Med Write2

8/11/2019 Med Write2

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Todays Agenda

Present a brief introduction

Define medical communications and medical writing

Describe the scope of work encompassed by the field

Provide information pertaining to how to establish a career in the field

Discuss my professional journey

Offer information about resources

Give an overview of tests developed by medical communications

employers

Answer any questions


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Current Professional Bio

Scientific Operations; Section Manager of Documentation and

Archiving; Drug Safety Evaluation (DSE)- Allergan, Irvine, CA

Non-clinical sections for global drug applications

Non-clinical study related protocols & reports

Toxicology, Pharmacokinetics, Bioanalytical and Immunologyreports (> 600 annually)

Support information platforms that support transfer and storage ofelectronic documents used by DSE

>20 submissions scheduled for 2014


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Current Professional Bio

Scientific Operations; Section Manager of Documentation and

Archiving; Drug Safety Evaluation (DSE)- Allergan, Irvine, CA

Facilitates archival of all study and submission related documents

Manages training curricula for > 200 employees

Oversee the regulation of Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs)and controlled form documents for DSE

Supports electronic platforms that support transfer and storage ofdocuments used by DSE

Coordinates inspections and audits
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://history.sd.gov/archives/&sa=U&ei=nDpbU9DnHc2dyAS1oYLwBA&ved=0CDoQ9QEwBg&sig2=948BpB9Q58rZD8TRTx21oQ&usg=AFQjCNF_XXdG-C-Ykmlv3sY0OHxkhTILJQ


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Life After Academia

Career Options for Scientists

Patent Law

Science Research Analyst

Scientific Consulting

Medical Science Liaison

Other

postdo

Alternative Careers in Science: Leaving the Ivory Tower by Cynthia Robins-Roth


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What Do Medical Writers Do All Day?

Medical Communications Encompasses the development and production of materials that

deal specifically with medicine or healthcare

Write, edit, or develop materials about medicine or healthcare

Medical Writing is the activity of writing scientific documentation by someone

who is a specialized writer (a medical writer) and is generallynot one of the scientists or doctors whose research it was


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Medical Communications:

General Categories

Materials prepared by medical communicators, collaboratingwith others or working independently, include the following:

Patient education brochures, news articles, Web content,and books for the general public

Journal articles and continuing education monographs forhealth care professionals

Regulatory documents for government agencies

Grant proposals for research scientists and institutions

Sales training and marketing materials for thepharmaceutical industry


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Medical Writing: Specific Examples

Slide presentations Original research

Symposia

Roundtables

Advisory boards

Medical education materials Monographs

Training materials for physicians,

other medical professional &laypeople

eLearning content

Prescribing information


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Medical Writing: Specific Examples

Regulatory documents

Clinical Trial Reports (CTR)

New Drug Applications (NDA)

Investigational New Drug Application (IND)

Marketing materials

Advertisements

Public relations materials

Internet documents

Patient education


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Attention to detail

Excellent writing skills

Interpersonal skills

Organizational skills

Scientific skills

Ability to work quickly and multi-task

Required Skills for

Medical Writing


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Scientific accuracy

Sufficient references anddocumentation

Clear and succint writing

Ethical standards and practices

Characteristics of Good

Medical Writing


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Who Are the Medical Writers?

Education by Degree

0 5 1 0 1 5 2 0 2 5 3 0 3 5 4 0

Other

Communicat ion

Medicine

Pharmacy

Journalism

English

Science

Medical Writers (%)Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004.


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2%

33%

35%

30%Associate's Degree or

Below

Bachelor's

Master's

Advanced

Who Are the Medical Writers?

Level of Education


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0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40

Other

Professional Society

Research or Education

Health Care

Publishing

Clinical Research

University

Agency

Pharmaceutical

Writers %

Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004.

Primary Employers of Medical Writers


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1/3 of Medical writers

Work at home

Set your own schedule

Income based upon ability to getwork

Discipline

Experience

Ability to market yourself

Freelance Medical Writers


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MedicalWriter Salaries

Commensurate with experience andeducation

$38,000-100,000+

Mean income of full-time employeesapproximately $80,000

Pharmaceutical and communicationcompanies pay best

Interesting 6-figure jobas seen onCNNMoney.com

Gray and Hamilton. AMWAJ, 2004.


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Resources

American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)

http://www.amwa.org/toolkit_new_med_writers#Getting

Started

American Medical Association Manual of Style

International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

How to Become a Competent Medical Writer

Perspect Clin Res. 2010 Jan-Mar; 1(1): 3337


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Getting Started

Practice writing frequently

Pay special attention to grammar and style

www.grammarly.com(for quick feedback)

Improve writing competency through self-paced and formal

writing courses

Become informed about the field

Join a professional society like AMWA

Attend local and national meetings

Networking

Find mentors (at meetings, LinkedIn, etc.)

Request informational interviews

Have your writing evaluated by professional writers

Formal writing courses

Self-paced learning (grammar, statistics & writing guides)

Keep a science blog

American Journal Experts (http://www.aje.com)

Potential to earn a small wage in grad school/or postdoc while gaining writing/editing experience
http://www.grammarly.com/http://www.aje.com/http://www.aje.com/http://www.aje.com/http://www.grammarly.com/


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Getting Started

Professional documents

Curriculum Vitae

Science CV is not equal to the medical writing CV

These documents highlight vastly different skills and experience Ask feedback from a professional medical writer

Cover letter strategies

Tailor to each specific position

Clear, concise, error-free

Attempt to address letter to a person Find HR rep for company via Linkedin at the very least

Address the cover letter to Dear Hiring Manager if attempts to identify aspecific contact fails

Always print and proof read documents prior to submitting applications


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Long-term Training

Certificate, Undergraduate and Graduate Programs

American Medical Writers Association (AMWA)

University of Chicago

University of the Sciences in Philadelphia Johns Hopkins University

Tufts University School of Medicine

University of California San Diego UCSD Extension School

Many other professional programs Some programs offered online


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Writing Samples

Content produced in graduate school/postdoc

Peer-reviewed journal articles

Internship with medical communications company

Maintain a science-related blog

Produce content for a newsletter

Take a medical writing course


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Crooked Path to Medical Writing

Strong life-long interest in writing

Gravitated towards grant and report writingin graduate school

Enjoyed writing manuscripts,

presentations, patent and regulatoryapplications, protocols and SOPs whenworking as a scientist

Motivation to transition from the bench

Paid for a course and worked as acontractor for Emma Hitt, PhD.

www.hittmedicalwriting.com

Applied for and accepted medical writingpositions


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Scientific Career

San Diego State University (B.S. 1999)

Undergrad researcher at Scripps Research Institute

Harvard Medical School (PhD Immunology 2006)

Cell and molecular immunology (T cell biology)

Pfizer, Inc. San Diego, CA (2007-2012)

Transition away from the bench (2012)


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Transferable SkillsSkill Example

Writing Peer- reviewed journal manuscripts,

dissertation, protocols, scientificpresentations

Computer skills MS Office suit, graphing/statisticssoftware, document formatting

Presentation skills Lab and departmental meetings,scientific talks, job talks

Project management Development, execution andpresentation of scientific projects

Project leadership and mentoring Mentoring students,teaching/demonstrating

Team work Collaborating with colleagues andresearch groups

Opinion leader experience Conversing with experts in your field


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Formal Medical Writing Experience

Hitt Medical Writing, LLC (sub-contractor)

Projects: manuscripts, medical news, continuing medicaleducation (CME)

ScienceMedia, Inc. (full-time medical writer)

Projects: Immunology and Oncology subject matter expert(SME)

Allergan (Section Manager, Documentation & Archiving)

Direct experience with regulatory writing NDAs, INDs,MAAs, IRFs, and IBs) non-clinical sections


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Medical Writing Tests

Power point presentation

Based on a clinical or scientific paper

Produce a white paper On a topic selected by the potential employer

Create documents specified by the

employer Section of a storyboard

An introduction

An abstract

Time allowed 1 houra couple of weeks

depends on the employer


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Frequent Writing Problems

Encountered by Editors

Seldom Occasionally Frequently

Poorly written, excessive jargon

Inadequate/inappropriate presentation

Poor description of design

Excessive zeal and self promotion

Rationale confused, contradictory

Essential data omitted, ignored

Boring

Important work of others ignored

Byrne DW, Publishing Medical Research Papers, Williams and Wilkins, 1998


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On the Job Training

Gain as much information about the assignment as possible

Ask questions

Develop a thick skin

Work will be reviewed and critiqued by senior writers andclients

Be prepared for rounds of revisions

Be prepared for cuts, scope changes and shifting deadlines

Focus on meeting or exceeding deadlines

Get used to multiple competing projects

Get used to not being the owner of the project


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Benefits of Transitioning to a

Career in Medical Writing

Love of science x love of writing = interesting career

Flexibility (as long as timelines are kept)

Options for entrepreneur and employees

Highly varied career options

Highly lucrative career options

Excellent use of scientific skills

Writing is a creative endeavor

Relevant work and exposure to latest information


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Acknowledgements


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Questions

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