You finished your PhD knowing you don't want to work in Academia and are considering transitioning into medical writing.
I bet you must be thinking you need to start working on your writing skills. It's so obvious, right? It's in the name!
But before you start putting all your eggs in the writing basket, let me save you some time: no, writing skills are not the most essential skills to have in ones arsenal as a Medical Writer.
Of course, you must know how to construct sentences, use grammar correctly, punctuate where necessary, and clearly communicate complex concepts. These writing skills will get you the job if there’s a written test involved. But these skills are far from those that will help client relations or your career progress.
To believe that medical writing is only about the writing skills is like believing that to create a symphony you only need one instrument.
Because medical writing is as much about dealing with and organising people, overcoming software issues, and juggling multiple documents as it is about writing.
And I'm sure you already have some of these skills even if your writing is not yet perfect. You might just need some help here and there. And that is why we are here for, at Sarah Tilly Mentoring!
So don't hang up on the writing part of medical writing and keep reading to learn what other skills you already have, and what are the ones you should focus on to become a Medical Writer.
I bet you must be thinking you need to start working on your writing skills. It's so obvious, right? It's in the name!
But before you start putting all your eggs in the writing basket, let me save you some time: no, writing skills are not the most essential skills to have in ones arsenal as a Medical Writer.
Of course, you must know how to construct sentences, use grammar correctly, punctuate where necessary, and clearly communicate complex concepts. These writing skills will get you the job if there’s a written test involved. But these skills are far from those that will help client relations or your career progress.
To believe that medical writing is only about the writing skills is like believing that to create a symphony you only need one instrument.
Because medical writing is as much about dealing with and organising people, overcoming software issues, and juggling multiple documents as it is about writing.
And I'm sure you already have some of these skills even if your writing is not yet perfect. You might just need some help here and there. And that is why we are here for, at Sarah Tilly Mentoring!
So don't hang up on the writing part of medical writing and keep reading to learn what other skills you already have, and what are the ones you should focus on to become a Medical Writer.
The not-so-obvious skills of a Medical Writer
Soft skills
IT skills
Analytical skills
Stay tuned for the next installment
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