r/MedicalWriters

Hi all, I am an account manager in a medcomms agency in the UK looking to transition into an in-house marketing role.

I was wondering if my experience with work life balance is universal across most agencies.

We work at least 30 mins to 1 hour overtime every day without any time being given back. Any extra hours worked on-site at symposias or congresses are not given back either - time is only given back if we worked on weekends. Even after working overtime, we are supposed to offer help to the rest of the agency and it is frowned upon to clock off without helping someone else, meaning that a lot of people clock off at ~7:30pm.

Timesheets must be 7.5 hours minimum and if we were to take a 10 minute break in between tasks we need to make this up (toilet breaks included!). All the 7.5 hours essentially must be attributed to billable hours too!

We were told that we may have to change our personal pre- and post-work plans to accommodate for client deadlines (i.e. it should be a given that employees cancel plans to meet client deadlines).

My previous agency was nothing like this - management really protected our working hours and I rarely worked overtime. Timesheet entries did not feel like I was being micromanaged to the second.

It’s such a shame as I really enjoy the work itself, but the environment and culture makes it unbearable.

Does anyone have a similar experience or hopefully more positive experiences?

I’ve managed to get past my first medical writing test! I produced a one slide summary of two papers and I’ve got to do a 10 min presentation (+ 5 min Q & A) at interview. I just wanted to see if my thought process was on the right lines.

My understanding is to present the background, results and implications (it was geared to a GP audience) as I did in the task but also weave in my design/layout choices. Does this sound right? The recruiter just said present the results when I asked so this is my take on it. I know for sure it’s not a role play type presentation where I deliver to GPs. So, at this point it’s either present the slide with or without discussing my design/layout choices.

Would be great to hear people’s take on it as you may have been asked to do a similar thing at interview in the past.

I have managed to get past CV/cover letter stage for a AMW role and have three writing tasks to do.

Has anyone got any tips when working through these? I have an academic background so have a good grasp of writing, but this is all quite new to be honest. I just really want to pass the test.

I have worked as a regulatory writer for 2 years and now it's been 1.5 years working in safety writing. I am thinking to go back to regulatory writing but also I can see market of HEOR. There is huge demand for person doing evidence generation and writing SLR, TLR. Which you think is best option as far as AI and Finances and stability are concerned. Please guide me for the same.

I’ve now been rejected twice from Costello Medical for the Analyst role and I genuinely don’t understand what I’m missing.

I have an MSc in Biomedical and Molecular Sciences Research from King’s College London, research experience in IL-6 signalling and fibrosis, experience with data analysis in R, scientific writing, presentations, literature reviews, and I’ve tailored both my CV and cover letter each time. I also have tutoring and ambassador experience showing communication skills.

I know Costello is extremely competitive, but I’m trying to figure out what actually makes an application stand out there because clearly I’m not hitting whatever they’re looking for.

For anyone who got interviews/offers:
- What made your CV stand out?
- How technical was your cover letter?
- Did you focus more on communication/commercial awareness or research experience?
- Are there specific keywords or experiences they value?
- How much do they care about formatting/style?
- Is there anything people commonly do wrong in applications?

I’d really appreciate honest advice because I’m trying hard to improve my applications and break into healthcare consulting/medical communications, but repeated rejections are honestly starting to knock my confidence.

Thanks :)

As the title suggests, has anyone successfully integrated AI to their work flow? Specifically for regulatory related documents.

Like all companies, management have forced AI to every task. No one in my department has successfully deployed AI to fully develop a document. Management expects us to do just this!!

Interested to hear other people’s stories, some tips to succeed, or a place to rant about senior executives not fully understanding the role of a medical writer (I.e., how AI can’t do it all)…

I have 12+ years of medical writing experience (CME/CPD content, primarily oncology and immunology), but for US clients. Since I am now based in the UK, where CME writing is not much in demand, I am looking to pivot into regulatory writing. I am looking for suggestions to break into the field. Also, would my previous experience be relevant? Would I need to take up a course in regulatory writing?

I have applied for a job with a company for which I would be an independent consultant writing clinical documents. I haven't yet been offered work with them or even been told my experience matches what they want, but I want to be prepared.

Would I need to create my own LLC? They mention getting liability insurance-should it be general liability or professional errors and omissions?

Hi everyone,

I had a few questions I was hoping this community could help with:

• How is the current job market for entry-level medical writing roles?
• Is a PhD typically required, or is a Master’s (MS, MPH, etc.) sufficient to break in?
• What kind of experience or skills do employers usually expect for entry-level positions?
• Do you need to build a portfolio, blog, or writing samples to be competitive?
• Would anyone be open to sharing or describing what a strong entry-level resume looks like for this field?

I’m trying to understand how to position myself for roles in medical communications, regulatory writing, or publications.

Any advice, personal experiences, or resources would be super helpful, especially from those who transitioned into medical writing after a Master’s!

Thanks in advance :)

I have a bachelors in medical laboratory and have around 4 years of experience? I have been rejected from F1 visa as well. I want to apply for MLT in USA through H1B visa than going for student visa now. How much difficult is it to do this and what things are crucial to consider please kindly suggest

We’re currently looking for a medical/healthcare content editor to help us review a batch of 15 blog articles focused on healthcare communication, medical team collaboration, and related healthcare workflow topics.

The role involves:
– checking content for medical accuracy and questionable claims
– improving clarity and professional tone
– spotting terminology issues or wording that may sound non-credible in a healthcare context
– helping ensure articles read naturally for a healthcare audience

This is a freelance/project-based collaboration and could be a strong portfolio-building opportunity for someone looking to gain practical experience in medical content editing.

Ideal fit:
– Medical degree (MD or equivalent physician education required)
– strong English writing/editing skills
– prior writing experience is a plus, but not mandatory

If interested, please send your LinkedIn profile + a short note about your background in comments or DM.

Hi all! I am unexpectedly looking for another medical writing role and I'd love some advice from experienced MWs.

Brief background: I started in preclinical medical writing as part of a CRO after my B.S. degree. I wrote study reports, SOPs, protocols, and helped draft INDs etc. across numerous TAs for about three years. Liked it, didn't love it, went back to school for my PhD (neuro). Last year I landed a MW position at a medical device company in cardiology, and I have absolutely loved being an in-house writer. I've been kind of a do-it-all writer, in that while I'm technically in Med Affairs I'm also doing all of our regulatory reports. Great team, great work/life, love it.

Now: my company has just announced they're moving the BU over to California. They offered me relocation, but honestly the pay increase was laughable and the transition would essentially be a 15-20% pay cut given the cost of living near HQ. Plus, everyone else on my team is remote, so there's really no benefit to me being on site just to take zoom calls there instead of in my office. Right now I'm hybrid, but I love the area and it's more affordable. I've declined the relocation offer.

I have about ~7 months of runway before I'm officially no longer being paid, so I want to be intentional about my next move. I already know I don't want back into the CRO game, and while I know it's more difficult to land the in-house positions, that's where I want to be.

My real question is: should I be trying to stay in cardiology/medical device, or is it time to go back to neuro? Do people find it better to get experience in a wide spread of TAs, or better to specialize early and hard? The job market is rough, no doubt, but with only so much time in a day to apply I'd like to make a smart move for the rest of my career. I'd appreciate any and all insight from those with some experience, especially in Medical Affairs.

I am looking at changing jobs and leaving the NHS labs to go into medical writing. I have an undergrad in Biomedical Science however the rest of my talents are in the lab and scientific skills. Is this enough to become a medical writer? I am applying for places that accept just an undergrad such as Costello medical. Anyone who is a medical writer are there any other key skills that I should check off and see if I have?

I am researcher/physiologist with an undergrad degree in sport science, masters in exercise physiology and I am 2 months way from submitting my PhD in respiratory physiology (I already have publications, too). I also have 6 months experience doing research with patients. I have all of the soft and technical skills for medical writing but I either get rejected or cant apply to roles because they expect med comms experience. Has anyone got any insights/advice? Do companies that state they want experience ever hire someone without if if they have the required transferable skills/education?

Based in UK.