Careers in Medical Writing

In the last month, I have had the pleasure of being invited to two careers events at local universities here in Montreal. The first was the Science Career day organized by Career and Placement Services at Concordia University. The second was an information evening on careers in science writing hosted by the Graduate Students Association for Neuroscience at McGill University. It was fabulous to see so many students interested in medical writing as a career.

As I mentioned at both events, the demand for science and medical writers is growing. South of the border, the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics says that writing is consistently a strongly employable field. It also goes a step further, commenting specifically that demand for writers with expertise in science is medicine will increase in coming years because of the “continuing expansion of scientific and technical information and the need to communicate it to others,” especially for a general audience.

A relatively recent Services Canada Occupational Outlook (2006-2008) states that writing careers in Quebec continue to benefit from the “strong performance posted by the information and professional, scientific and technical services industries.” They cite specialty information channels and the Internet as being strongly responsible for the growth. During the same period, the unemployment rate in all writing fields in Quebec, including creative and translation, was less than 3%. It did not break down prospects or unemployment rates into individual writing fields, but no matter how you look at it, odds are pretty good that if you have the credentials and the talent, there should be no shortage of work.

I've uploaded onto Slideshare the presentation I made with Nathalie Ross at the GSAN event. I hope you find it useful!

Careers in Medical Writing

Medical Writing I: Manuscripts at Concordia this Semester

I've been confirmed to teach the Medical Writing I: Manuscripts (CEJN 130) at Concordia's School of Extended Learning this semester. Classes are every Tuesday from 6pm to 8pm starting September 20th and running for 10 weeks.

Description: Students will learn how to access, understand and evaluate information on medical topics, including primary research articles, review articles, practice guidelines and poster presentations. Included in the discussion will be literature searches, document preparation, charts and tables, abstracts, guidelines for publication, and covering conferences as a medical journalist. Students will learn how to write an abstract, a clinical paper, and a review or magazine article.

The cost is $255. You can register in-person, by mail or by fax until the start of class. If you are already a Concordia student you can also register online via MyConcordia. The registration form is here. Please direct any registration-related questions to Communications and Public Relations. You can direct any course-related questions to me via e-mail.

Please note that if the course does not minimum enrollment then the class is cancelled. I often don't find this out until a few days before class starts. In the event of a cancellation, you will be notified by the University. If this happens, please feel free to contact me, since I do occasionally teach workshops not affiliated with Concordia. I can add you to my mailing list so you can find out when they are.

UPDATE: Concordia just confirmed that the class will definitely run this semester.

Intro to Medical Writing Presentation

Last June I was honoured to co-present a workshop on medical writing at the PWAC annual conference with fellow medical writer Giancarlo La Giorgia. In the presentation we discussed the scope of medical writing, what it takes to break into and succeed in the field, some basic tools of the trade, and some tips for finding work.

Here are the slides from the presentation. We hope you find it useful.

Medical Writing 101 (PWAC)

View more presentations from Amanda Strong.

Medical Writing 101 on June 18th, 2011 in Montreal

I'm really pleased to announce that I will be co-presenting an introduction to medical writing at the Professional Writers' Association of Canada (PWAC) national conference on June 18th, 2011 in Montreal.

Medical Writing 101
Are you curious about medical writing but not sure exactly what it is, what qualifications you need, or what kind of writing work is out there? Join Amanda Strong and Giancarlo La Giorgia as they share their experience writing for the pharmaceutical industry and medical publishers. Learn the basic tools of the trade, how you can build your portfolio, and where to find work.

The professional developmen presentation is mostly an information session about medical writing, the skills and education you need to succeed in it, and how to break into the various sectors of the field. The course fee is $80 ($60 for PWAC members), or free if you register for the full conference ($325 for non-members, $275 for PWAC members).

Here are the other professional development session taking place on the Saturday being presented at the PWAC conference:

• Editors Panel with Susan Nerberg (Deputy Editor, enRoute), Drew Nelles (Editor in Chief, Maisonneuve) and Carmine Starnino (Senior Editor, Reader's Digest)
• Writing for Trade Magazines: Breaking In and Staying In with Suzanne Boles
• Unleash Your Inner Entrepreneur: Panel with Hugh McGuire, Ben Yoskovitz, Jean-Benoit Nadeau & Craig Silverman
• Medical Writing with Amanda Strong and Giancarlo La Giorgia
• Computer-Assisted Reporting in 2011: A Journalist's Guide to Twitter, Facebook, and New Mobile Tools with Elias Makos
• The Pitch of your Life: Writing Book Proposals with Julie Barlow
• On Solid Grounds: Write to Live with Jean-Benoit Nadeau
• Travel & Food Writing with Alexandra Forbes

Complete descriptions, as well as information about other events--such as the Intensive Workshop on Contracts, Negotiation Skills and Small Claims Court--and registration are available on the PWAC site.

Current Workshop Offerings

I have been getting a lot of requests for in-person workshops recently. Here are some workshops that I've offered previously or have ready-to-go.

I strongly believe that students get the most out of workshops if they have to do some work before heading into the classroom, and then the classroom learnings are followed up with post-course assignments. All participants in my workshops gets some sort of personalised feedback on their work; and all workshops include in-class activities and opportunities for participatory learning.

If you're interested in any of these, please let me know. I'm very open to travel outside of Montreal. Typically I ask for a minimum six people to run a class. An overhead projector that I can hook up to my laptop is required for all my workshops. A whiteboard or flipchart to write on during the workshop is also really appreciated.

Finding and Assessing Literature
Duration: 2 hours plus pre-course and post-course assignments
Internet access is required to run this course
This introduction to finding and assess bibliographic literature in the health sciences focuses identifying pertinent, credible and current sources of information for medical writing projects. Topics include getting the most out of PubMed; search engines/databases other than PubMed; and other credible sources of information, like textbooks, authoritative web sites, government databases, NLM Gateway, Cochrane reviews, etc. The workshop also includes tips on developing a search strategy, narrowing down search results, keeping record of your search results, and assessing the strength and relevance of the literature found during the search.

Understanding and Critically Evaluating Clinical Research Articles
Duration: 2 hours plus pre-course and post-course assignments
Medical writers frequently have to assess clinical research articles to determine if they are pertinent, credible and current sources of information. This workshop reviews some of the elements of evidence-based medicine, study design, common ways of presenting data, and basic statistics. Participants will learn how to critical assess methodological quality of a study, and identify its strengths and limitations. The anatomy of a research article will be discussed.

Copy Writing Basics for Pharmaceutical Advertising in Canada
Duration: 3 hours plus pre-course and post-course assignments
Recommended skills: some comfort reading clinical papers; basic knowledge of charts, graphs and tables; prior exposure to pharmaceutical advertising is useful
There are many important differences between pharmaceutical advertising and non-'pharma' advertising, such as a tightly regulated environment, a multilayered approval process, and differences between the 'target' of the advertising and the end user. This workshop reviews the basics of pharmaceutical advertising and copy writing, including approval processes, developing copy, making sure your manuscript has the appropriate balancing copy and footnotes, keeping track of references, and tips for making sure what you write is "layout-friendly".

Developing Slides and Slide Notes for Oral Presentations
Duration: 3 hours plus pre-course and post-course assignments
Good slides and slide notes can make all the difference to an oral presentation, whether it’s a presentation of results at a conference or a CME activity. This workshop will review the basic principles for creative effective slide presentations, including creating a good logical flow of information, effectively conveying key messages, creating slides that complement the oral presentation, avoiding common mistakes, referencing and citing sources of information. Creating slide notes for different types of presentations will also be covered.

Medical Writing Course at Concordia

Concordia University in Montreal is once again offering a medical writing course this winter. The course is online and starts the week of January 11th and runs for ten weeks. You have until Monday December 7th to fax or mail in your registration (Maddeningly, registration via the Internet is not yet available.), after which you'll have to drop it off in person downtown. The course only runs if there are enough people registered by the end of next week. I should be teaching it, but Concordia does not confirm with me until later this month. (The joys of being sessional!)

CEJN 132N Medical Writing: Promotional and Continuing Health Education
In this on-line course, students will learn how to access, evaluate and use information on medical topics in order to start writing for the pharmaceutical industry. Topics covered include pharmaceutical advertising and copywriting, medical education, patient education, writing for the web, multimedia and newsletters. (Note: Medical Writing I CEJN 130 is NOT a prerequisite for this course. (Cost: $255 CDN)

Registration form and instructions are here.
Complete course calendar is here.

Any questions? Leave me a comment or drop me an email.

::EDIT:: Since this is an online course, there are isn't a fixed class time. I usually do a a few online chats for Q&A through the system used for the online course. These will probably alternate between Tuesday or Thursday evenings. The transcript of the Q&A is available online if you miss the Q&A. I also keep weekly online 'office hours' via skype.

Upgrading my Laptop: Part 2 Displays

Most of the time, I work in my office with my laptop hooked up to a docking station and a second monitor. However, I have been known to pack up and head to a cafe to work, and in the summer I like to sit outside. So what kind of screen is best?

While the glossy screen options like TrueBrite or UltraSharp look great indoors and for multimedia, I'm told that they can be very difficult to see outdoors or if a light source, like a sunny window, is behind you. Matte, anti-glare screens won't reflect light sources, however they tend to be less bright unless you find one with an LED backlight option.

In terms of a graphic card, most websites say that an integrated card that shares processing memory with the main computer is fine for most business users. I run Photoshop, and use video conferencing and multiple monitors. I also sometimes need to view graphics-heavy websites or e-learning programs. Apparently this means that I'm not a typical business user. My IT friends all recommended that I get a discrete graphics card. These come with dedicated memory for the display. The drawback is that they tend to be more power hungry, however some can be set to default to an integrated option when conserving battery life is a consideration. Perfect!

Upgrading my Laptop: Part I Warranties

I'm in the process of buying a replacement laptop. I like to buy things that will last and serve me well; and I'm willing to invest a bit more upfront, both in time and cost, to make sure I get a product that fits my needs. I am not a 'tech-geek' by any stretch of the imagination, so navigating the cyber-scape of laptops features is quite intimidating.

In my next few posts, I'm going to share my process as I research my new laptop. Input is always welcome!

My first two requirements are fairly simple. One is an 'office' edition operating system. This gives me extra networking options that I've found useful in my work and, especially, travels for work. The other is an integrated camera and microphone since I video conference with some of my non-local clients. Sure I can perch a camera on top of the monitor, but it's one more thing in the bag while travelling.

My third requirement is proving to be more difficult. I'm looking for a three-year on-site service warranty. As a writer, my computer is my livelihood; and as a medical writer, much of the contents of my computer are confidential. If I need a repair, I simply can not afford to package up my computer and send it off for depot servicing. I want the repairman to come to me. Every computer I've owned has required servicing at some point or another, so the request isn't exactly unfounded.

The 'office' edition operating system and warranty requirements seem to rule out purchasing my laptop from any of the box stores. Most computers only came with a 'home'" edition operating system and one-year warranty. Sure they'll extend my warranty to three years, but it is always return to depot. If I want an 'office' operating system, I'll have to buy it separately.

That leaves purchasing from the manufacturer, which was my preference anyway since it offers better customization. The only three manufacturers I've found who offer 3-year warranties as standard, or the option to upgrade your warranty to a 3-year on-site warranty are Dell, Toshiba and Lenovo. With Sony and HP, I can extend my warranty to three years, but no on-site service. LG might do it, but their website was so user unfriendly, including streaming sound with no 'off button', that I gave up looking.

My next step is to compare products, features and reviews. With only three manufacturers to choose from, at least my choices are already sufficiently narrowed to be manageable. Stay tuned!

Online Medical Writing Course at Concordia

For those of you who missed it this past winter session, Concordia University will be once again offering an online Medical Writing class (CE2769N/C1) next semester. The class starts April 5th and runs until June 5th. Registration is open and will continue until March 10th (next Thursday) for fax and mail enrollment, and for in-person enrollment until March 13th.

Most of this course is a basic introduction to writing for the pharmaceutical industry in Canada, including marketing (copy), CHE, and PR writing. It also takes into account the PAAB/Rx&D environment that exists in Canada but not in the USA. Actually, just about everything in this course is done within a Canadian context and it is the only course of its kind (that I'm aware of) in Canada. At the end of the course, students who have done all assignments will have at least two pieces of writing to add to their portfolios.

If you're interested in this course, time is short to register. Space is limited in the course and last semester the registration quota filled up. I believe that this course will not be offered again until 2009.

Here is a brief overview of each of the modules:

Scope and Resources: In this module we will (very) briefly review the different kinds of medical writing as well as some 'tools of the trade.' We will also explore how to find studies and information.

Pharmaceutical Industry and Marketing In Canada: In this module we will be briefly introduce you to the pharmaceutical industry in Canada. We will review the laws and industry codes that govern Canadian pharma, and will look at the relationship between health care professionals and industry.

Continuing Health Education: In this module we will be briefly introduce you to Continuing Health Education in Canada. We will review different Canadian accrediting bodies for CHE and their requirements. We will also discuss non-accredited CHE programs and take a look at the different types of CHE programs that medical writers may be called upon to create, and the role of the writer within CHE.

Advertising and Copy Writing: In this module we will take a look at pharmaceutical advertising and copy writing. We will briefly review the different types of marketing materials that medical copy writers may be called upon to write, as well as the basics of copy writing itself and the PAAB code. We will also explore how to 'translate' journal articles and clinical trial results into marketing 'copy'.

Representative Training Tools and Interactive Materials: In this section we will look at some special considerations when developing tools for sales representative training, including instructional design, learning objectives and writing evaluation questions. We will also learn how to write for web or computer-based learning environments.

Public Relations: In this very brief section we briefly look at the role of PR and media communications within the pharmaceutical industry. We will learn how to write press releases and touch on patient education material.

If you have any questions, send me a note. Also, please feel free to forward this information on to friends and colleagues who might be interested in the course.