How did I get started in medical writing? Initially, I got introduced to the world of medical communications through an advanced experiential practice placement (APPE). This was at an agency in New York during my last year of pharmacy school. Before I started, I did not have a clear grasp of the extent of the competencies that a pharmacy school graduate could offer, let alone the nuances of this specific industry. Nevertheless, I took the opportunity to immerse myself in some of the day-to-day activities and tasks that frequent agency life. It was evident how much research and creativity play a central role in this niche – truly appealing to my interests.

Several years had passed. Even though I had only worked primarily in retail pharmacy, I felt that I needed a new direction in my career. I began to focus my attention back to medical communications and was thankful to get another opportunity to grow as a medical writer. Excited to start my first role in medical communications, I started off as an in-house freelancer; eventually I joined the clinical (medical) team as a medical writer. During the first several months, I underwent a lot of hands-on learning and introductory training to get up to speed. I spent a lot of time bouncing around different accounts and shifting to help on different types of projects. It was an adjustment. But I became more comfortable with the workload and time management aspects of the role notably – even experiencing a product launch for the first time!

A main lesson that I took away from this career change was the importance of overcoming discomfort and challenges with persistence. Throughout your career, you are bound to come across an unfamiliar disease state or new form of deliverable or any other obstacle. Stay positive and keep learning. A great benefit about medical writing is that you are encouraged to continue to seek knowledge. We can use that initiative to aspire to be content experts and valued members of the team.