Medical Writer

Medical Writer needed for physician-directed newsletter

2009-12-03T16:04:00.001-06:00

Baylor University Medical Center is seeking a writer for its 8-page quarterly newsletter, CancerUpdate, which is sent to approximately 2,000 physicians regionally and nationwide. The writer will be given an outline for each issue, with major themes and sources for each article, and will need to produce a draft with about a three to four-week turnaround and revise it with one-week turnaround. The first issue is available for review. We propose a fixed-price contract of $4,000 per issue.

To be considered, the writer must have at least 4 years of writing experience, including experience with newsletters and/or experience writing for a physician audience. Experience in the oncology field is also preferred.

If you are interested in applying for this contract position, please send a letter of introduction with a resume and samples. The closing date is December 18, 2009, and a writer for the next issue will be chosen by January 8, 2010, with work on the winter issue to being the following week.

For questions, or to submit your application, please contact:

Rosanna Sandlin
Senior Marketing and Public Relations Consultant
Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas
2001 Bryan Street, Suite 750
Dallas, Texas 75201

(214) 820-3062
(214) 820-7499 Fax
BaylorHealth.com

Medical Writing Jobs in the UK

2009-12-01T10:27:00.002-06:00

Fellowships in Science Writing

2009-11-24T11:32:00.000-06:00

Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting Announces Training Fellowships for Journalists

Two Unique Opportunities for Journalists to Focus on Science Reporting

NARRAGANSETT, RI – November 18, 2009 –The Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental reporting is recruiting journalists for two science training opportunities: the Twelfth Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists, June 6-11, 2010; and a Metcalf Institute Science Seminar for Journalists, March 31-April 1, 2010.

The 12th Annual Workshop offers fellowships for early to mid-career journalists to attend a weeklong science immersion program at the University of Rhode Island’s Graduate School of Oceanography, a leading marine science research campus. The 2010 program Coastal Impacts: Energy Sources and the Marine Environment, will explore the value of different energy sources in mitigating climate change and how these options affect surrounding environments. A fellowship provides tuition, room and board, some travel support, and one year of membership with the Society of Environmental Journalists. There is limited space for non-U.S. citizens. Applications for the Twelfth Annual Science Immersion Workshop for Journalists must be postmarked by January 18, 2010.

Metcalf Institute and the Brown University Superfund Research Program will offer a two-day seminar for mid-career journalists at Brown University, entitled “Waiter There’s a Phthalate in My Soup” – Reporting on the Science and Impacts of Toxic Chemicals. This seminar, funded by a grant from the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, will feature leading environmental scientists and journalists, visits to research labs, and discussions on the communication of bisphenol-A and air quality impacts. The Science Seminar for Journalists is tuition-free and includes lodging, but travel costs are not included and space is limited. Applications for the Science Seminar for Journalists must be postmarked by February 8, 2010.

Reporting on the environment, public policy, and even business, often requires journalists to explain complex scientific research and its implications. Metcalf Institute fellowships provide opportunities for journalists to better understand environmental research methods, cultivate scientific sources and sharpen their reporting skills through fieldwork and labs. Fellowship recipients also benefit from informal, off-deadline conversations abut environmental reporting with researchers and veteran journalists. Both programs are available to journalists from all media who are interested in learning about science and the environment. Applicants should have a minimum of one to two years experience as professional journalists and a strong interest in science reporting.

Applications for both programs may be downloaded at www.metcalfinstitute.org. For additional program information, call 401-874-6211 or email fellowships@metcalfinstitute.org.

The mission of the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting is to promote clear and accurate reporting of scientific news and environmental issues; to strengthen understanding and working relationships between members of the scientific community and members of the news media; and to provide opportunities for beginning journalists to learn, on both a formal and an informal level, how to improve their skills in marine and environmental reporting.

The Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting was established in 1997 with funding from three media foundations, the Belo Corporation, the Providence Journal Charitable Foundation and the Philip L. Graham Fund, and from the Telaka Foundation. It is named for the late Michael P. Metcalf, a visionary in journalism and publisher of The Providence Journal Bulletin from 1979-1987. The Metcalf Institute provides science training for reporters and editors to help improve the accuracy and clarity of marine and environmental reporting and offers journalism fellowships in support of diversity and reporting on science and the environment. For more information, contact the Metcalf Institute for Marine and Environmental Reporting at 401-874-6211 or online at www.metcalfinstitute.org.

More on Ghostwriting

2009-11-18T12:40:00.003-06:00

Check out this NYT article on ghostwriting and medical writing.

Cheers!

Medical Writing Jobs - Freelance and Full Time

2009-11-02T11:43:00.003-06:00

Jobs and Cool Risk Communication Graphic

2009-10-24T10:23:00.002-05:00

Now, a colleague sent me a link to a chart illustrating the risks of the HPV vaccine. Very telling. See it here.

Did you miss the CME Webinar?

2009-10-17T20:40:00.002-05:00

We had a great response from attendants to the Free Webinar "CME Opportunities for Medical Writers." But many said they couldn't attend because of schedule conflicts. That's why we are offering the seminar again on Sunday, October 25th at 11:00 AM EST.

Don't miss this opportunity to learn how to expand your medical writing business. Register for the FREE Webinar at the link below:

https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/127287417

Medical Writing Position in NJ

2009-10-17T20:24:00.001-05:00

Sr. Manager, Medical Writing Job Description:

"Growing Pharmaceutical Company located in Princeton, NJ is seeking for a Sr. Manager, Medical Writing to join their organization"

Duties and Responsibilities:

-Serve as the medical writing (MW) representative on Project Teams.
-Provide input to the development of strategy for multinational clinical activities associated with registration and market support of a product.
-Review medical documents generated outside of MW (e.g. Study Protocols, Statistical Analysis Plans, Tables and Listings).
-Prepare/coordinate clinical documents as required (e.g. Clinical Trial Reports (Phase I – IV) and associated appendices, Investigator’s Brochures, Periodic Safety Update Reports, Annual Safety Reports, Ad Hoc Safety Reports, clinical sections of IND/IMPD/NDA/MAA/CTD). Resolve conflicting comments among reviewers and collate comments for submission to consultants/CRO as necessary.
-Prepare/coordinate clinical sections of submission (IND/IMPD/NDA/MAA//CTD) and responses to regulatory authorities, and implement medical writing activities. Interact with multi-disciplinary team members (regulatory, physicians, statisticians, clinicians, data managers and drug safety group) as applicable. Discuss the objectives, timelines, and documents to be generated; coordinate contributions from other groups and pull together the documents in a efficient, non-disruptive manner for submissions to regulatory authorities.
-Manage the activities of internal/external resources and medical writing vendors (i.e. individual consultant medical writers and contract research organization (CRO) medical writers).
-Prepare/review SOP’s and document templates.
-Manage projects within pre-defined budget, pre-defined internal resources and time constraints
-Providing status reports for ongoing projects

Core Competencies:

-Demonstrated medical writing skills and high level interpersonal skills to interact effectively within team and matrix work settings. Sensitivity to cultural differences.
-Excellent written/oral communication skills and highly proficient word processing skills.
-Working knowledge of worldwide registration document requirements including ICH guidelines, EMEA requirements and FDA guidelines and requirements.
-Ability to multi-task, deal with competing priorities, meet aggressive timeline expectations.
-Ability to think clearly, get appropriate input from different disciplines as needed, provide focused answers.
-Team player who is cost conscious, adaptable to change, excellent organization skills, quality focused, with proven analytical and problem solving abilities.

Education and/or Experience Required:

-B.S. degree, advanced degree/Life Sciences preferred.
-7-10 years experience in regulatory writing or equivalent within the pharmaceutical industry, including managing 2-3 global registration dossiers
-Experience with contrast medical and imaging modalities preferred.
-Experience with an electronic based document management system.
-Vendor/consultant management experience preferred

Other:
-International travel, generally to European countries required, approx. 15%.

Required Skills:
MEDICAL WRITING, PHARMACEUTICAL MEDICAL WRITING

Join Aerotek Scientific LLC^SM, one of the fastest growing providers of scientific and clinical research services in the nation. Due to our growth, we're constantly on the lookout for qualified professionals to place in contract, contract-to-hire, and permanent placement positions across the scientific and clinical research communities. At Aerotek Scientific, we know it's more than just your day-to-day responsibilities that can make or break a job. It's the support you get. That's the reason Aerotek Scientific offers a variety of benefits including medical, dental, optical, 401k, and many more. Don't put your career in the hands of just anyone, put it in the hands of a specialist. Join the Aerotek Scientific team! Allegis Group and its subsidiaries are equal opportunity employers.

Contact Information


Contact:	Joanne Kang
Address:	371 Hoes Lane, Suite 203 Piscataway, NJ 08854
Phone:	(732) 447-1194
Fax:	(732) 447-1660

Free Webinar Tonight

2009-10-15T14:16:00.001-05:00

CME Opportunities for Medical Writers

Join us for a Webinar on October 15

Space is limited.
Reserve your Webinar seat now at:
https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/354941312

• Continuing Medical Education (CME) medical writing can be very lucrative because it is specialized.
• There is a shortage of medical writers trained in CME, especially in the new rules.
• The playing field is as level as it will ever be for new writers coming into the world of CME.
• You can learn how to create valuable CME content for physician education.
• Now is the time to learn CME Training for Medical Writers and broaden your skill set for the future.

This FREE Webinar will show you how to take advantage of these new opportunities.

Title:		CME Opportunities for Medical Writers

Date:		Thursday, October 15, 2009

Time:		8:00 PM - 9:00 PM EDT

After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the Webinar.

System Requirements
PC-based attendees
Required: Windows® 2000, XP Home, XP Pro, 2003 Server, Vista

Macintosh®-based attendees
Required: Mac OS® X 10.4 (Tiger®) or newer

Medical Writing Publications Manager Position

2009-10-12T11:10:00.001-05:00

Title: Medical Writing Publications Manager
Location: MD Gaithersburg - Corporate Headquarters
Req: 01879

Position Summary:

Major Duties and Responsibilities (including supervising others):
• Ensures the timely presentation/dissemination of clinical data from investigational pipeline products according to budget timelines strategic publication plans and tactical approaches.
• Ensures that strategically aligned scientific communication points are delivered and that statements and conclusions in publications (manuscripts abstracts posters oral presentations etc.) are accurate and supported by appropriate data.
• Oversees the entire publication development process working closely with authors thought leaders medical writers and other cross-functional publication team members.
• Ensures the quality and transparency of clinical publications by maintaining and promoting familiarity with ICMJE CONSORT AMA and other external standards as well as MedImmune’s publication policy and procedures.
• Creates and maintains publication records in the e-publication system and related files in the document management system ensuring that all author feedback and publication versions are archived.
• Leads cross-functional publication development team meetings and communications among team members.
• Participates in the development of strategic publication plans and tactics attends publication planning team meetings.
• Manages contract resources in the development of publications to meet objectives in a cost efficient and timely manner effectively using project management skills.
• Develops and actively manages relationships with journals sponsor congress organizations and publishers; prepares cover letters and response to journal letters and submits publications for review.
• Creates publication timelines and provides regular publication project status reports to Director Publication Writing and to publication planning teams.
• Develops and improves industry best practice in publication management; participates in the preparation or revision of SOPs and WPDs.
• Oversees the maintenance of database of bibliographic references across assigned therapeutic areas.

Experience:
• 5+ years writing/editing publication experience in pharmaceutical industry communications agency or academic setting relevant to clinical publication development.
• Lead author of 8+ clinical/scientific publications or formal medical writing acknowledgment in 8+ clinical publications.
• Previous experience with management of publication-related vendors required; supervisory experience for direct reports a plus
• Strong track record (5+ years) in publication management required.

Special Skills/Abilities:
• Previous experience writing and editing peer-reviewed clinical publications (manuscripts abstracts posters oral presentations review articles etc.) required.
• Demonstrated ability to manage several projects simultaneously.
• Ability to analyze critically and synthesize complex scientific information from a broad range of scientific disciplines and clinical therapeutic areas.
• Ability to think strategically; demonstrated negotiating skills and resourcefulness.
• Demonstrated leadership qualities to gain credibility and influence cross-functional publication teams and external authors and thought leaders; high degree of influencing skills in shaping and developing publication content and wording.
• Demonstrated ability to make effective decisions even in the absence of complete information and when under pressure.
• Demonstrated ability to drive performance—holds others accountable for high standards and clarifies what needs to be accomplished and the consequences for the individual and/or the organization.
• Demonstrated ability to work collaboratively—seeks input and demonstrates an appreciation for diverse views by incorporating them into decisions/proposals.
Educations:
Requirements/Qualifications:
Education:
• MS degree in a biomedical discipline required; doctorate level (PharmD MD or PhD) preferred.
• AMWA BELS and/or ISMPP certification a plus.

CLICK HERE TO APPLY

Medical Writing Position in Los Angeles

2009-10-01T11:48:00.002-05:00

Scientific Communications Executive

Position Profile

Scientific Communications Executives work with public relations account teams to provide tactical counsel to clients and implement a variety of projects related to the communication of scientific or medical information. They also provide counsel to other healthcare offices within the agency network and assume responsibility for relevant projects and initiatives led by other teams.

Primary Responsibilities

Account/Overall
- Interpret and translate complex clinical or scientific data for lay and science press
- Develop proposals, fact sheets, handbooks, animated tutorials (scripts), web sites/copy, press releases and other materials
- Communicate credibly with professional (e.g., scientific) audiences
- Ensure scientific accuracy of documents other team members prepare
- Instruct staff in the areas of science writing and editing as necessary
- Contribute to the development of strategic client plans (e.g., data communication strategies and tactics)

Client
- Demonstrate a solid understanding of clients’ business and industry (typically pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device or other life science industries)
- Provide client counsel on tactical matters, linked to strategic plans and communication of scientific or clinical data
- Interact with clinical/scientific leaders on the client side
- Prepare and deliver tutorials on relevant scientific subjects
- Generate new ideas and opportunities to ensure client program success
- Assist with development of client presentations

Media
- Understand industry issues that directly and indirectly affect the client
- Demonstrate a well-developed knowledge of relevant media (e.g., science magazines, major healthcare reporters)
- Draft media relations materials (see above)

Qualifications

Education
Ph.D. in life sciences (biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, physiology, genetics, biophysics, etc.).

Professional Experience/Requirements
Proficiency with Word, PowerPoint, Excel
Excellent writing and speaking/presentation skills
1-2 years of related professional experience (PR agency or pharmaceutical/biotechnology company preferred); or
1-2 years continuing medical education/medical advertising experience; or
1-2 years experience as a journalist

Contact:
Frank Orrico, PhD
Senior Vice President, Director of Scientific Communications
P 312.397.6632
forrico (at) webershandwick.com

FREE Webinar: CME Opportunities for Medical Writers

2009-09-29T15:44:00.002-05:00

As a medical writer, you may be feeling the pinch of the economic downturn – fewer clients, fewer writing opportunities, and lower compensation. But wisdom always says that downturns are a great time to prepare yourself for the next wave, and to broaden your skills so that you can ride more comfortably in any economic climate.

There’s been a temporary downturn in the Continuing Medical Education (CME) industry as well. Medical device and pharmaceutical companies, long-time financial supporters of CME education, have reduced funding because of claims of excess influence and bias over CME content. Congress, the media, and the public are scrutinizing the CME industry, demanding bias-free content that improves physician competency and patient outcomes.

The upturn is coming. How? Knowledgeable medical writers are changing the ways in which CME is designed, created, implemented, and evaluated. New funding sources are being developed, and CME is now being more stringently required in medical recertification and licensing of physicians, particularly in specialties – all to improve patient care.

These changes create a HUGE OPPORTUNITY FOR WRITERS who want to break into lucrative CME medical writing, because everyone in the industry has to learn how to create CME that meets these new criteria.

Here’s the opportunity:

• CME medical writing can be very lucrative because it is specialized.
• There is a shortage of medical writers trained in CME, especially in the new rules.
• The playing field is as level as it will ever be for new writers coming into the world of CME.
• YOU can learn how to create valuable CME content for physician education.
• NOW is the time to learn CME Training for Medical Writers and broaden your skill set for the future.

If you want to learn more about this great opportunity, you must attend this FREE Webinar on October 15th, 2009. The webinar will cover:

1. The changes and updated criteria for CME, as outlined by ACCME (the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education) and why YOU need to know them
2. What CME Providers are looking for in sourcing CME writers
3. Overviews of critical CME content areas
a. How to prove there is a need for physician learning
b. Creating educational goals and objectives that meet your identified needs
c. Creating CME content that is valid, current, and unbiased (from commercial interests)
d. Techniques that increase learning and improved physician performance in the clinical setting
e. How to construct post-learning evaluation tools that measure the effectiveness of your content
4. A brief presentation on how YOU can enroll in “CME Training for Medical Writers”, participate in a CME Internship Program, and how this can lead to your first paid CME job.

You get all this, PLUS, for attending this webinar, THREE FREE BONUSES to get you started in CME:

The 7 steps of a needs assessment – proving that physician education is needed
The 18 most frequently used sources to research the need for CME
A one-of-a-kind Chart that connects adult learning styles with the different formats of CME, so that your CME can be learned by physicians most effectively

REGISTER TODAY

The details of your FREE Webinar:

Who: Hosted by Diego Pineda of www.medicalwritingtraining.com, and
Presented by Johanna Lackner Marx, MSW, MPH of www.inquill.com

What: FREE Webinar: “CME Opportunities for Medical Writers”

When: Thursday, October 15, 2009, 5:00pm PST, 7:00pm CST, 8:00pm EST

Where: Click to Register for your FREE Webinar here

Medical Tribune – Medical Writer Job in Singapore

2009-09-29T11:26:00.000-05:00

Medical Tribune (www.medicaltribune.com) is a medical newspaper distributed to general practitioners, specialists and medical professionals throughout the Asia Pacific region. They are currently recruiting medical writers to work as journalists for their publication. This would be a full-time positions based in Singapore.

Qualifications / Skills

Degree in Journalism, Mass Communications or a medical/science field
Possess at least two years’ working experience, preferably at a publication or in an editorial capacity
Excellent news sense
Excellent writing, interviewing, proofreading, editing skills
Able to deliver high quality work under pressure of multiple editorial project deadlines
Time management and deadline-oriented: multi-tasking skills essential
Proactive and able to work independently

Responsibilities

Writing medical news reports for a professional audience
Interviewing key opinion leaders in the healthcare field
Work with managing editor to develop news angles for articles and develop contacts in medical industry
Proofreading and editing medical news and scientific reports
Coverage of local and overseas medical congresses, meetings and press conferences
Liaison with the pharmaceutical industry
Work with managing editor on development of pagination plan
Liaison with in-house design and production team on development of design, layout of copy and print production
Background research in topic area as required
Developing advertorial materials as required
Editorial support for partner journals, as required

Contact:

Paul Pimentel

Deputy Managing Editor

Medical Tribune

Medical Progress

Journal of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology

Email: paul.pimentel@asia.cmpmedica.com

Phone: +65 6223 3788

Fax: +65 6221 4788

www.medicaltribune.com

www.medicalprogress.com

CMPMedica Asia Pte Ltd

No. 3 Lim Teck Kim Road #10-01

Singapore Technologies Building

Singapore 088934

Two Medical Writing Jobs in the UK

2009-09-21T17:02:00.001-05:00

More About Ghostwriting in Medical Journals

2009-09-18T11:14:00.002-05:00

The controversy around marketing manuscripts disguised as scientific papers has created quite a reaction in the medical writing community. I'm glad to see that journal editors are taking steps to stop this practice.

This is what is happening, as told in this NYT article:

"... in light of recently released evidence that some drug makers have gone to great lengths to turn scientific articles into marketing vehicles for their products, some influential medical editors are cracking down on industry-financed ghostwriting. And they are getting help from some members of Congress.

"These editors are demanding that journals impose tougher disclosure policies for academic authors and that the journals enforce their own rules by actively investigating the provenance of manuscripts and by punishing authors who play down extensive contributions by ghostwriters."

These policies include retraction of the papers, and that “authors found to have not declared such interest should be banned from any subsequent publication in the journal and their misconduct reported to their institutions.”

That's all good and clear and hopefully they will actually implement these policies. But what about the medical writers that willingly ghostwrite articles at the request of pharmaceutical companies--sometimes slanting data? Should they be "punished" also? If so, how can we do that? And who would do it? AMWA? Congress?

Should ghostwriting be regulated in medical writing? What do you think?

Medical Writing Jobs

2009-09-09T00:23:00.002-05:00

Online Education & Medical Writing

2009-08-27T13:37:00.003-05:00

From a NYT article:

A recent 93-page report on online education, conducted by SRI International for the Department of Education, has a starchy academic title, but a most intriguing conclusion: “On average, students in online learning conditions performed better than those receiving face-to-face instruction.”

I've always thought that online education has many benefits (accessibility and affordability), but wasn't sure about its effectiveness when compared to on-site training. This is reassuring, because we are trying to take medical writing education online.

What is your experience with online education? Do you think you learn more than in a classroom setting?

CME Position for a Medical Writer in Dallas TX

2009-08-20T23:39:00.002-05:00

The Medical Writer provides content for continuing medical education (CME) activities including, print, online and live meetings as well as non-CME publications such as peer-reviewed journals and direct-to-patient magazines. This is a unique opportunity to apply your years of science training to an alternative career. You will interface with key thought leaders in the oncology community and your work will make a direct impact in the dissemination of cutting-edge information.

Functions include:

Research and evaluate current medical and scientific literature.
Develop content to meet internal customer requirements and requests including but not limited to:

-Needs assessments for grant proposals;
-Educational objectives and agendas for CME meetings;
-Articles for newsletters and journals;
-Slide kits;
-CME documentation.

Work collaboratively with thought leaders, program chairs, consulting faculty and supporters as necessary for content development.
Attend company and other relevant scientific meetings.
Review articles and slide sets submitted by faculty for scientific accuracy.
Meet established production timelines regularly and consistently.
Provide data necessary for departmental reporting activities including regular status reports as established by Director.
Assist in training new Medical Writers as requested.

You are well qualified for this opportunity if you hold a Ph.D. in a scientific discipline and, ideally, have 2 years of medical or scientific writing experience.

If you are interested in pursuing this opportunity, please email to recruiting@klanderson.com all of the following:

1. Resume in Word or Txt format
2. Salary requirement or history
3. Work authorization (H1B, green card holder, citizen, etc)
4. Relocation considerations, if applicable.

Medical Writing and Ghostwriting

2009-08-19T09:14:00.002-05:00

I think this was going to happen sooner or later: the US Senate is moving to stop scientific ghostwriting.

In the past decade (probably more), pharmaceutical companies have been hiring writers to prepare positive journal articles about their products and then pay researchers to lay their names as authors. This ghostwriting practice has been abused to the extent that these papers try to minimize the risks of drugs that have been otherwise shown as high-risk in independent research.

What strikes me about this issue (and the info in this NYT article) is the involvement of a medical writing company:

The documents offer a look at the inner workings of DesignWrite, a medical writing company hired by Wyeth to prepare an estimated 60 articles favorable to its hormone drugs. In one publication plan, for example, DesignWrite wrote that the goal of the Wyeth articles was to de-emphasize the risk of breast cancer associated with hormone drugs, promote the drugs as beneficial and blunt competing drugs. The articles were published in medical journals between 1998 and 2005 — continuing even though a big federal study was suspended in 2002 after researchers found that menopausal women who took certain hormones had an increased risk of invasive breast cancer and heart disease.

Sometimes medical writers walk a thin line when working for the pharmaceutical industry, but this is a blatant sell-out that gives a bad name to our profession. It used to be that the ghostwriter's goal was to organize the researcher's notes and data into a cohesive and clear article. I don't see anything wrong with that. But to publish marketing material as research is simply unethical. Click here to read an old post about AMWA's position on ghostwriting.

I hope universities take a stand against this issue and enforce their regulations on pharma-sponsored faculty.

2009-08-04T11:54:00.023-05:00

Become a CME Specialist

I've asked Johanna Lackner Marx to share some ideas about how medical writers can increase their marketability during this slow economy. As many of you know, Johanna is the Founder and President of InQuill Medical Communications, LLC. She has been a trainer and consultant in the CME industry for 15 years. She has created a comprehensive course on specifically geared toward medical writers interested in entering the CME industry, CME Training for Medical Writers.

In a series entitled "Succeed in a Down Economy - Put CME to Your Toolbox", Johanna will write about how medical writers can benefit from the recent changes in CME.

2009-08-04T11:09:00.022-05:00

SUCCEED IN A DOWN ECONOMY -
PUT CME IN YOUR TOOL BOX
Part 1: Using the Slump to Get Over the Hump

Guest Blog by Johanna Lackner Marx, MPH, MSW
InQuill Medical Communications, LLC
CME Training for Medical Writers

There is no doubt that the recession is affecting a lot of freelance medical writers. A friend of mine, who writes consumer health and patient education articles, recently told me that her business has decreased forty percent. Like a lot of us, she chose the freelance/entrepreneurial route over steady employment in order to be her own boss and have more control over her time and the type of work she does. Now, she says, she’s lucky to get enough new work to cover her basic expenses. She spends her day combing the Internet, sending out her CV, reaching out to contacts, and making cold-calls to strangers. Sound familiar? Last week during a well-deserved rant of frustration, she told me, “Until things turn around, I might as well use this time to learn statistics so I can finally tell the difference between a risk ratio and an odds ration instead of faking it.”

Using the slow down in the market to learn another skill is a good idea and a lot of writers are doing it. This year AMWA is offering over 100 educational sessions during the 3-day annual conference in October so members can “…gain new areas of expertise that can enhance their skills in the many facets of medical communication.” In addition to AMWA’s workshops, Diego lists eleven medical writing programs in his e-book Becoming a Medical Writer. He recently shared with me that his website, medicalwritingtraining.com has gotten a record number of hits in the past six months. The interest and demand is there.

When students fill out their enrollment form for CME Training for Medical Writers, they are asked to state why they decided to take my course. I’ve been surprised by the uniformity of responses. A few students have been successful regulatory or clinical trials writers, but want to work in a field where there is a more immediate sense of mission. Others are just starting out as medical writers and have decided they want to learn how to do CME. But the majority of students, like my friend, are accomplished medical writers who have taken a financial hit and want to add to their skill set so they can be more marketable.

In my next blog, I will tell you about some of the recent changes in the CME industry and how these changes have created a great opportunity for medical writers who know the regulations, the CME development process, and how to create effective content that physicians learn, retain, and use in the clinical setting.

Medical Writing Jobs

2009-07-27T18:50:00.002-05:00

AMWA Annual Conference Registration Now Open

2009-07-21T13:51:00.001-05:00

I just received this notice from AMWA:

AMWA Annual Conference October 22-24, 2009

The registration brochure has been posted and registration is now open!

Remember, workshops fill quickly, and you’ll need 2 alternatives in case your first choice is not available when your registration form is processed. All registration forms are processed by AMWA headquarters in the order received, whether online, mailed, or faxed. Headquarters typically receives 400 registrations in the first day. Be prepared and give staff time to process!

Available breakfast roundtables agendas have been linked in the registration brochure.

Become a CME Specialist

2009-07-20T19:03:00.003-05:00

This past week I heard good news from Johanna Lackner-Marx about her CME course for medical writers.

Some of her graduates are now placed at MECCs and CME departments completing two-month fellowships. The fellowships are a success and she anticipates that they will be hired by their placements to complete work they started during the fellowship.

This is a unique training program that not only gives you the tools to become a Continuing Medical Education specialist (that is, develop CME courses for physicians), but gives you the chance of participating in a fellowship conducting to a job.

The course was launched late 2008 but Johanna has reworked the content with the feedback and needs of her first graduates. Click here to see the new outline. If you want more information or to enroll in the course, go to MedicalWritingTraining.com/CME.

The Importance of Networking When Job Hunting

2009-07-15T12:47:00.002-05:00

Reading a NYT article over the weekend, I was reminded of the importance of networking when looking for a job or simply more freelance work. One phrase from the article stuck with me: "I tapped into a network of colleagues and friends and told everyone I was job hunting."

It occurred to me that sometimes we can be too proud or even ashamed to tell people we are looking for work, but that we shouldn't be--otherwise we'll miss some good job leads. This is specially true in freelance medical writing, where clients ask their networks for referrals to hire new medical writers.

A few months ago, I began transitioning from a full time job to telecommuting, then to part time and now into freelancing. I started looking for gigs in the usual places (Internet job postings, etc.) but nothing came out of it.

Then, a former colleague emailed asking how things were going and I mentioned that work was slow and that if she knew of something to please let me know. A few days later, she came back to me with a great freelance project from her organization which I was happy to take on. I hadn't even began working on this when a recruiter call me about another job. It turned out my colleague had mentioned my name to someone else in her company and they in turn mentioned my name to this recruiter.

So, don't limit yourself to sending out resumes to every company in the phone book. Network and let your colleagues and friends about your medical writing skills. Even in the midst of a recession, medical writers can still find jobs.

If you have had similar experiences about the importance of networking, please share them.

Thanks for reading!