Let’s be real. Landing your dream job can be challenging, especially when you’re looking in a niche like medical writing. Although it’s been growing in popularity over the past few years, working as a medical writer isn’t exactly a common career choice. Even so, the competition is fierce for those job openings that do appear. Medical writers need to have an eye for detail, the ability to write clearly and concisely, and a willingness to work long hours on short notice – not exactly standard job applicant requirements.
However, if you aspire to break into this industry as your full-time job and not just as a side gig or hobby, you can take steps to increase your chances of success in that field. These tips outline how you can land your dream medical writing job, and start your career as a medical writer.
Know the basics of what you’re getting into
When you’re first starting out in the world of medical writing, it’s important to know what you’re getting into. You’ll be responsible for a wide variety of writing duties, including creating content for websites, creating brochures, and writing for publications like magazines and journals. It’s helpful to know what’s expected of you as a medical writer before you start applying for jobs to show you’re a good fit for the position.
You’ll be working in the healthcare industry, collaborating with doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and other medical professionals regularly. Depending on the job you’re hired for, there may also be a high amount of travel involved. You’ll most likely be working at least 40 hours a week, often with little to no break in between deadlines, and you’ll be expected to be extremely detail-oriented and able to meet tight deadlines even if you’re under pressure.
Network like crazy for that dream medical writing job
When you start in the medical writing field, you need to be networking like crazy. This is essential, especially if you’re a newbie to the world of medical writing. You need to be meeting people and getting your name out there as much as possible.
A great way to do this is to attend industry events. If a local medical writing conference or seminar is coming up, make it a priority to attend. Not only will you get to network with other professionals in your field, but you’ll also get to see what real work in the industry looks like.
You can also network online. Make yourself as visible as possible on social media and sign up for industry-specific email lists. You never know who you might meet through one of these platforms, and it never hurts to expand your network.
Establish your portfolio and build your resume
This is powerful in your quest for a well-paying medical writing job. You’ll want to start working on building a portfolio as soon as you start seriously considering a career in medical writing. You’ll want to make sure all the pieces in your portfolio are relevant to the type of work you’re hoping to do. If you’re hoping to do more editorial work, for example, you don’t want to have anything in your portfolio that shows you’ve been able to write advertisements.
When you’re writing for a portfolio, you want to make sure that everything you’re writing is of the highest quality that you can produce. You’ll also want to start building your resume as soon as possible. You’ll want a resume showing off your skills and experience in writing for medical journals and publications. You can also include any other skills or abilities you have, like knowledge of certain software programs or experience in certain industries.
Develop your skills through volunteering and interning
While building your portfolio and resume is essential, you also want to make sure that you’re developing your skills as a medical writer while you’re doing this. This can be done through volunteering or interning at a local publication or website.
If you can get your foot in the door at a publication, you can start working on samples of your work and showing your editor that you’re a good fit for the job. This also allows you to network with other writers and editors at the publication. You can also volunteer for organizations in your field. If there’s a nonprofit in your area that focuses on medical writing or another industry related to medical writing, you can sign up to volunteer at their office.
This allows you to network with other people in your field and gain experience working in a real-world scenario. You can learn more about internships here.
Take continuing education courses
While this isn’t something you can necessarily list on your resume, you can add a certification to your name by taking continuing education courses in medical writing. This can help you stand out from the crowd when you’re applying for jobs and can also help you advance your career once you’re working in the industry.
Many organizations offer continuing education courses in medical writing, and you can search for these organizations online to see what courses they offer. You may also be able to find classes at a local college or university. These courses will help you learn more about the industry and make you a more attractive candidate for your dream medical writing job.
You can also explore the courses we offer here at Medcomms Academy.
Add certification to your resume
Depending on your experience level, you may want to add a certification to your resume that shows potential employers that you’re qualified for the position. There are a few different certifications that are available for people looking to break into the field of medical writing, such as the Clinical Medical Writing Certification from the Association of Medical Writers. You can also look into getting a degree in medical writing.
There are a number of online programs that allow you to earn your degree in a shorter amount of time than you might spend if you were to go to school full-time. Many of these programs also offer flexible schedules, allowing you to work while earning your degree.
You can explore other websites, such as EMWA and AMWA, for certification programmes.
Conclusion
Medical writing is a growing and popular career path, especially in the age of digital media and content creation. If you really want to start a career in medical writing, the best thing you can do is to start networking like crazy, building your portfolio, and getting your name out there.
Landing your dream medical writing job in this industry takes hard work, but if you follow these tips, you stand a much better chance of realizing your dreams.
