As generative artificial intelligence (AI) tools—like ChatGPT and Gemini—evolve, freelance medical writers are striving to balance new capabilities with professional responsibilities. Whether you're cautiously exploring or fully embracing generative AI tools, knowing how to use them ethically and effectively is critical. With some key insights, AI can become a powerful ally to increase efficiency and build capacity in your freelance medical writing business.
Every medical communicator finds their own path to success.
Some discover their passion for medical communication through skills and education programs: formal degrees, certificates, certification, or a combination of the above. Others build on a foundation of a medical degree or research background and pivot into medical writing. Still others begin as journalists writing about health and medicine and realize they have what it takes to become a professional medical writer.
What are some of the avenues that exist to advance in this rewarding career?
Are you looking for a career pivot from the world of research to medical writing?
Many of the skills you already possess as a nonclinical or biomedical researcher are essential to advance in the growing field of medical communication.
What does it take to make the move into this ever-changing and rewarding career?
To succeed as a medical communicator, writers and editors must master essential technical skills such as grammar, medical terminology, and statistics. However, medical communicators who excel offer more than technical expertise.
Welcome to the busy life of a medical communicator. Medical writers and editors are busy professionals who juggle multiple projects, teams, and tasks.
Medical writers are key personnel in the health care and biomedical research fields. They communicate scientific research findings and information about diseases and treatments to a variety of audiences: health care professionals, regulatory authorities, sales representatives, patients, caregivers, and more.
Medical writers make scientific information accessible for readers and empower people to make informed decisions about their health.
Most successful freelance medical communicators seek a steady stream of work by cultivating a roster of trusted repeat clients.
It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. When clients find a reliable freelancer who knows their business and produces high-quality work, they'll stick with them.
Medical communicators are key collaborators in a scientific ecosystem where critical research findings and discoveries move from laboratories to the wider world, improving the health and lives of patients and communities.
As the fields of medicine and health care advance, the demand for medical writers increases.
Freelance medical writers typically work on projects for varying amounts of time, depending on the project parameters. However, on occasion, clients may want a freelancer to commit to being available to them for a set period of time rather than for a specific project. What is a long-term contract, and what should you do when a client offers you one? Let’s start at the beginning.
As independent businesspeople, freelance medical writers are responsible for acquiring their own insurance policies. Some types of policies are critical for operating a business, while others depend on the structure of one’s freelance business.
Conventional wisdom says you could be the best freelance medical writer in the world, but unless you have a website, potential clients might not know you exist.
By Laura J. Ninger, ELS, Ninger Medical Communications, LLC
You must understand what your medical communication business has achieved during the past year in order to plan for the future. This blog helps you review your earnings, clients, project mix, and marketing efforts with good record-keeping and some simple tables and graphs.
Writers and editors with a passion for medicine and science are exploring opportunities in the growing field of medical writing.
The explosive growth of health care technology, pharmaceuticals, and other related areas creates multiple possible entry points for writers and editors who possess the skills and qualifications to enter and advance in the field.
Every quality document requires the attention of a thorough editor, and medical and scientific documents require extra care to uphold scientific rigor.
Those in the medical writing and editing field know that job responsibilities vary widely.
Regardless of the job description, medical communicators have unique scientific and professional skill sets that can be used in a multitude of ways. However, medical communicators sometimes find themselves in situations where they are expected to do more than is possible. Perhaps a colleague or client expects a level of support that is beyond the scope of the medical writer’s job description.
Both terms describe someone who communicates medical and health information to specific audiences.
A medical technical writer is another term used to describe a medical writer. From our perspective, the terms are interchangeable. Medical writing is technical writing for medical and health concepts.
Freelance success is possible. As today’s work landscape rapidly changes, more talented professionals are leaving traditional employment settings, or are interested in supplementing their income, and are finding value in the flexibility and economic opportunities presented by freelance work.
When people are looking to establish or further a career as a medical writer, they often have questions about the differences between earning a certificate in medical writing and certification, which means earning the Medical Writer Certified (MWC®) credential.
As a medical writer, chances are high that you’ve crafted a document or two without your byline attached. After all, much of the content medical writers create doesn’t require authorship. If you’re interested in advancing your career and seeing your name in print, consider medical journalism. Nurturing relationships with publications that focus on health and well-being for a public audience is also a smart move for freelance medical writers. Having bylined publications can fortify your position as an expert in medical communication.
This article is based on content presented by Lori De Milto, MJ, Kelly Schrank, MA, ELS, and JoAnna Pendergrass, DVM, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference.
If you're considering a career as a medical writer, there are a few ways to enter this challenging, lucrative field. If you're an experienced communication or medical professional, you're off to a good start. Still, you'll want to spend time exploring professional resources, brushing up on medical terminology, and honing the specific skills necessary for your chosen area of focus.
When you imagine applying for a new medical writing job, how do you feel? Does your heart race with excitement? Do you feel a flicker of fear? Pivoting into a new position, company, or niche can be both exhilarating and challenging. It’s important to do everything you can to set yourself up for success.
If you’re a new medical writer, you might be wondering how to set yourself up for a long, successful career. Fortunately, there are many ways to build a strong foundation: exploring apprenticeships, mastering medical writing styles, and earning an Essential Skills Certificate, to name a few.
In Entrepreneur’s May 2020 article “What You Can Learn from Freelancers Right Now,” journalist John Boitnott outlined why freelancers are equipped with the best tools and practices for high‑quality, productive remote work.
The economic fallout from the COVID‑19 pandemic has affected thousands of career paths, including many in the medical communication field. Whether you’re seeking new remote work opportunities or hoping to expand your skill set to further advance your career, consider pursuing writing in the pharmaceutical industry.
The medical communication field is expanding at a record pace. At the same time, remote work is becoming mainstream. By demand, many experienced medical writers have begun offering freelance writing or editing services.
Melory Johnson, Owner and Principal Medical Writer, MJ MedComm, LLC, contributed to this article.
Whether you’re an established medical device writer or another type of medical communicator hoping to advance your career by adding a new skill, it can be helpful to brush up on best practices of medical device writing. Below, we outline the defining qualities of this niche, then describe how to succeed as a medical device writer.
This article by Jodi Braunton was originally published in the AMWA Journal.
This article is based on content presented by Katherine Molnar‑Kimber, PhD, Kimnar Group LLC, and Deborah Anderson, PhD, DGA Medical Communications, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference.
For freelance writers and independent contractors, establishing long‑term client relationships has clear advantages. Working with long‑term clients reduces time spent on administrative tasks, such as marketing, acquiring resources, and learning new formats, which increases the time available for producing the deliverable. The stability provided by long‑term clients also improves peace of mind and is usually financially beneficial.
This article is based on content presented by Laura J. Ninger, ELS, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference.
True or false:
Well-trained medical communicators bring value to the teams with whom they work.
I hope you answered true because that’s the right answer.
The key adjective of course is well-trained.
This article is based on content presented by Eleanor Mayfield, ELS, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference.
How to calculate freelance medical writing rates is a hotly debated topic among freelancers. Some are adamant about always charging a project fee; others swear by an hourly rate. Eleanor Mayfield led a discussion of the pros and cons of these common methods as well as strategies for implementing them that will benefit both freelancers and their clients. She stressed that no pricing method is perfect; the key is to determine which strategy is the best fit for each project.
You’ve just been named employee of the month. Hooray for you! Actually, when you’re a freelance medical writer or editor and you work for yourself, you are your own employee of the month EVERY month because there's no competition for the crown. The question is have you done all it takes to deserve that honor?
To work in health communication, you need both detailed knowledge about health care and marketing and the ability to manage a variety of editorial and writing tasks.
Whether you’re starting out in health communication or considering a shift from another type of medical communication or medical writing, these tips can help you succeed.
For freelance medical writers and editors, social media can help build authority, engage with colleagues, connect with potential clients, and grow their freelance businesses. But posting and sharing inconsistently, or using the wrong platforms, can waste time and energy. These social media marketing tips can help.
Medical communicators do more than write. As a project manager, your role can include managing documents, processes, timelines, and people, sometimes across multiple teams. Effective project management is essential for success with complex projects, especially when they involve the drug development cycle.
For some medical writers, a next step in their careers is a move to management. While this can create opportunities for advancement and greater recognition, it can be challenging—many medical writers are seasoned communicators, but they may not yet have the skills required to manage others.
To make a successful transition, these tips for new managers can help.
Freelance medical writing can be a lucrative, rewarding, and flexible career. Yet even if you have been writing professionally for years, you may have questions when it comes to how to create a solid client base and find steady work. The following tips can help you start your own freelance medical writing business.
This article is based on content written by Kelly Schrank, MA, ELS, and presented by John West Hadley at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference. It was originally published in the AMWA Journal.
Making sure you move ahead in your medical writing career calls for finding opportunities to create visibility for your skills and achievements and presenting yourself and your work in the best light. This means showcasing your value not only to potential new employers and clients, but also to your current employer in order to justify your salary and position yourself for advancement.
A structured and systematic approach can be effective, starting with these three steps.
What is a servant leader? Servant leaders know their employees as whole people and strive to be a positive force in their lives. They build a first-hand understanding of the workplace. They create teams, address disparity, and create a vision for the growth of individuals and business. While most leaders are considered bosses or supervisors, all of us can serve as leaders to our colleagues and to peers as well. To start the path to leadership, it’s important to understand the qualities needed to act as a servant leader.
I don’t make my living as a writer; let’s get that out of the way right now. However, I recruit writers and managers/directors of groups of medical writers, and I’ve been a mentor to many people. I’ve seen people succeed and fail, overcome obstacles and get back up again. A mentor or two (or more) can catapult an average career into a stellar career if you align yourself as early as possible with people who will be in your corner as you navigate your future.
This article was written by freelance medical writers Lori De Milto, Elizabeth L. Smith, and Cathryn D. Evans. It was originally published in the AMWA Journal.
There are good reasons to specialize in certain types of projects and/or therapeutic areas—and good reasons not to specialize. In general, if you’re a new freelance, you should focus more broadly to attract more clients. As you gain experience, you can narrow your focus, which is what I did.
It's fun to look back over the years and think about fashion trends that probably never should have seen the light of day. I’m thinking mullets, shoulder pads, and why not throw in bell bottoms while I’m at it.
Although fashion trends come and go, trends in medical communication usually point toward practices that are here to stay. We can’t afford to ignore industry trends if we want to remain fresh and relevant. Whether we are employees or freelances, we never want to become stale, and staying on top of business trends should be part of our jobs.
Recruiters can make all the difference when advancing your medical writing career. Experienced recruiters can help you identify a role that increases your earning potential, improve your work/life balance, and move you up to a senior-level position.
Many medical writers aren’t sure how to effectively find and work with recruiters. Some may not think they need to work with recruiters. However, used in conjunction with other job search strategies such as industry job postings (available to AMWA members), working with a recruiter can be a good way to make critical connections that will help you land your ideal next job.
In medical communication, as in other fields, it’s increasingly common for team members to be scattered across the country or around the globe. It’s important for managers to have the skills needed to make their remote teams successful—no matter where employees are located. Managers of remote medical communication teams face challenges including
Here are some tips for addressing the challenges of managing a remote medical communication team.
A medical writing career requires being a lifelong learner and networker.
To begin working in the field, medical writers need specialized skills and knowledge to obtain jobs. Advancing in the field means constantly building on that base. In addition, professional connections are helpful in the beginning of your career and in order to advance.