Medical writing competencies

This branch covers the abilities expected of medical writers, divided by the framework or capability being examined: competency models and inventories, professional priorities, employer expectations, model limits, interpersonal skills, emotional intelligence, numeracy and business literacy. It leaves continuing career development, credentials, job selection, health under pressure and team implementation of competency models to neighbouring branches.

• What competence in pharmaceutical medical writing consists of — the industry model, work functions, common and specialist competencies, and its revision
• The knowledge, skills and aptitudes medical writing needs — inventories of practical requirements, knowledge, skills and aptitudes
• What practitioners rank first in a writer’s competence — job-analysis priorities, scientific communication, delivery, integrity and curiosity
• What job adverts ask for, against the competency model — advertised technical, behavioural and social competencies and those rarely named
• Where the competency model stops — variation between roles, gaps, professional agreement and specialist models
• Soft skills alongside technical proficiency — non-technical qualities, critical thinking, problem solving, creativity and development
• Building emotional intelligence as a medical writer — emotional abilities, applications at work and ways to develop them
• Numeracy and judgement beside the writing — numerical and scientific understanding, role requirements and learning statistics
• The business literacy a medical writer needs — early learning, business skills and the economics behind a document