We’re seeing lots of personal comments from inividuals working across the #MedComms community today, sharing their thoughts on why they enjoy the work. Here are some from Acteon’s Medical Education team, based in Cambridge, UK.

 

Julia Walton at Media Contacts has chatted with Godfrey Lisk, Director – Scientific Services, Chameleon Communications International

A simple message for us all, here from Ashfield MedComms.

 

 

Julia Walton at Media Contacts has chatted with Catarina Samora, Senior Medical Writer, BEYOND Communication

Julia Walton at Media Contacts has chatted with James Seed, Managing Director, Wave Healthcare Communications

Julia Walton at Media Contacts has chatted with Gabriel Hoppen, Medical Writer, W2O Science

What attracted you to this career in the first place?

I was looking for a scientific career outside the lab – I wanted to gain business awareness, and understand science closer to industry and healthcare.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

The variety of therapy areas, pace of work and a little bit of unpredictability.

What’s the most challenging experience you have faced?

Tricky client deadlines – especially if they all stack up at once….Two ad boards and a series of training modules all due within a few weeks was fairly challenging, but situations like these are the best way to learn.

What’s the funniest memory and/or highlight of your career so far?

It’s a bit of a copout answer but in all honesty, day to day work at W2O Science answers both parts of the question. I’d especially like to use this opportunity to shout out my colleagues Rebecca and Kiran for being the funniest and providing daily hilarity.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?

Nicolas Cage – only he could do justice to the high-octane life of a medical writer.

What’s a typical day look like for you?

Check emails…prioritise tasks…often I like to work on one thing in the morning and something different in the afternoon, but other days when I’m in a different mood I like to do a solid 8hr single task. That’s a great part of medical writing, the opportunity for varied types of work.

 What would your key tasks in a typical day be?

Developing slides for different situations, events and audiences takes up most of my time, occasionally jumping on a client call to discuss all things content.

Thanks, Gabriel. Have a great #MedComms Day!

 

Julia Walton at Media Contacts has chatted with Jo Lyford, Freelance Medical Writer

What attracted you to this career in the first place?

My job manages to unite my two passions: medicine and writing. After finishing my degree in Medical Science & Pharmacology, I got a job in biomedical publishing, followed by a move to a med comms agency. After a short time in-house I went freelance – and that was ~20 years ago. I feel very fortunate that I can make a living doing something that I enjoy so much.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

I love delivering a finished project – whether it’s a new detail aid, a slide kit, or reprint carrier – by the agreed deadline, feeling confident that I have met the brief and hopefully surpassed the client’s expectations in terms of quality and accuracy. When I receive feedback from the client confirming that – it’s ever better!

What is the most challenging experience you have faced?

The most challenging aspect of my work is finding creative ways of delivering the client’s key messages without compromising accuracy and while always ensuring compliance with local medico-legal regulations. Other challenges include: (i) working on several different products at the same time, each with their own specific requirements in terms of messaging, “tone and feel”, branding, referencing etc; (ii) dealing with clients who change their minds often or are unclear about what they want; and (iii) reconciling several sets of comments on a material, some of which may be contradictory or incorrect.

What’s the funniest memory and/or highlight of your career so far?

Earlier this year I spent several days filming inside a large pharmaceutical manufacturing plant, making a video to showcase the high quality of the product (an antibiotic). Seeing how a medicine is produced – from the raw materials to the finished tablets before being packaged and sent off for worldwide distribution – was absolutely fascinating.

Who would play you in the movie of your life?

My daughter, as she looks like a miniature version of me.

What’s a typical day look like for you?

I have school-age children so I start early and finish early in order to collect them from school. I work from an office in my house. I start at 7am by checking my emails and prioritising my workload for the day. I am typically working on several materials at any one time, and they may all be at different stages – some will be new briefs, some will be in layout, and some may have come back from the client with comments. Most of my work has to be turned around quickly so I have to be efficient without sacrificing accuracy.

What would your key tasks in a typical day be?

Writing and revising copy for a multitude of materials, such as: detail aids; leavepieces; reprint carriers; videos; interactive screens; marketing emails; web pages or entire websites; web banners; brochures; conference booth panels. I may also have calls with the client and be involved in discussing strategies for future projects.

Thanks, Jo. Have a great #MedComms Day!

 

 

Julia Walton at Media Contacts has chatted with Corinne Swainger, Freelance Copy Writer…

What attracted you to this career in the first place?

Like many MedComms professionals, I fell into the industry by ‘accident’. I’m originally from Devon but spent my teens in Florida. In American high school, I worked on the student newspaper, where we also had to lay out the printed articles by hand. I also loved to sketch people in my spare time.

When I started university, advertising copywriting seemed like an ideal subject to combine my creative and communications skills.

So, I pursued a BA in Mass Communications at the University of South Florida. This involved studying traditional advertising, PR, journalism, photojournalism, and economics. At that point, I had little interest in medical science.

What was your first job in healthcare communications?

As part of my BA degree, I was lucky enough to get a Summer internship at the communications department of a private Florida hospital. That gave me the chance to learn how to sell clinical services to a wide range of healthcare consumers.

When I returned to the UK after university, recruiters automatically classified me as a ‘junior medical writer’, although I’d never heard of the role. I started working at a small ethical healthcare advertising agency in St. Albans, Herts.  The staff taught me the ABPI Code of Practice, and I got a chance to help launch the first UK prescription drug for HIV.

It wasn’t until several years later that I completed a BSc in Life Sciences at the Open University. By that time, I had worked as a senior medical writer, editorial manager and PR account manager.

What’s your favourite part of your job?

 After 14 years a freelance writer, (now trading as MediQuill Ltd), I still enjoy the flexibility of dealing with different healthcare projects, rather than a limited number. Plus, I love the freedom to set my own hours, and work-life balance.

 What is the most challenging experience you have faced?

 Shortly after I began freelancing, one of my biggest challenges was deciding to remain independent or not. One month I could be juggling five new clients, while the next, I was twiddling my thumbs. I eventually conquered this challenge by deciding to specialise in certain areas, rather than trying to take on every new brief.

 What’s the highlight of your career so far?

 Over the past 20 years, I’ve volunteered for the Tuberous Sclerosis Association (TSA) ─ a rare disease charity  ─  to publicise a national adult support group. I’m also a former trustee of the charity. Today, I’m still involved in the TSA’s Research Review Committee as a lay member, and I recently chaired its first virtual meeting on Zoom, during the COVID-19 crisis.

 Who would play you in the movie of your life?

 Renée Zellweger because she reflects the changing roles you need to adopt to succeed as an independent healthcare writer in MedComms.

 What would your key tasks in a typical day be?

 My main daily focus tends to be updating clients about the progress of their projects. Around 50% of my time is spent on researching background resource and developing ideas for new briefs before I put pen to paper. I’m a big fan of LinkedIn and try to dedicate some time to it on a regular basis. Overall, I’ve found it’s a valuable way to network with potential clients and other freelancers.

 Thanks, Corinne. Have a great #MedComms Day!