Searching For Good Freelance Medical Writing Jobs: Expert Advice

Just because you are studying for a career in medicine and will one day hopefully be doing your bit to transform and save lives doesn’t make you exempt from the day to day struggles faced by millions. Student equals broke. You know that you need to find a part-time job, but apart from the obvious barrier of needing to study. You also want a job that will if not give you direct experience in your chosen field, at least stand you in good stead. Give you that competitive edge over your competitors who have spent the last few years working a few shifts in the city centre bar or flipping pizzas to make ends meet.

Don’t let anyone try and tell you that this is snobbery. Far from it. You are simply looking after your long-term interests while managing a short-term problem. Far from making you a snob, that makes you smart and intelligent in my eyes.

There are an abundance of freelance writing jobs out there that are ideal for students who are happy to write product reviews or articles in their spare time. If, however, you want to break into the freelance medical writing field then you will find that it is a little harder to do.

• A successful medical writer needs to have a strong command of their language
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• Be proficient with Microsoft Word.
• Can pay attention to fine detail.

A lot of employers will not even consider writers unless they have specific, first-hand experience in the particular field. The fact that you are a medical student will give you an advantage over Joe public, BUT persistence is required if you are determined to break into freelance medical writing and you might want to consider:

* Getting some unpaid work experience in a lab.

Remember that it is not impossible to get a job as a freelance medical writer without experience, but your odds will dramatically increase if you take the time to get some experience. Freelance medical writing can provide a lucrative second income for the rest of your life. It makes sense to go that extra mile now to break in, rather than simply to cut your losses and blending in with the rest of the sheep. There are a whole host of professional organisations and bodies that you may wish to consider joining, but I would suggest that simply ensuring that you comply with the above will be all that you need right now.