Generate profits with medical writing

Chris Kahlberg, 61, is officially retired. But when he’s not exploring a brand new a part of the world from the saddle of his bike, he has a lucrative side hustle — medical writing.

Kahlberg earns $170 an hour summarizing medical safety studies, writing reports and drug safety analyses. The industry standard runs from $93 to greater than $113 an hour, in keeping with the American Medical Writers Assn.
Kahlberg thinks medical writing is a great side hustle for good communicators with a science background or medical experience.

“There may be such a necessity,” he says. “I feel you’d must have some medical knowledge, but there are quite a lot of opportunities on the market.”

LinkedIn lists greater than 2,400 open medical writing jobs. And plenty of of them pay handsomely. A clinical editor position at Merck, for example, has an estimated salary range of $96,000 to $165,000 a yr. One other medical writing management position has a $156,000-to-$224,000 annual salary range.

Salary.com says that the median annual income for a medical author in Latest York is greater than $87,000. Other sites estimate that even starting medical writers can earn greater than $50,000 annually. And the American Medical Writers Assn. notes that the majority medical writers work from home no less than a part of the time.

What’s medical writing?

Medical writing covers a broad range of communication.

This could include research reports, study summaries and articles about clinical studies. It will possibly involve skilled communication by doctors to doctors about scientific breakthroughs and latest treatment options; vendor-to-doctor communication about latest drugs, dosages and coverings; and patient brochures that specify treatment options and unwanted effects.

There’s also a broad regulatory side of this business that involves penning grant proposals and reports for the Food and Drug Administration. And, after all, there’s a considerable sales, marketing and promoting side of the occupation.

In other words, medical writing ranges from highly technical and heavily scientific to way more accessible consumer-oriented stories. But what all medical writing has in common is a concentrate on clarity, accuracy and compliance with FDA rules.

Who can do it

Theoretically, the one requirements for medical writers are excellent communication skills combined with a passion for science. Nonetheless, since the required material could be highly technical, some corporations prefer writers with advanced scientific degrees or experience within the medical field.

If you may have each, you’re golden. Kahlberg, for example, has a doctorate and worked in pharmaceutical development for GSK before he retired. But that level of experience is just not necessarily required, particularly for consumer-facing communication, corresponding to brochures about treatment options.

The American Medical Writers Assn. also offers an “essential skills” certificate program. Along with basic grammar and punctuation, the essential skills program delves into medical terminology, reporting on statistics and medical ethics.

The course costs $850 for members and $1,235 for non-members and frequently takes about six months to finish. (Membership costs $199 annually, so in case you’re considering the course, it is sensible to affix beforehand for the discount.)

Where to search out work

Kahlberg maintains there are such a lot of recruiters searching for medical writers on LinkedIn that your best bet is to easily revise your resume there to emphasise your scientific writing chops. If you may have the background and clips, jobs will come to you, he said.

A blogger who calls himself the CheekyScientist suggests that prospective medical writers join the American Medical Writers Assn. to get access to the location’s membership directory and native chapters, where you may network.
Job boards corresponding to Indeed and Glassdoor even have copious medical writing positions listed. And sites corresponding to ServiceScape, Skyword and Contently even have medical writing assignments you could tap, if you may have the suitable background and credentials.

The hardest part is getting the primary few assignments, in keeping with the CheekyScientist. But he maintains that in case you do job, word of mouth is probably going to usher in a continuing stream of labor.

First published Dec. 2022