Markets that are not labelled medical writing
Medical communication is bought by organisations that may advertise neither a medical-writer role nor a conventional writing assignment. Recognising the audience, task and existing skills can reveal work in investment research, public programmes, informatics and new communication formats.
Public payers and health informatics
A 2009 Medicaid career account identified writing opportunities in patient and provider education, medical policies, translation and contractor proposals, with roles including publication specialist, medical policy analyst, translator and proposal writer. Relevant skills included health education, clinical science, biomedical communication, graphic design, biomedical translation and literature research. Potential employers included state agencies and private fiscal agents administering Medicaid services.
Biomedical and health informatics can also use medical communicators’ user-centred design and information-delivery skills: audience and context analysis, usability testing and advocacy for information users. In 2011, reported examples included medical communicators heading electronic health record implementation teams in a hospital cancer clinic, physician offices and critical-access hospitals. Clinical and consumer-health informatics also involve patient-specific personal health records and communication of personalised healthcare information.
Equity research
Equity analysts may need a medical writer to follow a therapeutic sector and explain developments so that investors can make informed decisions. Tasks include gathering information at medical meetings, interpreting trial results or FDA panel reviews, interviewing physicians, summarising clinical data discussed on earnings calls, writing stock reports, explaining medical guidelines and comparing a company’s products with other treatments.
In 2011, practitioner advice emphasised familiarity with Excel and reading spreadsheets rather than an accounting background, plus a therapeutic-area specialism as a useful entry point. Some analysts valued a PharmD; an MD, PhD or master’s degree was considered less useful unless relevant to the analyst’s coverage. Suggested buyers included large banks whose analysts had outsourcing budgets and research boutiques with fewer than twenty-five analysts that might see outsourcing as a saving.
Non-regulatory work for contract research organisations
Contract research organisations (CROs) also need non-regulatory writing; a 2011 account distinguished work kept in-house from outsourced work.
| In-house examples | Outsourced examples |
|---|---|
| Newsletters | Abstracts |
| Annual reports | Case studies |
| Training and education | Journal articles |
| Communications planning | Trade articles |
| Video scripts | Webinars |
| Presentations | — |
Familiarity with drug development was recommended, with research experience an advantage but a therapeutic-area specialism unnecessary; flexibility, willingness to learn and awareness of a global working environment were also emphasised.
Other buyers and assignments
Six markets suggested in 2011 illustrate different buyers and uses of writing.
| Market | Work or buyer |
|---|---|
| White papers | Companies seeking website traffic and sales leads. |
| Competitive intelligence | Pharmaceutical companies commissioning conference reports on competing drugs, including scientific findings, comparisons and development-stage information that may help estimate market entry. |
| Teaching | Webinars, community-college lectures and corporate writing training. |
| Books | Researchers or clinicians with subjects suitable for consumer readers. |
| Blogging | Hospitals or large multispecialty groups commissioning doctor-approved content. |
| Consumer education | A forecast of writing for newly insured people under the Affordable Care Act, conditional on the legislation remaining intact. |
Work created by scientific and digital developments
Personalised medicine was expected in 2012 to create writing opportunities across these formats.
- Newsletters.
- Training and education.
- Business proposals.
- Presentations.
- Journal articles.
- White papers.
- Press releases.
- Website content.
- Webinar summaries.
- Marketing communications.
Health, medical and scientific podcasts need scripts that writers can write, edit or fact-check, with opportunities in news agencies, medical communications agencies and freelance work. In 2019, digital health was suggested as a route into scientific-scriptwriting roles combining medical knowledge with other abilities, such as music therapy, composition or scriptwriting for rehabilitation games.
A specialism assembled from existing skills
A biology and population-genetics researcher found a route into medical illustration after eight years of postdoctoral work and an unsatisfying spell in genetic diagnostics. During a year out of work, she maintained a genetics blog for lay readers, returned to drawing and painting, attended free illustration events and shared science-inspired images online. After she returned to a university research position, clinicians running emergency-medicine training contacted her through LinkedIn to redesign a point-of-care ultrasound slide deck with original illustrations. This combined scientific knowledge with an artistic interest and offered an alternative career using both.