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The differences between medical writers and engineering technical 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 medical writer and an engineering technical writer. Additionally, a medical writer has an average salary of $93,842, which is higher than the $64,966 average annual salary of an engineering technical writer.
The top three skills for a medical writer include medical writing, patients and clinical research. The most important skills for an engineering technical writer are API, technical documentation, and java.
| Medical Writer | Engineering Technical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,842 | $64,966 |
| Hourly rate | $45.12 | $31.23 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 59,516 | 128,393 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
As the name entails, medical writers produce technical, educational, promotional, and technical content. They typically work with physicians, scientists, and subject matter experts to produce documentation that defines product usage and research results. Their duties and responsibilities may vary, but they perform some common tasks, including developing documentation related to clinical trials, creating monographs, and developing promotional materials. Medical writers are also responsible for creating grant proposals, writing newspaper and magazine articles, and creating presentations for conferences.
An engineering technical writer specializes in producing engineering reports and documentation. They primarily communicate and coordinate with engineering teams to gather and analyze different forms of data, using the findings as a basis for writing materials. They may also liaise with clients, identifying the documents that they need, and submitting them to them while adhering to the company's policies and regulations. Furthermore, there are instances when an engineering technical writer must develop presentations and graphs, presenting reports to clients or company officials.
Medical writers and engineering technical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Writer | Engineering Technical Writer | |
| Average salary | $93,842 | $64,966 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $137,000 | Between $47,000 And $89,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Biogen | Meta |
| Best paying industry | - | Energy |
There are a few differences between a medical writer and an engineering technical writer in terms of educational background:
| Medical Writer | Engineering Technical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 68% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | University of Houston |
Here are the differences between medical writers' and engineering technical writers' demographics:
| Medical Writer | Engineering Technical Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% | Male, 64.0% Female, 36.0% |
| Race ratio | Black or African American, 6.6% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 8.7% White, 71.5% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% | Black or African American, 6.5% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.7% Asian, 8.6% White, 71.9% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |