I am a freelance writer and would like to specialize in medical writing. How can I get started on this path?
Asked by Jenna
Do I need a specialized degree? I've been a successful freelance writer for several years, with an educational background in psychology. I love the medical and healthcare fields and am passionate about learning. I've tried to find information on how to get started in the field of medical writing, but can't seem to find any clear answers. Thanks for your help!

Best Answer:
Get a resume or CV prepared - including a cover letter. You don't need a specialized degree. Just go to the online job sites and start building up a portfolio which will help you use land the bigger gigs. If you already have an impressive portfolio you might not even need any medical writing experience if your CV is good enough. Here's a list of the biggest online job sites: http://www.businessviking.com/2008/05/looking-for-online-job.html Good Luck. http://www.BusinessViking.com

I work in financial writing, which is a similar situation: I have no formal training in finance. In medial writing, as in finance, there are multiple levels. In finance, this can run from a simple article on how to buy an annuity to complex investing and economic theory. So my advice is start small. Target relatively simple healthcare newsletters that may pay a low rate and so are willing to take a chance on you. That will give you clips to show other publications and it will snowball to more sophisticated--and better paying--outlets. As an editor, I took a chance, for example, on a writer with minimal financial experience for a relatively lightweight story. But she had fabulous clips from prestigious publications. I helped her along--and we both won. I got a very good story and she got financial experience. The next time, I had to help her less. Meanwhile, she had clips to show other financial publications. So start slow, be patient, and work your way up. There is no magic solution--slow and steady. However, check to see if there is an appropriate MediaBistro course (they have in-person and online courses), www.mediabistro.com. I know from experience these are good courses and can help you along. Good luck.
Answered by mad editor

You need to start with a medical terminology course. I always read health and medical news in my local newspaper and boy does it tick me off to have the reporter misspell the words.
Answered by catcat