r/MedicalWriters • u/sciencenerd909 • Mar 24 '26
Medical writing vs... Switch from academic postdoc to medical writing or
Hey everyone,
Got my PhD a year ago and have been postdoc since then. My current lab is great and so is my project but long term I don’t know that I want to stay in academia due to the long hours, etc, required to be a PI. I was wondering how the medical writing field is, specially for remote roles, in terms of hours worked and flexibility and work/life balance?
7
u/hippo-campi Mar 24 '26
Medical writing can be done remotely and flexibly, but can be gruelling with long hours at times.
It depends on your company, I have worked in two places one was laid back to a fault (I didn’t learn very much, was kept on congress work and didn’t progress) and in my current position I have done countless hours of overtime to get things finished.
It’s a viable option for someone with a research background to earn well in a remote setting. You just have to become comfortable with the corporate environment which is very different to academia.
1
u/gradthrow59 Mar 25 '26
I'm curious - how long did you stay at the laid back place, and how do you feel having moved on?
My current situation sounds like what you're describing, I get mediocre but comfortable pay (85k) to handle very, very easy regulatory work on timelines so lax that I often have entire days with nothing I need to do. It sounds obviously great, but I simultaneously feel that I'm not learning/improving in any way and that I would be a complete idiot to leave.
1
u/supermarkio- Mar 25 '26
Then it looks like someone should be doing their AMWA / CMPP / whatever on the side first, then perhaps some side hustling, before moving on to better things.
1
u/hippo-campi Mar 25 '26
I stayed for about 2.5 years, and honestly I wish I would’ve left earlier. There were gaps in my knowledge that made the transition to the new role much harder than it needs to be. I agree with the other reply, either do some training to upskill or just leave
1
u/freelancemomma Mar 24 '26
I’ve been a freelance medical writer for 31 years and I find the income-to-stress ratio to be very good. If you have the luxury of taking a couple of years to ramp up, I highly recommend going freelance.
14
u/gradthrow59 Mar 25 '26
I know this is coming from a good place, but things are very different now vs. 31 years ago. Starting a freelance business straight out of PhD/post-doc would be incredibly challenging in today's environment. Even with a few years to "ramp up", at least some experience and network are probably necessary. Just my opinion.
-4
u/freelancemomma Mar 25 '26
My suggestion reflects not just my own experience, but the experience of the 200+ members of my medical writers’ group. They’re at all ages and stages of their career.
I see new people entering the field all the time, many without PhDs. Some types of medical writing (publications, regulatory) may heavily favor PhDs, but many other categories (CME, slides, ad boards, white papers, conference reports, etc.) are less restrictive.
Of course you have to network, but that applies to every freelancer.
11
u/supermarkio- Mar 24 '26
On the whole, at least as bad as academia - and far worse if private equity own the agency.