Advice for Aspiring Medical Writers
“Wow, you are the first medical writer I ever met!”
“What is your job all about?”
I get this question A LOT! I decided to post a short blog to help people understand what I do and to inspire junior writers and anyone interested in pursuing this field. Medical writing is a specialized field that plays a crucial role in conveying complex healthcare information to various audiences, from healthcare professionals to the general public. Effective medical writing is not just about sharing information; it's about ensuring accuracy, clarity, and, most importantly, accessibility.
I’ve been doing this for over a decade now, and here are my top five pieces of advice for medical writers:
1. Know your audience
Adapting and adjusting the message to suit the intended audience is fundamental in medical writing. Your audience can range from medical professionals and patients to policymakers, thus making it essential to adapt your language, tone, and level of detail to meet their needs and understanding. Patient education materials require a friendly tone with simplified information, in stark contrast to the high level of detail and technical jargon used when writing journal articles.
2. Be meticulous
During my many years as a medical writer, I’ve learned that this job demands an unwavering commitment to accuracy. After all, errors in medical content can have serious consequences, from misdiagnoses to treatment errors. Medical writers have the responsibility to carefully research, fact-check, and cross-reference their information with trusted sources. Moreover, precision in language and terminology is crucial. Medical writing is inundated with abbreviations that need to be accurately defined. Just imagine that DOA can mean Date of Admission or Dead on Arrival, and that’s a huge difference!
3. Structure is vital for clarity
Medical content is often dense and complicated. Content needs to be organized with clear headings and subheadings; this type of structure aids comprehension and enables readers to locate specific information quickly. Using plain language, concise sentences, and logical organization ensures that readers can grasp complex concepts readily and without having to sift through time-consuming and burdensome documents.
4. Be responsible, ethical and transparent
As a medical writer, you must adhere to ethical guidelines and maintain transparency. This includes proper citation of sources, declaration of potential conflicts of interest, and respect for patient confidentiality. Ethical conduct builds trust among readers and ensures that medical information is disseminated responsibly.
5. Commit to lifelong learning
The field of medicine is constantly evolving. New treatments, research, and policies are frequently published in every medical field. Continuous learning keeps your content relevant and enhances your ability to critically evaluate and synthesize information for your next project.
Commit yourself to lifelong Learning. The most valuable asset you will ever have is your mind and what you put into it. – Albert Einstein
In my opinion, medical writing is a specialized discipline that requires a unique set of skills. We, as medical writers, have a responsibility to ensure that medical information is communicated effectively with an overarching aim to promote better patient care and facilitate scientific progress.
