After spending more than three years doing cancer research in a lab for my PhD, I knew that it was time for a career change. Although I loved the people, my research, and the ability to put “Dr” on every online form I could get my hands on, I felt myself gravitating more and more towards opportunities to explain science to wider audiences. As a result, I made the switch to MedComms and started work as an Associate Medical Writer at Publicis Resolute. Here are a few of my favourite things about the move from lab life to working in a MedComms agency. Continue reading
Category Archives: People
Top tips for starting out as a medical writer
Ellie Judd is an Associate Medical Writer with Real Science and has suggested 10 practical top tips to bear in mind if you are starting out as a medical writer in MedComms.
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My first medcomms job
Emma Perry, a Senior Account Executive at Publicis Resolute, has written an acrostic, spelling out her enthusiasm for medical communications…
Many people ask me how I started working in medical communications, and the answer is quite straightforward.
Essentially, I really enjoyed the fast-paced environment and day-to-day variety in my previous PR agency, but I missed the science! Continue reading
Time flies when you’re having fun – as an Associate Medical Writer
Rhiannon Roberts has been an Associate Medical Writer with Real Science for 10 months now, and reflects on her experience of MedComms so far…
As I came towards the end of my PhD in Cell Biology, I started looking at the obvious (and what I thought at the time was the only) next step – a postdoc in the same field. I didn’t know much about MedComms, and I had definitely never considered a career in it.
During my search for a postdoc position I became worried about getting stuck in the same field/doing the same experiments forever. At this point a friend of mine who had already made the leap out of academia encouraged me to explore the world of MedComms. I haven’t looked back.
Life as a senior medical writer
David Griffiths, Senior Medical Writer at Bioscript, writes about his day which he describes as comprising “technical excellence and tea-fuelled multitasking”…
The first thing I like to do when I arrive at my desk in a morning is check my emails and update my to-do list from yesterday afternoon, based on anything that’s come in overnight. Sometimes there’s lots of messages, particularly during busy periods in preparation for congresses, but fortunately there’s just a few additional actions for me today.
Reflecting on the Nucleus Global Academy
Manoshi Nath has recently been through the Nucleus Global Academy, and is now working as an Associate Medical Writer at Articulate Science.
Since finishing my MSc in Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield, I had been searching for an opportunity that would take me away from the lab while still letting me apply my scientific background. I had heard the term ‘medcomms’ being mentioned in conversations when talking to my peers about plans after university. Although it sounded like something I would genuinely enjoy doing, after a few unsuccessful applications I ended up settling for a research analyst’s job. However, 9 months later I have moved away from my previous role, ready to jump head first into the exciting entry-level Academy Scheme at Nucleus Global. I still can’t quite believe it, and I couldn’t be happier to be the first intake on this new initiative!
Allegro: A new writer’s views on an innovative approach to training by Alexander Bowen
From my first contact with Ashfield Healthcare Communications, the company has taken every opportunity to impress and to stand out from crowd. After two weeks on their Allegro programme, I am happy to see that this attitude still continues and I am delighted to be starting a new career in medical writing with the right company. As such, I am compelled to write about my time so far and encourage any aspiring medical writers to join the Allegro programme and to apply as soon as possible!
When I began applying for medical writing jobs I was surprised by the behaviour that I encountered with some healthcare communications agencies: messages were lost, replies came very late and I was chasing people for a clear response. In short, the companies were not very good at communication! Fortunately, this was not the case with Ashfield. From the beginning, the recruitment team and Allegro staff have had a responsive, attentive and diligent approach to correspondence, providing clear, helpful and comprehensive communication. I find it encouraging to see the company demonstrating good values through the actions of its staff right from the start. I found Ashfield’s digital presence the most impressive, with the LifeAtAHC website providing an insight to the working culture, and was amazed that several detailed articles already existed for Allegro, a programme that only started earlier this year.
