Everything You Need To Know About Hiring a Medical Writer

Whether you’re a small medical startup or a larger pharmaceutical company, hiring a medical writer will always help towards ensuring your company’s external communication with stakeholders is effective.

Hiring any new employee takes careful consideration, but hiring a medical writer requires an even more rigorous process to make sure you have hired the most skilled and knowledgeable writer for the duties they will be carrying out.

Let’s take a look at what a medical writer can do for your company and what 4 critical skills you should be looking for no matter what.

What can a medical writer do for you?

Medical writers are hired to write and edit content for documents relating to research-led medical science. This content may be for documents such as promotional literature, product information, journal manuscripts, healthcare website copy, and so much more.

Often, the best medical writer to hire is a specialized freelance writer who’s versatile and knowledgeable across a range of medical disciplines. Just make sure they’re professional, reliable, well-trained, and highly skilled in the formalities of medical writing.

What skills should you look for?

1. In-depth industry knowledge

Perhaps the most important skill a medical writer should have is an in-depth knowledge in the life sciences field. Having comprehensive experience writing for basic science subjects acts as a strong foundation – any additional specialized knowledge is a massive bonus. It’s also beneficial if a medical writer is certified by formal training. The most valued credentials in the US come from medical bodies like the American Medical Writing Association (AMWA).

2. Excellent accuracy

Any writer who consistently produces high quality work will always emerge at the top of the pile as a standout candidate. Producing focussed, precise and error-free writing is an absolute must for any writer, and it’s also important to hire someone who can showcase their growth as a specialist. Learning about meticulous medical processes is a tough feat, so medical writers should always show clarity in their writing and a willingness to learn.

3. Adaptable and versatile

The best candidate will have strengths in a range of areas. A broad skill set is always best because they will be able to adapt their writing to any required area or topic. Being willing and ready to take on any responsibility is a huge asset and enthusiasm goes a long way. Having the versatility to write competently about anything and everything is gold dust, so always look for writers who show plenty of self-motivation and curiosity.

4. Analytical Skills

The nature of medical writing is highly technical, so medical writers should have attentive analytical skills to ensure they thoroughly understand the numerous documents they are required to read through. There’s an extensive amount of data and information in medical science, so experience in documentation analysis and product analysis is an important skill to have as an adept medical writer. Having good time management also demonstrates how dedicated someone is to accomplishing client tasks to a high standard.