You might be surprised to learn that medical copywriting is more than just writing your prescriptions and nursing charts. Many doctors and nurses are still learning the ropes when it comes to writing for the medical community. However, thanks to technology, the field has become much more complicated. This type of writing requires you to understand both medicine and the industry in which you’ll be working.
Here, we’ll discuss what is medical copywriting, including some of the most in-demand roles and requirements within the field.
Key Takeaways
- Know your audience
- Create material that is informative and engaging
- Embrace consistency and timeliness
- Use SEO to enhance your material’s discoverability
Who’s Writing This Content?
Generally speaking, a medical writer is someone who specializes in creating content for the medical industry. While there isn’t any specific degree required to become a medical writer, almost all of the people in this field have some formal education in journalism or medical writing. Since the field is so varied and can require frequent learning, many medical writers also consult, edit, and/or review medical documents as a part of their job.
Additionally, since so much of the work is done remotely, it’s necessary to have a high degree of professionalism, both in person and digitally. Thanks to the expanding world of AI and the growth of remote work, there are more opportunities than ever for medical writers, especially those looking for a more traditional nine-to-five job. Some of the largest organizations in this space include:
- Hiremedies
- MediCorp
- Oberlo
- OneOpinion
- Preferred Professionals
- Red Ventures
- Reflective
- Rosebush Communications
- Scotch & Soda
- Sigma Health Sciences
- The Medical Media Company
- University of Chicago Medicine
- Wex Medical
What Kinds of Material Do They Produce?
Depending on your education and experience, you may be asked to write a variety of material for your fellow medical professionals. This could include anything from patient education materials to promotional material for upcoming medical events or research studies. The most in-demand roles in this space produce a lot of educational material, particularly for patients, families, and other consumers.
Since health care professionals are already facing an uphill battle when it comes to engaging and informative content, many of the medical writers I’ve spoken with say that the more educational and accessible the content, the more likely it is to be read and absorbed by the audience.
Roles Within the Industry
As mentioned, the field is so varied that there are many different roles an experienced medical writer can perform. Since the requirements and responsibilities vary from role to role, let’s take a quick look at some of the more common ones.
1. Content strategist
This is a role that entails coming up with a strategic vision for the content produced by the organization. Sometimes this is a part of the hiring process, as an organization needs someone to help them define their content strategy before any work is done. Once they have that, they can map out the content schedule and review the process that will be followed from beginning to end. Essentially, a content strategist sets the tone and overall strategy for the content created by the organization. This is a fairly new role within the industry and many medical writers say that the pay and perks are great, but the hours are horrible. The content strategist works remotely as much as possible and spends a lot of time thinking and planning. Additionally, since this is a highly strategized role, it requires a lot of collaboration. In most cases, a content strategist is a jack-of-all-trades, with experience in digital marketing, health care communications, social media, and content strategy.
2. Editor
An editor is someone who works with content that has already been produced and, from a publishing standpoint, takes it from good to great. The role of an editor is very similar to that of a reporter, with one key difference: An editor is generally expected to have a good sense of what will make a piece of content work in the first place. This includes the research and background knowledge needed to clearly and concisely state an argument or a theory. Additionally, since editorial content is meant to be educational and informative, it’s important that the knowledge and understanding possessed by the writer is easily and clearly communicated to the reader.
3. Copyeditor
A copyeditor works with an editor to make sure that the content produced is of the highest quality possible, especially when that content is designed to be read and digested by a wide audience. A copyeditor is someone who has specific skills in grammar, spelling, and word choice, as well as a solid understanding of how all of these elements work together to create readable and, hopefully, educational content.
4. Fact-checker
A fact-checker works with the copyeditor to make sure that the content produced is as accurate and up-to-date as possible, particularly when that content is being used to support a specific argument or point of view. Sometimes fact-checking can be as simple as getting the author’s facts right, but in some cases it can involve checking the sources and verifying the information presented. Essentially, a fact-checker is someone who has a good understanding of how journalism works and how quotes and facts are supposed to be used in a story.
5. Risk manager
Risk managers work with the content strategist and editor to make sure that the content is prepared according to accepted standards and with full consideration of legal and financial aspects. In many cases, a risk manager is also the person in charge of publishing, as well as the person answering the phone in case of media inquiries.
6. Marketing manager
Marketing managers work with the strategist and editor to create a content schedule and to come up with plans to disseminate the content produced by the organization. From a digital marketing standpoint, a marketing manager works with SEO, content strategy, and social media to determine the optimal approach for the organization to take in terms of gaining the most traction and the most engagement with an audience.
7. Translator
A translator takes written content and converts it into a different language, generally for the purpose of broader dissemination. A translator works with a marketing manager to get the most out of new languages and platforms, and to determine the most effective approach for broadening the reach of the content.
8. Book reviewer
A book reviewer evaluates and comments on the merits of a newly released book, generally speaking within the context of popular culture. However, a book reviewer can also be someone who has extensive knowledge of an academic subject and comments on the quality of the writing within a specific book.
What Does a Medical Writer Do?
Now that you have a better idea of the range of jobs that a medical writer can perform, it’s time to discuss what a typical day can look like. Since the field is so varied, let’s take a quick look at the work of an experienced medical writer, Amy McCracken. By taking into account both her previous and current positions, along with the education and training she’s had, here’s a general overview of what a day in the life of an experienced medical writer looks like:
9 to 5
With more and more people working remotely, particularly in the health care and education fields, many working-class jobs have become extinct, particularly those that require travel. In these cases, employers are generally looking for someone who can do the job from a home office. In most cases, this is a nine-to-five job, with plenty of opportunity for remote working. Thanks to the proliferation of AI and virtual assistants, many of the routine tasks that used to be performed by humans are now a thing of the past. As a result, the number of available positions in this space has increased dramatically.