Medical Writing Courses For Beginners

"Can you share a course or training programme about Medical Writing?"

Okay so, I am receiving this query a lot after my recent post.

And it's been happening even before that post.

"Where did you learn medical writing?"

I will be honest with you all here.

I did not learn it from one place.

There were multiple sources and the most highlighted one is the experience with a company and several good clients.

So actually I learned it through experience, not courses I am only taking courses to upskill myself.

But to get to a company and good clients I have worked for free or at minimal costs i.e., I used to charge PKR 500 for a 3000-word article.

Do I recommend Medical Writing courses to beginners?

So do I recommend courses to beginners?

The answer is no, I do not recommend expensive international courses to beginners.

If you find a local doing a good job that is way more affordable and of course helpful because they will tell you how to land clients alongside the skill.

Starting out I was as clueless as a beginner as you are right now. I had no mentors no courses only passion and patience.

Now I am running my own website, giving all sorts of Medcomms services, and have explained in detail about Medical and Pharmaceutical writing over my YouTube channel.

You can learn everything you need to start into Medcomms for free over there.

Here are the links:

1. Website - KMW
2. Youtube - Akasious

Kinza's Story as a Medical Writer

I was a published author and writer before completing my PharmD which means I had a deep passion for writing.

So for me, the most relevant writing niche for earning was Medical Writing.

Unlike many people today, I did not land into medical writing for better opportunities I landed here due to passion.

It is okay to seek better opportunities and indeed Medical Writing is a great lucrative career.

But can you please stop seeing the end product only?

Can you please listen to me when I say that my six figures for Medcomms earnings are not a product of one course?

I make a handsome amount from Medical writing per month.

Not willing to share my own salary but on average an intermediate freelance medical writer can make up to $4000 per month.

And this won't happen because you would take a certain $10 to $500 course teaching you few things and leaving the rest.

This will only misguide you because you will assume that okay so this is all about Medical Writing.

The truth is it keeps unfolding as you advance in your career because Medicine itself is an ever-evolving field.

What should you do as a beginner in Medical writing?

I am doing a course now after 2.5 years of work experience in Medical Writing in particular and 5 years of work experience in Freelance Content writing in general.

During this time I took no courses at all yes I spoke to mentors, I delivered work for free or was underpaid, did internships but I did not take courses because I had no money and time for that.

Now I can spend lavishly on up to $1000 courses and all the useful courses are expensive.

I am doing it now when I have figured out how the industry works and what are the things I still need to work on and what will be my next step in this niche.

I am doing it now when I know that okay so medical writing is something that I'd love to do for the rest of my life.

Best courses I'd recommend to Medical Writers - Not for beginners

I can mention a couple of those courses because everyone is looking for easy solutions and nobody is interested in this story and guidance:

1. Health Writer's Hub Courses
2. Alex Howson's CME Writing Course
3. University of Chicago Course
4. Stanford University Course on Coursera
5. Harvard Medical School Certifications
6. Henry Harvin's medical writing course
7. AMWA and EMWA also offer courses to members and non-members

If you start with an expensive course and still you fail to land jobs and clients which is pretty obvious without experience, you will only go into depression.

So start working online with someone first.

Learn how the industry works, learn how to go about a med comms freelance career, learn the difference between med comms and regulatory writing and then go for these courses after significant savings.

Since they consume a lot of time and do not tell you everything even after spending a good amount.

You won't magically get rich quickly after taking one course on Medical Writing. Chances are you might stay unemployed long after that.

I am not discouraging you I am telling you to follow the right path, not the hasty one.

After at least six months or a year of experience, you can go for courses if required. Again many people never go for any courses at all and are still successful.

How to decide which medical writing course is for you?

If you have to take one at all you will find a good number of courses online including those that I have mentioned above.

Now how to decide if this course is for you?

Study their course contents, and see the duration and the price.

If you think the course contents make sense to you and this is something you really want to learn as it will uplift your career and if you think it is worth your time and you have the budget just buy it.

And start learning.

There is no rocket science here when it comes to learning Medical Writing or taking courses.

But my point is as a clueless beginner you don't need courses you need the required education, a good mentor, and experience.

The only problem is most people are not willing to give time or they don't have time in this era of recession where they need quick solutions.

But my friend quick solutions to success don't exist.

I graduated in 2020 amidst COVID-19, unlike how we always planned my entire batch including myself was jobless and had no internships for months. Meaning nowhere to kickstart a career.

I was blessed and privileged enough to patiently follow what it takes to be a Medical Writer.

This year I have done a couple of certifications and some are still ongoing while I am associated with an international company as a Medical Writer.

Now at this point, I know how the Med comms and regulatory affairs industry works, what is the difference between the two and what the industry is constantly demanding from Technical writers.

At this point, I also know what I still don't know.

This is something that you never realize as a beginner, especially after graduation you think you are highly qualified and you know it all.

No, we learn everything through experience and nobody is willing to hire inexperienced individuals, nobody asks you to show certifications in a job interview they only look for experience.

So now after experience, I know what I still need to learn I go search courses online and learn.

After the experience, you take courses and learn for the sake of learning not accreditations and better jobs.

It is a constant struggle with the learning curve in Medical Writing. Do lots of reading to understand various concepts.

If I were you, as a beginner I'd have looked for a mentor rather than courses and would have worked with them which I actually did back then and it is still the safest route.

After ample learning and savings, you will know what international courses you should take.

Like any success story, there is no shorter route to winning in Medical Writing.

Go for courses when you can afford them for now heads down, work hard, and be patient. If you would like to get my mentoring or coaching email me at info@akasious.com or DM Akasious on Instagram.

Your very own Medical Writer,

Kinza Asghar Khan