This article is based on content presented by Brian Bass, MWC, and Emma Hitt Nichols, PhD, ELS, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference.
Brian Bass and Emma Nichols have over 24 years of combined experience in hiring and working with freelance medical writers. Their education session focused on outlining the major considerations for freelance medical writers who are thinking about bringing on subcontractors—providing advice and guidance on making this decision and supporting their transition.
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.
Many medical writers are tasked with more than crafting accurate documents. You might also need to manage projects and teams.
Part of managing medical communication includes effectively leading meetings so that they drive documents forward to successful completion.
Whether you're preparing to lead your first meeting or kicking off a new project, follow these best practices to meet your objectives. These best practices apply whether your meeting is in‑person or online.
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.
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.
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.