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CME funding shifts unlikely to impact medical writers

Hi, all. Here is an interesting article posted about 3 weeks ago on the shifts in funding structure of CME http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2011/09/12/prl20912.htm . Even though commercial support from pharma is declining, other sources (academic institutions, non-profits, and docs themselves) are making up the shortfall, and total CME revenue in fact rose 3% in 2010.

This shift in structure may affect some medical education companies that rely on commercial support, but not freelance medical writers who will be needed to write CME no matter how it’s funded. Plus, my company is receiving more requests than ever to write needs assessments to get those limited pharma dollars.

Also, pharma, if spending less money on CME, will likely spend more money on non-CME activities, such as sales training and marketing to spread the word about their drugs.

More reason for optimism… the US FDA has approved 26 new drugs by the end of August this year compared to only 21 NME approved in all of 2010. http://knol.google.com/k/krishan-maggon/new-drug-approvals-fda-2011/3fy5eowy8suq3/148 . New drug approvals are what drives the need for much medical writing work, so that’s good news also.

Tuesday, October 4th, 2011 Category: Business Strategy, CME No Comments

Value and creativity rewarded

Some in the medical writing world are having a really difficult time right now. But there is nothing to be gained by wasting time lamenting. Instead, all efforts should be put into thinking of ways in which to diversify, and to provide service, value, and creativity to others. There is always a market for service, value, and creativity, and efforts in this direction are always rewarded. And, no, the economy doesn’t need to be booming for that to happen. In fact, some of the biggest, most successful enterprises in the US were started in times of economic difficulty. This has been true in the past, it’s true now, and it will continue to be true in the future.

Wednesday, September 21st, 2011 Category: Uncategorized No Comments

Working ON your business

The E-myth Revisited by Michael E. Gerber is one of the classic works in business writing. If you haven’t read it, I’d highly recommend it. It talks about working ON your business rather than IN your business. In freelance medical writing, that would mean avoiding getting bogged down in meeting never ending deadlines and spending time thinking about your business. You should consider which clients you should keep and which you should let go, evaluate software that might help you perform your work more efficiently, think about ways you can outsource tasks that can be done by others, etc. etc.

Sunday, September 11th, 2011 Category: Business Strategy No Comments

Do I miss bench research?

Someone who is in her 4th year of grad school and does an excellent job in writing on some projects for me recently asked me whether I missed bench research. After I squelched my initial response of “heck no!”, I had this to say to her:

You do have a very good attitude about your lab work at year 4. I was in a horrible state by that point! For me, I do not miss lab research although there are some things about it that are enjoyable. So it is important to identify what part of it you like and figure out ways in which you can replace that when you go into medical writing. If it’s working with your hands, then you can take up hobbies that will replace that–for example cooking, woodworking, or jewelry making–(I learned how to use a welding torch to make sterling silver jewelry, which was fun. Plus I had more to show for my effort than yet another failed experiment).

If it is the analytic/creative side of things such as designing experiments and researching the literature, then you can get all of that need filled from medical writing, which makes good use of those creative/analytic skills.

If it is the sense of being an “expert,” then that is not replaced by medical writing per se, although if you start mentoring and subcontracting, then you can meet some of those needs by being an expert in medical writing but not in science.

Labs can be pretty social also, whereas medical writing is not. I make up for the social aspect by doing social things (tennis, toastmasters, lunch with friends) in my spare time. Plus I travel because I love to–it is not social, but it takes you out from behind your desk.

There is a small group of people who absolutely love lab work–it is what they were born to do. One of my grad school advisors was like that. These people tend to make the best scientists and should probably stay in science because nothing else will be as fulfilling for them.

So, I guess you have to identify what aspect of bench research you will miss the most and figure out a way to replace it. If it is all above, then please do the world a favor and stay in science. We need you there!

Monday, June 27th, 2011 Category: freelancing psychology No Comments

What do you do if you’re an extrovert writer??

If you are talking with friends or family members, eating, surfing the Internet, or doing anything other than sitting there typing, then you are not working. If anyone else is even in the room with you, it is unlikely that you are working at maximum capacity. Any type of writing requires complete isolation and 100% concentration. Spending 8 or more hours a day like this, day after day, is likely to drive all but the most introverted of us insane. If you truly are a “people” person, then medical writing (or any type of writing) may not be for you.

I am part introvert/part extrovert. The introvert part of me enjoys the solitude, and feels relief at not having to interact with people all day, but the extrovert part of me must have lunch with friends, chat on the phone, or engage in boisterous hobbies, at least for an hour or two a day. Pets can help. My Maltese dog often sits on the back of my chair near my shoulders while I type and softens the emptiness. I have as yet to anthropomorphize her completely, but I have told my human companions to let me know if that happens.

Excerpt from “Self-Care for the Busy Freelance.” Available as part of Emma’s 6-week course: “Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Freelance Medical Writing Business”

Friday, June 3rd, 2011 Category: freelancing psychology No Comments

Some principles for writing CME test questions

• Always ask for a representative example of questions from your client (ie, the med ed company who wants you to write the needs assessment) and format the questions exactly the same way.
• Make sure there is only one correct answer and no possibility of debate (doctors like to debate, especially when they are in a test-taking environment!).
• In general, do not use numerical values as answers to questions.
• Repeat the important words from the question in each response so there is no room for confusion.
• If an expert puts his or her opinion into the piece, avoid including that as part of a CME question. Try to stick to the irrefutable data only.
• Your goal is not to trick the participants with your questions. Make things simple but ask yourself “what are the important take home messages a practicing clinician should grasp from this piece?”
• Avoid making all the CME questions about the sponsor’s product, but make sure you include at least one question, or possibly 2, on the sponsor’s product. Try to avoid making it a question about a failed or negative trial (if you have a choice).

Excerpt from “Writing Effective CME, Learning Objectives and Questions.” Available as part of Emma’s 6-week course: “Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Freelance Medical Writing Business.”

Tuesday, May 24th, 2011 Tags: CME
Category: CME, Writing Techniques No Comments

A small medical writing world

A word of advice: don’t say anything negative or derogatory about other writers or the industry, ever, even if you are just kidding or expressing your own brand of humor. Stay positive and professional always.

I was once called to task by another writer on their blog. I can’t remember what it was about–they were questioning my opinion based on something I had written. It wasn’t even that inflammatory if I recall. But for the longest time, if you typed my name into Google, it pulled up the blog heading “Picking some nits with Emma Hitt.” Actually I think it still does, 5 years later!! Not a huge deal, but I didn’t enjoy having that heading as being one of the first things that came up in a Google search on my name.

Just be extra careful—it’s a small medical writing world out there. You don’t want to annoy anyone, even accidentally.

The same holds true for when you participate in the AMWA or NASW listservs. It never ceases to amaze me how acerbic some people get on those listservs—in front of all the people who might otherwise be willing to hire or refer them. If you can’t stop yourself from being dragged into controversial discussions, then stay off them (I can’t, so that’s my strategy). They are a big time sink anyway.

Monday, May 2nd, 2011 Category: Uncategorized No Comments

Giving a client what they want

One of the best ways to impress a client (and get regular ongoing work from them) is to consistently give them what they want. This is a global rule that should be kept at the forefront of your mind as you engage in your day-to-day medical writing work. This is not a matter of giving them what you think they want; it is a matter of sometimes actively finding out what they want when they are not particularly forthcoming or are even unclear.

This attribute of giving a client what they want every time can be accomplished by consistently performing the following 3 tasks for every project.

1) Record (with their permission) each and every call with your client.
2) Ask for an example from your client.
3) Perform a final review to make sure you have followed all instructions.

Excerpt from “5 Mistakes Medical Writers Should Avoid.” Available as part of Emma’s 6-week course: “Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Freelance Medical Writing Business”

Friday, April 22nd, 2011 Category: Business Strategy No Comments

Self-plagiarism

When you write a lot in the same area, you have to avoid plagiarizing yourself, which has exactly the same consequences and implications as plagiarizing someone else’s work. For example, if you turn in an article to one client on metastatic breast cancer and then another client asks for a piece on the same subject with a similar focus, you must rewrite the piece in just the same way as you would if you were borrowing from someone else’s review article on the topic. Nearly all of the time, medical writers do not own the words that they write—their client does; ie, they are working under a contract with the phrase “work for hire.” You do not, and you cannot reuse the words even though you wrote them.

The same is true when covering news at a conference. You may have multiple clients wanting the same topic covered, for example, a late-breaking, highly newsworthy, phase III trial. As tempting as it is to send the same piece to each client and get paid twice for no additional work, you have to spend some time changing up the second news piece, perhaps by changing the flow or including some unique quotes, or describing a different aspect of the study.

Due to the nature of news and universal online access, your clients are very likely to catch this error also. In addition, any experienced news editor will be on the lookout for it if they know you are a freelancer with multiple clients at a conference.

Excerpt from “Freelance Integrity–Meeting Deadlines, Plagiarism, and Other Issues.” Available as part of Emma’s 6-week course: “Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Freelance Medical Writing Business”

Monday, April 18th, 2011 Category: Writing Techniques No Comments

Website benefits

My new website went up about 2 weeks ago. My old one was pretty amateurish, but it said what I wanted it to say, and I didn’t think having a new one would make all that much of a difference–not to the bottom line anyway. Let me tell you, the response to my new website, in terms of new projects as a direct result of the site (how do I know?–because new clients have told me that), increased HittList subscriptions, and sign-ups to my 6-week course, has been nothing short of miraculous.

I mention this not to brag; I mention it because I hope it highlights the need for all freelance medical writers to do everything they can to design the very best website they can. Do not scrimp on it! Pay a professional if you have to (and it’s quite likely you have to, whether you think so or not).

For more information about this and other topics regarding freelance medical writing, checkout Emma’s 6-week course: “Everything You Need to Know to Start Your Freelance Medical Writing Business”

Thursday, April 7th, 2011 Category: Business Strategy No Comments

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