Medical Writer
By Mark Rowh
Is medical writing an art or a science? This diverse career area offers elements of both. Medical writers specialize in communicating information about medicine and related areas.
Medical writers may also be known as biomedical communicators. Browse around a newsstand, and you’ll see their work in magazines and newspapers. Visit the nearest bookstore, and you’ll find scores of books written by medical writers. Pick up the brochures displayed in physicians’ waiting rooms, and you’ll see more evidence of the work of medical writers.
Obviously, this work involves writing about medicine and health. But what does that really mean? In some cases, it consists of experts writing for other experts—professors or others who write medical textbooks, journal articles, and research-related studies.
Viewed more broadly, medical writing focuses on interpretation. Medical writers take the complex information developed by physicians and other scientific experts and make it understandable to a general audience. For example, a writer might review new research about arthritis and then write a magazine article for senior citizens on managing arthritis. A writer may develop a pamphlet for teens on preventing eating disorders or a newspaper article about controlling cholesterol intake. Or he or she might compile a book on the pros and cons of popular prescription drugs.
The Internet is providing a host of new opportunities for medical writers. Online magazines, websites about health issues, and other types of electronic information include the work of medical writers. Medical writers also work in public relations at hospitals and health organizations, write scripts for instructional media, and engage in other types of written communication.
Some writers are employed as staff writers for magazines, large newspapers, drug companies, professional associations, and other for-profit and not- for-profit organizations. Others choose to be freelancers, meaning they work under assignment for different—sometimes many different—employers.
Considering all this diversity, it’s not surprising that both the background and orientation of medical writers vary widely. Some see themselves primarily as writers who like science and have decided to specialize in medical topics. Others are people trained in medical fields who communicate their special knowledge by writing about it.
The American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) has identified the following job specialties related to medical writing:
• advertising
• audiovisual production
• college and university teaching
• editing
• journal editing and staff writing
• pharmaceutical writing, editing, and managing
• public relations
• publishing
• reporting
• researching
• scriptwriting
• statistical analysis
• translating
The job prospects for medical writers are good, in part because the public continues to have a deep interest in health and medical topics. To pursue a career in medical writing, you might start by majoring in English, journalism, or technical writing. It would be helpful to pick up some medical knowledge along the way by taking biology courses, working in a health care organization, or simply reading extensively about medical topics.
Or you might study the biological sciences and enhance your writing skills through job experience or course work.
Virtually all colleges and universities offer general writing courses, and many sponsor specialized classes or seminars. The AMWA also offers training opportunities at both beginning and advanced levels.
For more information about a career in medical writing, contact the American Medical Writers Association at 40 West Gude Drive, Suite 101, Rockville, MD 20850-1192, 301-294-5303; or visit them online at www.amwa.org.
2009
