The Write Stuff The Journal of the European Medical Writers Association Medical writing in a

I often see postings on the EMWA website's dialogue page from people asking how to "break into medical writing". The EMWA careers leaflet is a good starting point; however, I thought that it would be a good idea for some members to provide their own personal insights. To start the ball rolling, I would like to share details of my own career path and current role in a Contract Research Organisation (CRO) so that others may see at least one of the routes that can be taken. In the beginning… Having gained a degree in Neuroscience in what now seems a lifetime ago, I worked in research laboratories for six years. During this period, I found that I preferred reporting my results rather than the actual hands-on process of producing them! I decided to embark on a career as a writer and discovered something called "medical writing " which sounded just what I was looking for. Unfortunately, securing a job in medical writing turned out to be more difficult than I expected, with my initial applications for jobs in medical writing being unsuccessful. Not to be put off, I decided to look at the other options available to me. Obviously, I ha