Science Writer, Medical Communications Medical Writer - Medical Writer / Senior Medical Writer / Principal Medical Writer
A medical or science writer is key member of the editorial team within a medical communications agency. A medical communications agency is tasked by their clients who are usually large pharmaceutical, biotech, medical device, healthcare or clinical research organisations to develop communication strategies that will assist in the delivery of effective campaigns.
The role of a medical or science writer is to write high-quality scientific copy for the wide range of materials that a medical communications agency produces. The scientific and medical information and the language used in these documents written by medical or scientific writers will be tailored to suit the target audience, this could be patients, medical sales representatives, doctors, nurses and healthcare professionals. Documents created by medical or science writers for medical professionals is usually highly scientific but often those intended for patients and the general public will also be written in clear, simple terms with minimal scientific jargon.
Materials include primary papers, Reviews, Education materials, case studies, newsletters, conference materials, websites, slide kits, posters, videos, sales aids.
Medical or science writers are required to keep updated on new developments within any given scientific field and therapeutic area, being aware of the strategies used by clients competitors and advising.
A senior medical or science writer will do all of this and may be given the responsibility of mentoring more junior members of the team, liaise regularly with clients, travel globally to attend conferences, advisory boards and standalone meetings.
A principal medical or science writer will do all of that and in addition may lead an editorial team, consult clients on publication plans and strategy, liaise with the client service and project management teams within the agency and run and/or attend new client pitches.
Skills and Experience required to become a Medical or Science Writer
- Degree in one of the life sciences (ideally PhD)
- Excellent writing skills including the correct use of grammar, punctuation and spelling
- The ability to adapt the language to communicate effectively with a specific target audience
- Understanding of scientific and medical terminology
- Attention to detail
- Good time management, able to meet deadlines
- Good communication & coordination skills, able to work with various stakeholders
- Knowledge of specific therapeutic areas e.g. oncology, diabetes can be beneficial
Salary Levels
The demand for medical or science writers is growing steadily and medical writing can be an excellent career option for Life Sciences graduates. It can be difficult to secure an entry-level Associate Medical Writer (AMW) role, which typically has a salary in the “mid 20s”. Once you have gained some tangible experience in medical or scientific writing, especially if you specialise in a highly sought-after therapeutic area, the salary progression for medical writers is very buoyant as you progress to each next phase of your career as a medical or science writer. People tend to follow a path from Associate Medical Writer to Medical Writer, to Senior Medical Writer, to Principal Medical Writer. The salary bandings for medical writes progress significantly with each step up. Furthermore, there is a lively contract / freelance market for experienced medical or science writers, for which the daily rates can vary from £250 to £500+ per day.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain.
The global cell and gene therapy market was valued at $6.68 billion in 2019 and is expected to reach $13.23 billion in 2023 at a CAGR of 24.10% (Ref. BusinessWire).Also in 2019, a joint report from The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) and the BioIndustry Association (BIA) stated that the UK is a leading source of innovation and development of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) in Europe. These products, which include gene therapies, cell therapies, and tissue-engineered products, are intended to augment, repair, replace, or regenerate organs, tissues, cells, genes, and metabolic processes within the body. Scotland has a strong reputation in research & translational development in these fields and is rapidly growing a vibrant cluster of spin-out therapeutic companies, increasing clinical trials of new Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) as well as expanding its manufacturing capability.
Scotland also has established expertise in developing and manufacturinghuman vaccines(the global market projected to grow to $96b by 2023 according to Business Research Company) and animal vaccines (worth $9b by 2025 – Global Market Insights, Inc).
Scotland’s profile and contribution towards the growth of the UK ATMP sector is increasing rapidly. A strengthening supply chain is supporting new advanced therapy applications – fuelled by world-leading academic expertise in cell & gene therapy and regenerative medicine,. With a forward focus on translation, specialised clinical trials, and GMP manufacture and analysis, Scotland is growing a vibrant infrastructure to support end-to-end development of advanced therapies.
Human and animal vaccine development is a strength in Scotland represented by companies such as Valneva, Neogen, and GalvMed as well as the Moredun Research Institute. In addition to Valneva’s Covid-19 Vaccine programme, Scotland’s supply chain made huge contributions to the development of Covid-19 vaccines including Merck BioReliance, Charles River, Symbiosis, SGS, Ingenza & ReproCell Europe.
One of the largest life sciences clusters in Europe, Scotland is home to a range of multinationals and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) with a strong track record of creating and growing startups.
Scotland has comprehensive supply chains and world class manufacturing expertise supplying chemical and healthcare equipment, pharmaceutical services, medicines, vaccines and diagnostics to the world.
The cluster continues its rapid expansion building on a strong industry base, leading universities with a thriving entrepreneurial culture and close collaborations across industry, academia, the National Health Service and government.
Scotland is a great place to further your career in life sciences. If you are a looking for pharmaceutical jobs in Scotland, scientific careers in Scotland or want to discuss cell therapy, gene therapy, ATMP, medical device, technology, biotech or pharmaceutical job opportunities in Scotland, give our Next Phase team a call. The Scottish area is continuing to expand as a centre for jobs in science, process development, technology, software development, project management, informatics, quality, reg affairs and supply chain.
At Next Phase we help people find new jobs in life sciences across the UK, Europe and USA. This page lists some of the job opportunities in Scotland, and if you give us a call we can also talk to you about other scientific jobs, pharmaceutical career opportunities and the latest updates in cell and gene therapy and ATMP development in the Scottish area.
