If you are a writer, or in any profession, it is always beneficial to join associations, organization, clubs or guilds in order to stay abreast of the industry and mingle and network with your counterparts. This is the way to stay informed and connected. The American Medical Writers Association is a great example of a segmented group of the writing population. They offer medical writers education programs, conferences, freelance directory, job market information and other products and services.
The European Medical Writers Association (EMWA) puts out a valuable journal entitled "The Write Stuff." It is packed with articles of interest to a medical writer. Below are some the topics and articles they have recently published.
- Medical writing at home
- Business Strategies for Freelancers and Small Businesses
- Guidelines for Medical Writers: Recent news from EMEA
- How to Publish in Biomedical Journals
- Freelance Medical Writing; The Complexities of Client/Freelance Interactions
"Scientific medical writing started to be taken seriously as a career within the pharmaceutical industry over 20 years ago when requirements for the reporting of data to regulatory bodies became considerably more complex," writes Linda Mizen.
Some of the difficulties she faced in starting her freelance medical writing career as some you might face as well. Because of confidentiality agreements it might be hard for you to showcase your work and thereby get yourself known. Another hurdle of medical writing is finding the best way to access published data, reference books and pharmacopoeias without spending too much time or too much money. You can always find general information on the Web but more in depth studies require much more.
Juggling deadlines and payments are something all writers will deal with including those who specializes in the medical field. Negotiating skills are something every writer needs. How do you get the information you need, a deadline extended or communication problems solved without them?
Another hurdle to good communication is the 'middle-man' syndrome. It is always better for the writer to work directly with the person who requires the writing. If a boss or secretary get in the line of communication on either side, miscommunications can result. Emails are great because you have in writing what needs to be communicated. If there is a question it can be clarified, again in writing. Not only does this help clear up miscommunications it is also proof that a certain task was asked to be done a certain way etc.