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Medical writers specialize in writing scientific or research-related journal articles or documents. Some medical writers may also write for health blogs and websites. One of the core skills of a medical writer is knowledge and expertise in the subjects they are writing for. While in various other professions, employees may learn some skills on the job, medical writers need to be well-versed in the medical and scientific concepts prior to hiring.
Being a medical writer comes with legal, ethical and social responsibilities. You cannot rely on any guesswork or opinions in your work. The writing should be factual and quote sound sources.
If you are a hiring team looking for a medical writer or an aspiring medical writer, here are some skills you need to look out for to ensure you are the right candidate for the position.
Medical Knowledge
Depending on the domain you want to work in, you should be familiar with the medical and scientific terms used in that field. For example, if you’re going to work with the physiotherapy team, it is important to be familiar with the jargon that physiotherapists use in their day-to-day operations.
Medicine is a vast field and it’s not possible to know everything about each branch. However, a medical writer should be familiar with general concepts and build upon them as they go.
Strong Grammatical Knowledge and Application
One of the core qualities of a writer is to have a strong grasp of the English language and grammar. While writing well-structured sentences in any writing field is important, it is even more crucial in the medical field. One wrong comma or a quotation can make a huge difference and can even lead to legal repercussions.
Present Research Data Visually
A medical writer also needs to be skilled in creating visual content, such as graphs, charts, and tables for their documentation. A lot of medical data a writer deals with needs to be interpreted and presented in a digestible and visual format. Therefore, it is essential to have a proper understanding of the research and present it accurately.
Formatting and Editing
Typically, most research documents involve some form of a template that the document follows. For example, a study report and a search proposal may follow different formats catering to the need of each document. A medical writer knows how to create templates and is also well-aware of formatting a document correctly. Formatting involves proper spacing, footers, headers, margins, justification, citations, and more.
Are you an existing medical professional looking to shift towards a writing career? Or are you a team looking to hire a savvy medical writer? An industry-specific recruiter can source outstanding candidates in the biopharma, pharmaceutical, CRO, and medical device industries and place candidates in top-level medical companies.
