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What Do Freelance Medical Writers Usually Do: A Helpful Guide


If you are a medical student, then you might be leaning towards a part-time career in medical writing just to get you through college and help with the bills. The problem is that while it sounds exciting, in reality you may have no idea as to what kind of assignments a medical writer might be offered. While, I don’t have a magic lamp, I hope that my brief guide to freelance medical writing will be of some assistance to you:

  • Their bread and butter
    •

    The freelance writing industry is notoriously tough. Sometimes the dry spells can seem unbearably tough and while they might want to be writing about the latest breakthroughs in medicine, and the newest drugs to be trialed. Sometimes they have to accept the same boring article writing gigs that the rest of us mere mortals routinely write to make ends meet. I guess, what I am trying to say here is that you have to be flexible in order to survive.

  • Research
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    There is an element of research involved in most forms of freelance writing. This is especially true in the case of niche subjects. They will need to stay abreast of the latest developments and advances as they know that they will need this knowledge to write the in-depth articles and reports that their clients expect.

  • Unpaid work
    •

    Most of the research that they do will be unpaid. Very few people will be willing to pay a freelancer for several hours of research on top of the actual writing of the assignment. However, by being smart, they can use this to their advantage to secure multiple assignments from different clients.

  • Spend time in hospitals
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    Can you think of a better place to get the information, research and job opportunities that you need than in a hospital? No, nor can I? If you want to succeed as a medical writer then be prepared to spend a lot of time there.

  • Talk to patients
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    Talking to patients is a great way to bring the human perspective to an article or story. They might arrange to visit support groups. Again, a lot of this is unpaid, and anyone wishing to pursue this as a career would be wise to think of it as a vocation rather than a means of earning a quick buck.

  • Constantly look for work
    •

    You are only as good as your last assignment and unless you are lucky enough to secure regular, continuous work from a couple of sources you are going to constantly need to be out there touting for business.

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There are so many clients in need of writers it is ridiculous for any writer to say they cannot get work. You need to study the market carefully and know what to say when approaching potential clients.

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