Starting out in MedComms

Are you interested in life sciences? Do you want to work in a fast-paced role where no two days are alike? If your answer is ‘yes’, then MedComms might be for you. There are two broad directions you can take in this industry: account coordination or medical writing. I have worked in both roles because I wanted to find out what suited me best. It also gives me the opportunity to share my experiences of both with you.   

Account coordination (or ‘accounts’ for short) is centred around building client relationships and planning projects. As an account coordinator, you would work on the framework of projects: establishing timelines, developing budgets, and updating clients on their status. You would also do some writing, like creating client meeting reports and event invitations. As you progress you will engage more with clients, and become more involved with project management and leadership. So, if you are looking for a role that’s sociable and puts your organisational skills to good use, then account coordination could be for you.  

Medical writing is focused on developing the content for projects that the accounts team have agreed to deliver to clients. MedComms encompasses a diverse range of project types and therapy areas, so the content can be incredibly varied. A week’s work might see you plan the outline of an oncology webinar chaired by the top cancer specialists, research potential topics for a podcast series, and create an educational presentation for nurses who specialise in lung conditions. At entry level, your work would be reviewed by more senior members of the writing team but, as you progress, you would start reviewing other writers’ work and have more say in the direction of projects. Eventually you would become a fount of knowledge in your very own therapy areas. This career may suit you if you are science- and detail-oriented, and you enjoy extracting a compelling narrative from complex sets of scientific literature.    

In summary, MedComms develops a range of skills, from creativity to strategy and, naturally, communication. There are two broad paths that you can choose and, like me, you can start in one and move to the other depending on your preferences and work style. Finally, delivering projects that help improve the quality of patient care makes MedComms a very rewarding career.  I recommend giving it a try!  

Authored by Chloe Antonen

Inspired Science, Ketchum