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The differences between medical writers and grant 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 a grant writer. Additionally, a medical writer has an average salary of $93,842, which is higher than the $52,719 average annual salary of a grant writer.
The top three skills for a medical writer include medical writing, patients and clinical research. The most important skills for a grant writer are grants management, financial reports, and proposal development.
| Medical Writer | Grant Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,842 | $52,719 |
| Hourly rate | $45.12 | $25.35 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 59,516 | 16,708 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| 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.
Often working for a non-profit organization, a grant writer specializes in writing application letters for financial grants to foundations, government agencies, and companies. Their responsibilities revolve around maintaining records of data and documentation, finding grant opportunities, participating in devising strategies that benefit the company's growth, crafting correspondence, gathering requirements, and submitting and monitoring grant proposals. Furthermore, a grant writer must have in-depth knowledge and understanding of the organization they work for, including its history, vision, mission, policies, and regulations.
Medical writers and grant writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Writer | Grant Writer | |
| Average salary | $93,842 | $52,719 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $137,000 | Between $38,000 And $73,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | California |
| Best paying company | Biogen | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | Government |
There are a few differences between a medical writer and a grant writer in terms of educational background:
| Medical Writer | Grant Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 64% |
| Most common major | Biology | Business |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Northwestern University |
Here are the differences between medical writers' and grant writers' demographics:
| Medical Writer | Grant Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% | Male, 29.4% Female, 70.6% |
| 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, 6.7% Unknown, 5.0% Hispanic or Latino, 7.9% Asian, 8.8% White, 71.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |