How to Find a Medical Writing Mentor and Become a Mentor

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.

Should Freelance Medical Writers Specialize?

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.

Pros and Cons of Specializing

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.

The Proofreading Solution for Perfectionists

Once Upon a Time…

When I wrote my first manuscript 23 years ago, I had to do all the formatting manually. Many of you probably still remember that feeling of sand under the eyelids after manual imputation and formatting of a long reference list, and cursing badly if, at the end of the day, the text contained 33 citations while the reference list included 35 positions…

What Are the Most Important Medical Writer Qualifications?

With the continued growth in health care technology, pharmaceuticals, and services, there are multiple possible entry points available to writers and editors who have a passion for medicine and health. Both at the beginning of your career and as you advance in the field, it’s important to continually work to ensure you have the qualifications that it takes to succeed and advance.

Medical Writing Trends You Need to Know About

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.

How to Keep a Steady Stream of Jobs as a Freelance Medical Writer

Freelance medical writers tend to develop a roster of trusted clients that they work for consistently. When clients find someone who is reliable, knows their business, and produces high-quality work, they'll stick with them.

But even the busiest and most successful medical writers need to cultivate new business constantly. There are steps you can take to identify new freelance medical writer jobs that are a good fit for you, while keeping up with your current workload.