tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38469625115547010372024-03-05T13:49:42.799+08:00Surviving Medical Writing 101Tips to becoming a medical writer and how I am surviving as a freelance medical writer today.Unknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger38125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-2450965898854771062011-01-17T21:09:00.000+08:002011-01-17T21:09:57.602+08:00Interested in medical sales jobs?It's a new year. Have you been contemplating of a career change? So, if you are tired of being a medical writer, what else could you be? A medical sales rep, perhaps? I don't see why a medical writer can't try for Medical Sales jobs.
Basically, a medical sales rep is involved in promoting and selling pharmaceutical products, e.g. cardiovascular medicines, drugs for diabetes, antibiotics, etc. OrUnknownnoreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-62348779860428596362011-01-16T13:43:00.001+08:002011-01-16T13:44:27.629+08:00Writing a clinical study report?So, this is my first post for a brand new year! Although it's already two weeks into 2011, but better late than never! ;)
Anyway, work has been busy with lots of writing assignments in the office, one after another. And amidst my already tight assignment deadlines in the office in the last couple of months of 2010, I had also faced tight deadlines after work - a freelance clinical study report (Unknownnoreply@blogger.com14tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-32421106491259132552010-08-16T19:03:00.000+08:002010-08-16T19:03:08.036+08:00How to become a freelance writer?Okay, my last post was written 4 months ago. As usual, my wrong. Working as a full-time health writer is definitely more hectic than the life of a freelance medical writer. :)
I still take in freelance writing projects occasionally, but it's not a necessity anymore for me to make a living. Of course, it's always good to have double income, right?
If you think you have the flair and skills for Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-35738869721973429002010-04-03T12:01:00.001+08:002010-04-05T22:11:01.200+08:00If you need help in career planningIf you ask me how did I find my new job or how fast I got an interview from the company, well, I found it on an online job search website and submitted my application through the website as well.
I did that on a Friday night, and received a call on Monday morning to invite me for the job interview. Interviewed on the next day, and was offered the job on the spot.
It's partly the wonders of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-73840582739369564582010-03-30T21:20:00.000+08:002010-03-30T21:20:58.901+08:00Resigned from full-time freelancing, back to workAfter working from home on a freelance basis for more than a year, I've now gone back to a full-time job. Reasons: Enough time spent at home, not enough money to sustain the lifestyle I like. Haha!
This post is to update my blog readers about what I'm doing now. I currently work as a health writer in a company that mainly serves as a secretariat for local NGOs that are related to nutrition, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-43648871662020657932010-01-08T20:46:00.000+08:002010-01-08T20:46:31.620+08:00Considering project management training?Do you need to go through a formal project management training or PMP Exam to be a project manager in a medical communications company? Well, myself and several project managers I know didn't go through any formal education or training to be able to work as a project manager in this industry. It's all 'get your hands dirty' kind of job, and learn through experience. ;)
Of course, it will be Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-24177487349344944022009-07-27T23:55:00.007+08:002009-07-28T21:07:24.435+08:00A quick update after 8 months of inactivity!This will just be a short post to update readers about this stagnated blog. Haha!As you can see, I have changed the template of this blog, which is the first thing that I did after missing in action for almost 8 months, haha! Actually, I'm hoping that by changing the look of this blog, that I will be able to make a fresh, new start with this blog.One of the reasons that I have not been updating Unknownnoreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-38819448055129535602008-12-09T09:02:00.003+08:002008-12-09T10:28:27.409+08:00#27: From medical assistant to medical writer?I think I have mentioned in one of my earliest posts that you don’t need to be a medical doctor to be a medical writer. As long as you have a science-related tertiary education qualification, you can be trained to become a medical writer. Even a medical assistant who is interested to write may consider medical writing on a part-time basis, or even turn it into a full-time career later.In case youUnknownnoreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-36814367810174682222008-12-08T23:17:00.002+08:002008-12-08T23:48:17.983+08:00A quick updateOops (a big one)! Looks like I'd been through another long session of hibernation. ;)Just a quick update here. I had been busy with lots of things in the past 6 months, both work and personal affairs. I am still writing on a freelance basis, providing my writing services to researchers who need help on putting together background literature related to certain psychiatric disorders. Interesting, Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-17106493691823260822008-06-18T23:14:00.003+08:002008-07-24T23:52:14.369+08:00Back in action againI know I have been ‘hibernating’ for half a year here. Sorry to keep you waiting :)This extremely long hiatus is partly due to a continuous stream of freelance writing assignments that I received over the past 6 months. Although not highly paid, I manage to make a moderate living out of it.That’s one advantage of being a medical writer. You could go on a freelance basis once you acquired the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-68727060046413043792008-01-23T11:45:00.000+08:002008-01-23T12:23:25.943+08:00#26: Writing tips on the internetAs medical writers, we need to constantly practice and sharpen our writing skills to able us communicate more effectively with our readers.Besides referring to writing guidebooks, reading up some good articles produced from good writers and learn from them definitely helps us to write better.Well, you may also conveniently find some good general writing tips on the internet, such as from the Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-10548430550075494772008-01-06T23:55:00.000+08:002008-01-07T00:26:10.092+08:00#25: Besides being where I am nowSince it is still the first week of 2008, let's put the seemingly never-ending projects aside for the time being and talk about something more inspiring. ;)What are the career prospects of a medical writer when he or she no longer wishes to work in a medical communications company?Well, pharmaceutical companies and research organizations need medical writers. The type of writing needed in those Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-20967942134763647232007-12-31T09:57:00.000+08:002007-12-31T11:19:22.224+08:00#24: The making of a CD-ROMAgain, apologies for my long 'disappearance'! I've been up to many things that got me almost fully occupied. Of course, the year end holiday mood has made me slow down a bit. ;)Anyway, on this last day of 2007, I would like to talk about managing a CD-ROM project. I have explained about the format and purpose of a CD-ROM publication in one of my very early posts. Here, I am going to briefly talk Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-67783975231808451532007-11-30T18:07:00.000+08:002007-11-30T18:48:54.305+08:00#23: I forgot to do that...Apologies on this much delayed post. Well, sometimes my time (and mind) is occupied by so many other things, that I forgot there are other stuffs, like this blog, awaiting my action. ;)I believe you will feel this way too in your work as a medical writer-cum-project manager. You may find yourself working on two or three or more projects at the same time. There is no such thing as "let me completeUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-71700027659851162512007-11-13T16:57:00.000+08:002007-11-13T17:01:07.775+08:00#22: The different ‘faces’ of detail aidsBesides being presented in the conventional booklet form, detail aids can also put on different ‘outfits’.FlipchartsFlipcharts are usually made up of 6-12 pieces of cardboard with information printed on single or both sides of every cardboard. They are normally placed on doctors’ desk. There are calendar flipcharts and patient education flipcharts.Calendar flipchartsObviously dates are printed onUnknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-49961272214663835042007-11-07T17:07:00.000+08:002007-11-07T17:10:27.469+08:00Special message: Looking for a writing job in London?Job hunting in modern days no longer limited to reading classifieds in newspapers. You can hunt for jobs online, put up an electronic resume to be browsed by potential employers, or receive job alerts from career service web sites.Locally, we have job search sites like Jobstreet, JobsDB and JobMarket. For job opportunities in foreign countries, there are also a plethora of job search sites to Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-62645747174845617342007-11-04T22:16:00.000+08:002007-11-04T22:24:58.919+08:00#21: Working on a detail aidAs mentioned in my previous post, a detail aid is a marketing tool that helps your clients to promote their products. Therefore, understanding your clients' needs is the very first step to producing effective detail aids that fit nicely into their product marketing strategies.Getting a clear brief from clientBefore you start the project, most likely you will discuss with your client face-to-face Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-29422207618871311982007-10-27T10:42:00.000+08:002007-10-27T10:55:34.484+08:00#20: Let’s talk about detail aidWhen compared with an event highlight bulletin or patient education brochure, the number of words in a detail aid is much, much fewer. However, the work involved is not. And many times you may need to rewrite, rewrite, and rewrite.What is a detail aid?Detail aid is a marketing tool containing promotional messages incorporated with creative elements. It is a sales aid that pharmaceutical sales Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-67611861682964647222007-10-16T13:12:00.000+08:002007-10-16T13:17:52.500+08:00#19: Newsletter - How to go about it?The process of developing a newsletter is basically the same as any other projects – writing, editing, obtaining approval on text, designing, and getting final approval from client.The only difference is that you have more preparation work to do.Get a good briefing from the client* Ask questions like – How many issues (bimonthly or quarterly)? How many pages? What kind of format (eg, 6 short Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-26803510131804910032007-10-09T12:57:00.000+08:002007-10-09T13:03:08.296+08:00#18: Why newsletter?The target audience of newsletters is usually the healthcare professionals – primary care doctors, medical specialists, pharmacists and nurses.Briefly, the objectives of having a newsletter are mainly: To provide updates on a specific health area, drug development or clinical studiesExample: A nutritional company may want to use data from recent clinical studies to emphasize the benefits of Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-81551476587012254632007-10-01T13:41:00.000+08:002007-10-04T16:38:16.733+08:00#17: What are the available online resources?When dealing with medical writing, either targeting the medical professionals or the lay public, you will need technical support for your writing. When I say technical support, I mean resources or information that you will use for:· A background research of the topic you are writing (eg, bipolar disorder)· Finding patient information (eg, for a brochure about heart attack)· Verifying data or Unknownnoreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-63770080685554355582007-09-25T15:48:00.000+08:002007-10-04T16:45:23.112+08:00#16: I can’t think, can’t write. Help!Sometimes you may experience a ‘blockage’ while writing. That is what we call a writer’s block.As a medical writer, your brain is constantly operating in a logical way, analyzing, planning and structuring your work. There is so much information transmitting amongst the cells in the grey matters of yours. So it’s understandable that it can sometimes get stuck, because you are thinking too hard.It Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-73038894521450981962007-09-18T15:56:00.000+08:002007-10-04T16:43:02.760+08:00#15: I need to write a patient education brochure, what should I do?After writing a number of projects for the medical professional audience, you probably would like to take a break from technical writing, and try something new, such as producing an educational reading material for patients or the public in general. Different source of contentUnlike writing an event highlights bulletin, where the content of your writing basically comes from lectures and Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-26055109799333251482007-09-09T22:21:00.000+08:002007-10-04T16:43:37.441+08:00#14: How do I work with designers?After you’ve submitted your first manuscript to the client and/or speaker, you will probably have to go through several rounds of amendments before it is finally approved. After consent has been obtained from both the client and speaker, the manuscript will be passed on to the designer, whose responsibility is to lay it out in the form of a bulletin.Working with designersThe designer’s work is Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3846962511554701037.post-75696704028160773782007-08-29T19:01:00.000+08:002008-12-11T16:36:25.548+08:00#13: Are there any reference books on medical writing and editing?You bet there are; in fact quite a number of them. You may need to refer to those books from time to time, so it's worth investing in one or two. Check with your local bookstores, or even order through Amazon.com if they are not available in the bookstores.--~~--For reference in medical writing, I’m using Medical Writing – A Prescription for Clarity by Neville W Goodman & Martin B Edwards. Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0