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.
September 23, 2019 at 10:30 AM
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If artificial intelligence (AI) can read diagnostic tests, identify cancer cells, and construct cohorts for clinical trials, can it write medical journal articles and create regulatory documents? In other words, can AI be a medical writer?
Are you looking for a career pivot from the world of research to medical writing?
To succeed as a medical communicator, writers and editors must master essential technical skills such as grammar, medical terminology, and statistics. However, 
Health is much more than numbers, medications, or a clinical diagnosis. A person’s health is affected by their environment and their lived experiences. 
Health care or medical public relations (PR) is a growing niche for medical communicators that involves translating and sharing complex medical information with a general audience of patients and consumers. 
Clinical consensus statements and clinical practice guidelines are among the documents used to ensure that patients are receiving the best care possible and that clinical decisions reflect the opinions of the experts who are invested in excellent clinical outcomes.
Before a medical device is marketed to the public, it needs to undergo a rigorous analysis to ensure that it is safe and effective. 
Every document improves with editing, and medical editors are key to the process of creating consistent, readable, and error-free manuscripts.
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.
What’s your style? Are you an AMA person? An APA aficionado? Does your employer use a house style guide? 
This blog is based, in part, on an AMWA webinar presented by Monica Nicosia, PhD, CMPP.
We do not live in a world where everyone — regardless of race, gender, gender identity, disability status, or income level — has the same access to high-quality health care, adequate housing, or nutrition. As a result, health outcomes are vastly unequal, causing marginalized populations to experience lower life expectancies and higher levels of preventable diseases.
So much of our lives is connected online these days, and freelance medical communicators are using tools that allow collaboration with colleagues around the world. 
We live in an increasingly globalized world, and the field of medical communication is no exception. In fact, most medical writers and editors are creating materials for a global scientific audience.
Apprenticeships are an age-old institution used to guide people in their careers and help them develop the skills they need to succeed. AMWA has an ongoing interest in exploring the value of apprenticeships and similar training programs, including hosting the 
Are you a regulatory medical writer who is concerned about proving your mettle?
Scientists are having a rough go of it right now. They are being harassed at record levels, especially for sharing public health information related to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Are you prepared for the next generation of science communication?
What role do medical communicators play in the world of health care reimbursement? 
As health care costs continue to rise, medical communicators can play a role in health care policy and practice by participating in Health Economics and Outcomes Research (HEOR)—a growing field with opportunities for medical communicators. 
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. 
Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are the foundation for advancing clinical practice. However, not all RCTs are created equal. To communicate how an RCT was designed and what it found, authors must report clear and accurate information about its methodology and results. Unfortunately, many reviews have shown that authors often don’t provide complete and transparent information about the clinical trial, which can lead to misinterpretation of the validity and reliability of the results. 
If patients and consumers don’t understand patient education materials — or don't know what action to take after reading or viewing them — those materials aren’t doing their job.
Scientific manuscripts are rarely the work of one author. They are the result of complex collaborative relationships. This reality begs the questions: Who is the author of a scientific manuscript? When is someone credited as an author, and when are they considered a non-author contributor? 
Storytelling is the basis for human connection, with oral and written traditions stretching back for millennia. 
One of the most useful acronyms in a medical communicator’s toolkit is IMRAD. 
By Stephen N. Palmer, PhD, ELS, Texas Heart Institute
By Laura J. Ninger, ELS, Ninger Medical Communications, LLC
By Charlotte Crowder, MPH, ELS, Freelance Medical Writer and Editor
Are you taking time for self-care?
Copyright law is complicated, and we’re not legal experts.
Those in the medical writing and editing field know that job responsibilities vary widely. 
Ethical behavior is important in any profession. 
Checklists are popular these days. And for good reason. 
The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has selected Leana Wen, MD, MSc, FAAEM, an emergency physician, public health professor at George Washington University, and nonresident senior fellow at the Brookings Institution, as the 2022 Walter C. Alvarez Award Recipient. This award recognizes excellence in communicating health care developments and concepts to the public and is named after Walter C. Alvarez, MD, a pioneer in the field of medical communication.
The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has selected Peter J. Hotez, MD, PhD, an internationally recognized physician-scientist, global health advocate, accomplished author, and 2022 Nobel Peace Prize nominee, as the 2022 John P. McGovern Award Recipient. This award recognizes preeminent contributions to the various modes of medical communication and is named in honor of renowned allergist and philanthropist John P. McGovern, MD.
Have you taken a stretch break in the last 15 minutes? Do it! Lift your arms up above your head and tilt back slightly to counteract that forward curve. Yes, we’re talking to you.
Your time as a medical writer is worth money. 
Pharmaceutical companies look to medical advisory boards to help shape the big‑picture aspects of their work. Are their products benefiting patients and health care professionals? Can they do a better job of meeting the needs of patients?
This article is based on content presented by 
Have you been asked to sign a confidentiality agreement as part of a medical writing or editing 
This blog is based on content presented by Kathi Whitman, MA, Senior Medical Writer/Project Manager, Intermountain Healthcare, at the AMWA Medical Writing & Communication Conference and published in AMWA Journal v 31 n 4. 
People take different paths in their journeys to become medical writers. Some are scientists and clinicians who come to the field with medical or scientific backgrounds. Others are professional writers who want to leverage their background in communications to write about science and medicine. 
The hunt for freelance medical writers and editors begins when you have a need for a communication professional who can help you complete or improve your writing project. Sometimes you have an urgent need, and you don’t know where to turn.
How do medical communicators distill the results of complex studies into just a few hundred words? 
How familiar are you with the language of freelance contracts? Do you know how to spot a problematic contract clause?
A clinical study report (CSR) is a comprehensive regulatory report describing the data and outcomes observed in a clinical study. 
Imagine a toolbox without a hammer. 
An essential skill for medical communicators involved in creating materials for continuing medical education (CME) activities is learning to identify a practice gap by conducting a gap analysis.
How are you with numbers?
This blog is based on content presented by 
Both terms describe someone who communicates medical and health information to specific audiences.
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. 
One niche for medical writers is grant writing. Whether they are writing grant proposals to fund continuing medical education (CME) programs or to support biomedical research, grant writers are tasked with convincing funders that the project is needed now, and that their team is the best one to undertake the project on time and within budget. 
This blog is based on an article written by 
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 
This article is based on content presented by 
If you're considering a career as a 
If you’re a 
As a regulatory writer, you must stay updated on new policies and evolving best practices for highly technical documents. Continuing education is important for both maintaining and 
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 
As a freelance medical writer, you must master a variety of business skills in addition to writing high‑quality documents. You’ll need to 
In Entrepreneur’s May 2020 article “
The
Whether you're hoping to expand your portfolio to include medical journal writing or are already incorporating journal articles into your 
If there’s one key to success as a freelance medical writer, it’s this: never stop marketing. 
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 
The medical communication field is expanding at a record pace. At the same time, remote work is becoming mainstream. By demand, many experienced 
If you’re a new medical writer, you may wonder which skills are essential for success. Whether you choose to write regulatory documents, promotional content, patient education materials, or journal articles, you’ll need a strong writing foundation. Part of that foundation includes learning to understand, write, speak—in general, to communicate!—using the jargon of the field: medical terminology. 
Medical writing can be a lucrative, rewarding career, but it takes a commitment to understanding grammar and stylistic guidelines. A solid grasp of grammar, punctuation, and medical word usage is required. Some errors are common among 
This article by Jodi Braunton was originally published in the 
This article, written by 
Amid ongoing global health issues and a shifting economy, many experienced 
This article is based on content presented by 
This article is based on content presented by 
Note: The tips here are meant to provide an overview of best practices regarding accounting needs for freelancers. For advice specific to your situation, seek counsel from authorized financial experts.
Many medical writers are tasked with more than crafting accurate documents. You might also need to manage projects and teams. 
This article is based on content presented by 
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.
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.
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.
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 
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.
All of us have suffered the consequences of expensive, unasked questions in both our professional lives and our personal lives. As medical communicators, we must ask good questions to elicit information, but many of us lack adequate training in this skill. Add to that the natural reticence of some 
This article is based on content presented by 
This article is based on content presented by 
As medical writers, the heart of our work is to convey information to a specific audience. Writing for patients, we are trusted with interpreting highly technical information to educate, protect, enable, and empower our readers. The result of poor understanding can be directly harmful to health. However, successfully informing patients leads to better health outcomes, including more preventative care and 
This article is based on content presented by 
This article is based on content presented by 
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
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.
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.
Writing and editing go hand-in-hand to create a masterpiece. A well-written article is like a fine piece of jewelry. Think of the content as the design of the jewelry and the editing as the polish. Just as a ring without polish looks like a piece of lackluster metal with a potentially beautiful gem, a poorly edited article loses its charm even if the content is strong.
Until recently, most writers in the field of medical communication entered the field without formal training. Some started out with scientific or medical degrees and previously worked as scientists, physicians, or pharmacists before transitioning into medical writing. Others began as journalists and built a career by writing about health and medicine.
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
A medical writing career requires being a lifelong learner and networker.
Did you know that today we receive 5 times as much information as we did in 1986? This amount is the equivalent of