How To Become A Medical Technical Writer: What It Is and Career Path

What is a medical technical writer and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted expert

Cathy Irwin Ph.D.

There is more than meets the eye when it comes to being a medical technical writer. For example, did you know that they make an average of $35.87 an hour? That's $74,619 a year! Between 2018 and 2028, the career is expected to grow 6% and produce 3,100 job opportunities across the U.S.

What general advice would you give to a medical technical writer?

Cathy Irwin Ph.D.

Professor of English, University of La Verne

Because of the pandemic, entering the workforce has been hard for many. At the same time, many employers have moved online and are meeting with clients and customers through Zoom and other online platforms. As a result, employers now, more than ever, need employees who have excellent communication skills.

English majors from La Verne graduate with excellent writing and critical thinking skills. As a result, they do have opportunities after they graduate. Many of them are hired in jobs because of their writing and editing skills. A large percentage of students decide to go to graduate school. They want to serve their communities, so they become teachers, librarians, lawyers, and officers in non-profits or the city sector.

The medical field is also starting to welcome students from the humanities because they are looking for well-rounded, articulate, and compassionate people. If students with a humanities degree want to go into the health or medical sector, they can apply to one-year post-baccalaureate programs that lead to medical school.

ScoreMedical Technical WriterUS Average

Salary

5.8

Avg. Salary $74,619

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability level

4.8

Growth rate 6%

Growth rate 0.3%

Diversity

4.8

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.35%

Asian 8.71%

Black or African American 6.67%

Hispanic or Latino 7.85%

Unknown 4.98%

White 71.44%

Gender

female 64.63%

male 35.37%

Age - 45

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 45

Stress level

4.8

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity level

8.2

Complexity level is challenging

7 - challenging

Work life balance

5.6

Work life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Key steps to become a medical technical writer

Explore medical technical writer education requirements

Most common medical technical writer degrees

Bachelor's

45.6 %

Master's

27.9 %

Associate

17.6 %

Start to develop specific medical technical writer skills

Skills	Percentages
Medical Writing	15.59%
FDA	13.20%
Informed Consent	10.22%
Adobe Acrobat	9.37%
Clinical Study Reports	8.89%

Complete relevant medical technical writer training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New medical technical writers learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a medical technical writer based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real medical technical writer resumes.

Research medical technical writer duties and responsibilities

Help company achieve ISO registration by determining best practices, writing ISO compliant manufacturing instructions and teaching best manufacturing processes.
Create deliverables, and track changes and revision histories in compliance with FDA mandate procedures.
Include research, and obtaining information from interviews and PowerPoint presentations.
Develop complete design document/storyboard in PowerPoint with suitable animation and audio script.

Prepare your medical technical writer resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your medical technical writer resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a medical technical writer resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose from 10+ customizable medical technical writer resume templates

Build a professional medical technical writer resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your medical technical writer resume.