for entrepreneur and employees
Highly varied career options
Highly lucrative career options
Excellent use of scientific skills
Writing is a creative endeavor
Relevant work and exposure to latest information
Acknowledgements
Questions
