Transcript Document
Careers in MCB: Medical Writing Paul Ferguson Senior Account Manager My Background Paul Ferguson, Senior Account Manager • • • • • BS in Biology, Southeast Missouri State University MS in Biology, UIUC Certificate in Business Administration from UIUC Course coordinator, MCB, UIUC Prescott Medical Communications Group What is Medical Writing? “Medical writing is the activity of writing scientific documentation by someone who is a specialized writer (a medical writer) and is generally not one of the scientists or doctors whose research it was.” Source: www.wikipedia.org Examples of Medical Writing • Journal articles – Original research – Review articles – Editorials, case reports, etc. • Abstracts – Publication in journals – Submission to medical meetings • Posters – Presentation at medical meetings Examples of Medical Writing • Slide presentations – Original research – Symposia – Roundtables – Advisory boards • Medical education materials – Monographs – Training materials – Prescribing information Examples of Medical Writing • Regulatory documents – Clinical Trial Reports (CTR) – New Drug Applications (NDA) – Investigational New Drug Application (IND) • Marketing materials – Advertisements – Public relations materials – Internet documents – Patient education Required Skills for Medical Writing • Attention to detail • Excellent writing skills • Interpersonal skills • Organizational skills • Scientific skills Education by Degree Science English Journalism Pharmacy Medicine Communication Other 0 Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004. 5 10 15 20 25 Medical Writers (%) 30 35 40 Level of Education 2% 30% 33% Associate's Degree or Below Bachelor's Master's Advanced 35% Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004. Primary Employers of Medical Writers Pharmaceutical Agency University Clinical Research Publishing Health Care Research or Education Professional Society Other 0 Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004. 5 10 15 20 Writers % 25 30 35 40 Freelance • • • • • • • 1/3 of Medical writers Work at home Set your own schedule Income based upon ability to get work Discipline Experience Ability to market yourself Salary • Commensurate with experience and education • $38,000-100,000+ • Mean income of full-time employees approximately $74,000 • Pharmaceutical and communication companies pay best • “Interesting 6-figure job” as seen on CNNMoney.com Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004. Tips for Writing Career • Build skills – Composition, grammar – Read medical literature • Training – Medical writing certification – Statistics • Networking – American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) Resources • American Medical Writer’s Association (AMWA) • American Medical Association Manual of Style • International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)