For the experienced medical writer, covering (ie, “writing news or information about”) a medical conference is a great way to stay updated in an area of expertise, to build relationships with key opinion leaders (ie, the very well known expert docs in an area) and to keep your writing and interviewing skills sharp by having really tight deadlines.
Some of us even think of covering conferences as “fun” – a break from the daily grind of working on a long article in our pyjamas in the home office (oh poor us!). You can travel the world covering conferences. I have been on paid-for trips to places like Sydney, Budapest, Paris, Copenhagen, Marseilles, Honolulu, and Singapore. I am going to Cape Town, South Africa this month.
For more info on the ins and outs of finding conference coverage gigs and how to do it, go to http://tinyurl.com/nfdygq
