Are you looking to make your mark in the medical writing field? Whether you're an experienced freelance writer or new to health writing, crafting a standout medical writing portfolio is crucial for attracting potential clients. This comprehensive guide offers step-by-step guidance on creating a portfolio that showcases your medical writing expertise ..read more

Take your needs assessment to the next level with compelling narrative and expert insights. Needs assessments form the backbone of successful continuing medical education (CME) grant proposals. Over the past few years, they have evolved from simple literature reviews to targeted, data-driven analyses that paint a compelling picture of practice gaps and educational needs.  The Write Medicine podcast recently featured two in-depth discussions on crafting winning needs assessments to help CME providers and writers navigate this complex landscape. Today, we'll turn key points from those podc ..read more

Make it stand out Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference. Medical writers are some of the most in-demand professionals in the writing industry. Unlike many other areas of writing, medical writing isn't as subject to the whims of evolving technologies, making it a very desired niche for many writers.  While no industry is immune to the tides of change, the demand for medical writers is expected to remain high for the foreseeable future, with favorable factors influencing medical writer market demand.  If you're a writer, editor, or content crea ..read more

From choosing a niche to setting up your very own medical writing business, we’ve got you covered in this ultimate guide to becoming a medical writer. Are you a clinician or academic with a hankering to try something new? Many practicing healthcare providers (HCPs) and researchers are venturing from the demands of clinical practice and academia into medical writing, a career in high demand that can offer much more flexibility, particularly if you go freelance.  With so many people pursuing medical writing, we've put together this ultimate guide for you. Expect to read about what medical ..read more

Learn how to write top-notch lit reviews, plus review types, and how to conduct them effectively As a medical writer, you'll likely be called on to write a literature review or be asked to review the literature as a foundation for whatever project you’re working on. However, it’s easy to get sucked into a rabbit hole, especially if your objectives aren’t clear and you don’t have a robust search strategy. We explored this a little in EP48 of Write Medicine.  Picture this: You're a medical writer tasked with developing a CME grant proposal on the latest advances in treating a particular di ..read more

Get your solo medical writing career off the ground Have a hankering to go freelance?  Or perhaps you're exploring freelance medical writing as a transitional phase until you figure out what comes next? Forbes reports that over one-third of the workforce identifies as independent workers in 2024 as freelance work continues to gain momentum.  Whatever your reason is for going freelance, you’ll need to be prepared, especially since it’s generally harder to break into freelance work without an industry track record.  Harder, but not impossible.  Here are ten actionable steps ..read more

How choosing a niche can benefit your medical writing career If you're a current or aspiring freelance medical writer, you've probably faced a few career challenges. Namely, should you nourish a niche or be a generalist? While there are advantages to both paths, we're here to talk about finding a niche today through the CME writing lens. While every medical writer has to find their path, we're partial to CME writing here at Write Medicine. So, let's explore what CME writing is - and is not - and how you can find your own niche, whether it's in CME or a different area entirely. What is CME Med ..read more

Why discipline is a key quality for medical writers seeking more flexibility through a freelance career. There's a powerful discourse in the medical writing community about the flexibility and freedom to be found as a freelance writer.  And I get it. I’ve been a freelance CME/CE writer for almost 20 years.  The irony is that cultivating freelance flexibility requires discipline, whether in a full-time job or managing freelance projects.  The allure of flexibility and freedom as a freelance medical writer is powerful. But as you might have already realized, as you make the trans ..read more

Why continuous learning is key for a thriving career in medical writing The healthcare field is constantly growing and changing, which means that CME/CE writers cannot afford to stand still. Proactively seeking out new opportunities to learn and expand beyond your current skillset is a professional requisite for a long-term career in medical writing. One way to approach the necessary personal and professional growth that comes with choosing to be a medical writer is through cultivating a growth mindset. Fixed Mindset vs. Growth Mindset: What's the Difference? “Growth mindset” sounds like an a ..read more

Reflection is the key to building a sustainable freelance CME writing business.  Like many folks, I have a process that I use to reflect on my life and work at the end of the year, including evaluating my business plan and marketing plan for the upcoming year. It’s the same 3-step process I use for 90-day planning—reflect, review, redirect.  In CME/CPD, reflection and reflective practice are regarded as essential characteristics of professional competence. As early as 1933, John Dewey defined reflection in How We Think as ‘‘active, persistent and careful consideration of any belief ..read more