Medical Writer Salaries in USA

Can Write ? Will Pay !


I often do "window-shopping" on job-search websites, which is a good way to catch some industry career buzz. This time, the position of a "medical writer" or "health writer" or even "Biomedical writer" caught my eye. Interestingly, it is the cash-rich pharmaceutical and biomedical device companies that are fueling the demand for Medical writers. Since MDs too can get into the Medical writing business, I deemed it relevant for inclusion on this blog.

Specifically, this one on career-builder:

"several openings for Medical Writers and Directors...We are looking for PhDs, PharmDs, and MDs that have experience preparing preclinical and clinical manuscripts for publication in oncology..position with a great amount of upward mobility. The more you can handle, the more we we will give you. Salary is wide open depending on experience."

Annual Base Salary was ranged at: $65,000.00 to $115,000.00 per annum - contingent on education and experience.

Several physicians / doctors have been looking into this field either as a complete switch over for a career change or a partial one. There are different ways a physician could practice this profession:

- Freelancer
- Writing for the pharmaceutical industry
- Public relations/advertising/marketing writing
- Web/multimedia/Blogging


As you would guess, the bankability of a medical writers lies on his or her years of successful writing record, hence the national average incomes of these guys are structured here as per the years of experience. Since these are national averages, don't be surprised if you come across a big shot medical writer who earns more in 6-figures.

• 0 to 2 years = $50,000/-
• 2 to 5 Years = $60,000/- to $90,000/-
  
• More than 5 Yrs = $70,000/- to More than 100,000/-
  

There are generalized salaries - the pays are higher if we looked at only the Pharmaceutical companies, clinicians and for writers knowledgeable about FDA regulations who are sought to write proposals for new drug and medical device approvals.

To get a sense of what the job involves, read this article by Hilary Dean


Q. How to become a medical writer in USA ?

A. While indulging in a certifying, formal course-work is still something new, most people do it with various grades of experience, are already educated in life-science related degrees. As this article on CNN puts it - "about 80 percent of medical writers who write regulatory copy have at least a master's degree in one of the life sciences. About 30 percent have a Ph.D. or a doctorate in pharmacy."

I did come across Masters level programs like the Masters of Arts program in Science Writing at Johns Hopkins University

As the University website says about their graduates:

"Some have been or are now on the staffs of newspapers and magazines - A few now have jobs designing science exhibits for museums - Some write for universities or scientific institutions and Increasingly they write for websites."

You might wanna check the educational courses available on the American Medical Writers Association.

I guess the term 'write' would be a misnomer, coz' all medical writers would rather be typing the material than writing...but then of course, the term 'write' has changed in meaning to imply literary output rather how the literature is manufactured.


Recently, I saw a job opening for a Science Writer Position on 23andMe.com, which is a Health Information Startup firm founded by Anne Wojcicki - Yeah the wife of Sergey Brin (Google's co-founder with Larry Page). Here are how the requirements go:

• "Bachelor's degree in biological sciences or allied fields.
• Graduate training in a biological discipline preferred, but not required.
• Strong creative writing ability.
• Journalistic training and/or experience preferred.
• Ability to convey complex scientific concepts in understandable and entertaining prose for non-scientists.
• Interest in or basic knowledge of genetics and anthropology.
• Broad familiarity with different biological disciplines."

Let me add that understanding statistics and ability to communicate the results of statistical analysis in a lucid way is a big plus.


Hmmmmm......thinking already ?


Also Read:

- American Medical Writers Association
- Clinician's Guide to Medical Writing
- Medical Writing 101: A Primer for Health Professionals




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