It’s my view that clearer streams within the field of medical writing are needed. Job titles must change to reflect the diversity of skills and focal points within medical writing careers today.
But why? What problems have arisen from this generic ‘medical writer’ approach and how are agencies tackling them?
Imposter syndrome. There are so many skills involved in medical writing, even the most seasoned writer can’t master them all. But it’s easy to forget the skills you have mastered and focus on those you haven’t. If you listen closely, ‘I’ve never done a slide review’ might really mean ‘I don’t deserve to be at a senior level’. Naming everybody’s job title the same contributes towards unrealistic expectations of what a medical writer can do. A Senior Publications Writer clearly focuses on publications – they don’t need to feel bad that they have little experience of other types of medical writing.
Lack of clarity around the role at entry level. Some streams of medical writing, especially at entry level, don’t actually involve much writing. Uploading approvable content to Veeva, yes. Checking data for accuracy, yes. Some graduates entering the field as an associate may be surprised to find themselves in a ‘medical writing’ role that involves very little writing. I’ve recently seen an entry level role advertised as Referencing Specialist, which I thought was a clear and descriptive job title that could progress towards a medical writer position.
Lack of clarity around career progression. If a writer cannot see clear options ahead, it’s difficult to imagine the different paths their career might take. Recall the famous saying: if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll never know if you’ve got there. I was encouraged recently to see a role advertised for a medical writer within a Patient Partnership Team, which gave me a clear picture of the type of work this writer would work on.
Vacant positions left open. Senior positions in particular require a complex combination of roles to fill, including managerial, client-facing, and editorial skills. The quest to find all of these in one candidate can be long. What if the role of PMW was separated into narrower, easier-to-fill roles? Some agencies do offer this option, with senior positions like Subject Matter Expert.
