The demand for high quality medical writers (MWs) is on the rise. Medical writing comprises of a number of attractive career options for STEM professionals, by providing intellectual satisfaction and financial reward.
Medical writing is an umbrella term used to describe a number of writing positions that support the pharmaceutical industry. MWs help clinical research teams, regulatory affairs, medical affairs, and commercial functions in pharma, by supporting the development of an enormous range of document types and digital materials. Despite the diversity in the types of writing roles and project types, MWs share similar skills that are needed to deliver the materials they produce.
If you’re a scientist who enjoys writing, then medical writing could provide some excellent career options for you. But you may be wondering what it takes to become a competent MW.
I’ve been working in medical writing (specifically in the field of medical communications; MedComms) for over 5 years now. Starting as a MW and now working as a manager, hiring writers. During this time, I’ve had the opportunity to observe what sets great MWs apart from good ones.
I’ve had the pleasure of working with some exceptionally talented MWs over the years, and had a chance to observe what makes them great. I’ve come to learn that these high performers all share a number of key behaviours that when combined, make for a winning formula in medical writing.
Here I share these observations, and highlight 10 trade mark attributes of great MWs.
Attributes of Great Medical Writers
Great MWs are:
- Knowledgeable
Therapeutic area (TA) knowledge, along with a solid understanding of clinical research, and how the pharma industry develops products, are all needed to produce high quality content in medical writing.
Great MWs always research the topic before starting to write, to ensure they have familiarity with concepts and terminology used in the field. Given the vast amount of data in the public domain, they keep in mind what to look for, know where to search (databases such as PubMed, and EMBASE, in addition to books and medical journals, and internal pharma company resources), use the ideal keywords for searching, and select only authentic sources of information. They’ll then review their search results, assess the relevance of each piece of information, and file helpful materials to use.
The best MWs are flexible and can transition from one medical field to another, able to produce high quality content regardless of the TA or project type. They do this because they understand what they need to know. They don’t need to be a world authority on a topic, but must have familiarity with it, and quickly grasp key concepts around things such as treatment landscapes, unmet patient needs, clinical trial design, and drug efficacy/safety assessment (including the associated statistical concepts) etc. As a result, they learn fast. MWs who can flex to new TAs and types of project deliverables, are highly valued.
- Able to condense complex scientific information into simple messaging
Skilled MWs can digest complex information and distil it in the simplest terms, to ensure memorable and actionable key messages, are forefront in their materials.
They are able present complex topics that are easy to understand by their target audience. This becomes especially acute when writing for non-technical or non-specialist audiences, where jargon and complex terminology needs to be avoided.
- Analytical
Scientific precision is essential in medical writing. MWs must comprehend the research design and data in order to accurately interpret it, and deliver this to their readers.
Strong MWs are skilled at data interpretation and ensure the representation in their materials is accurate and logical. They conduct critical content evaluations, interpret results appropriately, find potential study constraints, form logical conclusions about what the data means, and discuss these with clarity. This is why STEM professionals are highly sought after in medical writing.
- Understanding of their audience
Audiences are varied for MWs, from highly specialised scientific groups, to non-specialists such as primary care physicians, and the general public.
Great MWs recognize their target audience, and put them front and centre of each deliverable. They could be writing for government officials, scientists, healthcare professionals, patients, or the general public. They establish who the audience is early in each project. If they don’t know, they ask the right questions to stakeholders to assess who they are writing for.
They use a writing style that is at the right level and appropriate language for the target audience. When writing for non-specialists: They translate complex scientific information into plain language without losing important details.
Crucially they understand the audience’s needs and will align the strategic goals of the communication they are working on, with these needs. In my experience the best MWs, write with the reader in mind (by ensuring their work is informative and easy to read), and marry this to the strategic goals of the document.
- Up-to-date with the guidelines
MWs need to be up-to-date with the guidelines that dominate their field of expertise. For example, MWs who work in regulatory affairs, must be knowledgeable of the numerous guidelines on how to write clinical study reports (ICH E3), investigator’s brochures, patient information leaflets, clinical overviews, periodic safety reports (ICH E2C), and other documents required for regulatory submission. Information about these technical requirements is available on the ICH website or websites of Regulatory Authorities.
MedComms MWs who work on publications have to adhere to a number of guidelines, like Good Publication Practice by the International Society for Medical Publication Professionals, International Committee of Medical Journal Editors guidelines for manuscripts, and guidelines for reporting clinical trials (e.g. CONSORT). Furthermore, as medical journals have their own instructions for authors, these need to be adhered to as well.
As new guidelines emerge, and old ones are revised, conscientious MWs keep up-to-date with these changes.
- Concise and logical in their writing style
Great MWs write with clear explanations, avoid jargon as much as possible, and provide logical structure to complex data and ideas. An ability to express and present information clearly and succinctly is paramount for MWs.
As highlighted in point 4 above, this needs to be achieved using an appropriate style for the target audience.
Where relevant, MWs also need to adhere to specific style guides. Many pharma companies have their own, but the AMA Manual of Style is commonly used for many deliverables too.
- Accurate and detail-orientated
MWs are responsible for creating content that is accurate, informative, and engaging. They are accountable for the accuracy of their work. This means that medical writing is a field that requires exceptional attention to detail.
Highly competent MWs will QC all their deliverables, and review the work of other writers they are collaborating with.
To facilitate data consistency, MWs use document management systems to ensure data quality and consistency in their work.
Providing complete information, whether findings are favourable or not, following copyright laws, avoiding plagiarism, following authorship criteria for publications, and respecting publication processes, are all ethical and legal concerns that must be considered by professional MWs.
- People focused
Medical writing is a people-driven business. An ability to work in teams (often remotely and across time zones) and collaborate with all parties involved (clients, colleagues, upper management, authors etc.) is essential to being a great MW.
Excellent communication needs to extend beyond writing. MWs also have to be well-honed in listening, verbal communication, presenting, negotiation, conflict management, leadership, relationship building, persuasion, and decision-making. I’ve found MWs to be amongst some of the most collaborative professionals I’ve had the pleasure of working with.
- Organised
Time management and sticking to deadlines are essential in medical writing. Therefore, experienced MWs will ensure they have enough time to dedicate to a project before taking it on.
Skilled MWs set defined goals for each project (milestones), organize their time accordingly, and use project management skills to handle multiple deliverables at the same time.
They document everything, filing materials in a way that are easily accessible and ensure they are up-to-date with all the documentation systems used for each project.
- Proactive
Aside from being highly organised, great MWs are also proactive. They understand they are accountable not only for delivering on time, but also with high quality.
They will push projects forward in order to meet project milestones, chasing stakeholder input (such as obtaining reviews and organising meetings) as required.
Exceptional MWs stand out because they can provide service beyond the brief where relevant. This could mean being creative with content ideas, or writing style, and offering solutions that perhaps their clients had not considered. Great MWs are innovative in their approach.
Summary
There are specific traits that outstanding MWs possess. The following summarises some key points that can help MWs produce high quality content:
- Being knowledgeable: Possessing TA knowledge, understanding clinical data, pharma strategy, and relevant guidelines, are all needed to produce high quality materials, along with taking an analytical approach towards data interpretation
- Writing with the audience in mind: Identifying the target audience and distilling complex scientific information into messages that work for them, is also a key step in producing high-quality content
- Logical, accurate, and clear writing style: Using a concise, logical writing style that contains correct information that’s been checked, and adheres to all relevant ethical and legal procedures, is essential for writing with clarity and accuracy
- Being collaborative, organised, and proactive: Providing content solutions for clients that are on time and on budget, is achieved by being highly organised, communicating clearly, and using project management skills to push work through to completion
People may think that medical writing is just about writing, but that’s only part of the work. Aside from writing content, MWs also need strong project management, people management, and broad communication skills. MWs who learn how to master all of this, excel in their field.
The demand for medical writing has been increasing for decades and isn’t showing signs of slowing. It’s an attractive career option for anyone with an interest in scientific writing, clinical research, and medical innovations.
If you are interested in a successful medical writing career, then these tips will help you to become a great MW.
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