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Freelance medical writer vs contributing writer

The differences between freelance medical writers and contributing writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. It typically takes 1-2 years to become both a freelance medical writer and a contributing writer. Additionally, a freelance medical writer has an average salary of $96,709, which is higher than the $51,372 average annual salary of a contributing writer.

The top three skills for a freelance medical writer include literature reviews, medical communications and medical writing. The most important skills for a contributing writer are lifestyle, web content, and SEO.

Freelance medical writer vs contributing writer overview

Freelance Medical WriterContributing Writer
Yearly salary$96,709$51,372
Hourly rate$46.49$24.70
Growth rate6%6%
Number of jobs59,67210,292
Job satisfaction--
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Average age4646
Years of experience22

Freelance medical writer vs contributing writer salary

Freelance medical writers and contributing writers have different pay scales, as shown below.

Freelance Medical WriterContributing Writer
Average salary$96,709$51,372
Salary rangeBetween $65,000 And $142,000Between $34,000 And $75,000
Highest paying City--
Highest paying state--
Best paying company--
Best paying industry--

Differences between freelance medical writer and contributing writer education

There are a few differences between a freelance medical writer and a contributing writer in terms of educational background:

Freelance Medical WriterContributing Writer
Most common degreeBachelor's Degree, 57%Bachelor's Degree, 81%
Most common majorBiologyJournalism
Most common collegeUniversity of Southern CaliforniaMassachusetts Institute of Technology

Freelance medical writer vs contributing writer demographics

Here are the differences between freelance medical writers' and contributing writers' demographics:

Freelance Medical WriterContributing Writer
Average age4646
Gender ratioMale, 28.5% Female, 71.5%Male, 44.6% Female, 55.4%
Race ratioBlack or African American, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.6% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4%
LGBT Percentage11%11%

Differences between freelance medical writer and contributing writer duties and responsibilities

Freelance medical writer example responsibilities.

  • Manage, and assist in the recruiting activities of, CRO resources preparing regulatory documents on behalf of APGD.
  • Create content relate to recent FDA approvals and current medical research.
  • Organize and consolidate information into standard report formats, preparing and proofreading correspondence and documents in accordance with HIPAA regulations.
  • Fda-Regulate environment (CFR regulations).

Contributing writer example responsibilities.

  • Collaborate with overseas team and manage documents using SharePoint to conceptualize and generate new marketing content.
  • Pitch, write and photograph audience-aligned content, which are centered on the European-American luxury lifestyle in the greater Chicago area
  • Create SharePoint site for marketing and communications that include project tracking, document governance and collaboration space.

Freelance medical writer vs contributing writer skills

Common freelance medical writer skills
  • Literature Reviews, 17%
  • Medical Communications, 8%
  • Medical Writing, 7%
  • Proofread, 7%
  • Literature Searches, 6%
  • Scientific Content, 5%
Common contributing writer skills
  • Lifestyle, 13%
  • Web Content, 7%
  • SEO, 6%
  • Feature Stories, 6%
  • Conduct Interviews, 5%
  • Blog Posts, 5%

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