On 5th July, Langland hosted a webinar on careers in medical writing, during which various members of the editorial team – from experienced team leads to those new into the industry – provided insights into the career path and the opportunities it presents in both the short and long term.
Evidence generation and communication: a guide to getting started in HEOR/market access medical writing
By Linda Harrison, 4th edition published June 2021 [Download your copy]
This guide focuses on medical writing roles in the HEOR/market access arenas, but will be of interest to anyone who wants to understand more about the business of ensuring access to new medicines and devices for patients. If you have an interest in the commercial aspects of healthcare delivery and in helping deliver value to patients, a passion for writing and enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, then working in HEOR/market access might be for you. This guide will provide you with an in-depth introduction to this specialist area.
This issue includes twelve personal profiles written by current specialists in leading HEOR/market access companies, describing their personal journeys and the day-to-day work they now do.
The fourth edition of this careers guide about HEOR and market access medical writing is freely available here, published by Burntsky Ltd in June 2021, and it will now be updated every year.
Here’s a useful reminder that MedComms is not just about writers and account/project managers.
This video from McCann Health Medical Communications explains the breadth of the editor’s role.
Do you have strong scientific credentials, but the lab isn’t for you? Are you interested in a job that deals with cutting-edge developments in medicine? If so, watch this recording of a webinar from the Helios Global Group, ‘Life outside of the lab – understanding a career in medical communications’.
You will learn about medical communications, how to successfully start a career in ‘MedComms’, the recruitment opportunities that are available at Helios and what to expect from the application and interview process. The Helios panel, Liam Burnham (Associate Scientific Director), Anoja Dissanayake (Scientific Project Lead), Sarah El-Sheikh (Scientific Lead) and Philippa Griffiths (Scientific Database Coordinator) – all of whom have been in your position and know what it’s like to love science but want something beyond the lab.
Recorded as a live webinar, 3 June 2021, by the Helios Global Group and is included here with their permission.
In this webinar we are joined by Beth Wynne-Evans, Natasha Daoud and Jessica Sale who have all qualified in clinical medicine and then transitioned into careers in MedComms, and now form The Porterhouse Medical Advisory Group (MAG). Some people are surprised not to find more medics working directly in medical communications. We’ll learn how this specialist group believes they offer first-hand clinical experience to colleagues and clients, adding value as they can provide insight into what resonates with fellow health care professionals (HCPs) and patients, to leave a lasting impact on prospective prescribers. And we answer questions from the audience.
It should be of interest to anyone who is looking for insights in to MedComms as a career, but in particular anyone with a medical background.
Recorded 19 May 2021 as a MedComms Networking webinar. Produced by NetworkPharma.tv
Making it my own business: a guide to being a freelance writer in MedComms
By Dr Kathryn White, 2nd edition published April 2021 [Download your copy]
Freelancing in MedComms offers a great way of making a living for medical writers. Reasons for becoming a freelancer are many and varied: redundancy, a long daily commute to the office or changing family commitments. Some people leave employment because of bad experiences with their employers. Others feel they’re moving further away from the work they love as their careers progress and line management responsibilities take precedence. Within organisations, a medical writer’s role may be quite narrow, focusing on one specific type of writing or document or
a particular therapeutic area. Continue reading
In this webinar, we’re joined by Cassidy Fiford (Medical Writer, Oxford PharmaGenesis) and Danny Hawker (Senior Medical Writer, Ashfield MedComms) to talk about their own journeys into MedComms and their current roles, the day-to-day working life of medical writers, training opportunities and career prospects. Both panellists have been profiled in the new issue of our annual FirstMedCommsJob careers guide, From academic to medical writer: a guide to getting started in medical communications, published in March 2021. And we answer questions from the audience.
It should be of interest to anyone who is looking for insights in to MedComms as a career and how to maximise their chances of gaining an entry level job.
Recorded 31 March 2021 as a MedComms Networking webinar. Produced by NetworkPharma.tv
From academic to medical writer: a guide to getting started in medical communications
By Dr Annick Moon, 13th edition published March 2021 [Download your copy]
This guide focuses on medical writing careers in medical communications, in particular in MedComms agencies. The MedComms industry provides consultancy services to pharmaceutical companies, and the role of the medical writer is to use science and language to deliver these services successfully, while working to the highest ethical standards and adhering to industry regulations and guidelines.
The aim of this guide is to give you the information you need to decide if you are suited to the role of medical writer, and to provide the insider knowledge you need to excel at interview.
This issue includes ten personal profiles written by current medical writing specialists in leading MedComms agencies, describing their personal journeys in to MedComms and the day-to-day work they now do as well as an updated directory of agency contacts. Continue reading
So, hopefully after reading our CV guide you have now secured yourself an interview. The majority of companies during the pandemic have had to pivot to virtual interviewing. Despite this shift the most important advice doesn’t actually change (read our article on general interview tips for medcomms). However, to help your next video interview go as smoothly as possible we’ve collated some specific tips from speaking with clients and candidates sitting on both sides of the interviewing process.
When you find a recruiter you gel with it can be the beginning of a life-long relationship, a trusted partner you can turn to for professional advice at any stage of your career. It’s worth remembering that a lot of jobs don’t get advertised and a professional, specialist recruiter can give you inside information on the medcomms market that is hard to find anywhere else. Your recruiter may hold the ticket to your dream job, so here are some tips on getting the most out of that relationship.
