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The differences between medical writers and writers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. While it typically takes 1-2 years to become a medical writer, becoming a writer takes usually requires 2-4 years. Additionally, a medical writer has an average salary of $93,842, which is higher than the $66,143 average annual salary of a writer.
The top three skills for a medical writer include medical writing, patients and clinical research. The most important skills for a writer are work ethic, customer service, and web content.
| Medical Writer | Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $93,842 | $66,143 |
| Hourly rate | $45.12 | $31.80 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 4% |
| Number of jobs | 59,516 | 13,931 |
| Job satisfaction | - | 5 |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 4 |
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.
A writer can have different responsibilities depending on which industry or line of work they are involved. There are writers assigned in a corporate setting, some in journalism, while there are also writers in the entertainment Industry. Although they focus on varying types of writing, they all function to inform. Among the typical duties of writers involve producing content within allotted time or deadline, gather information and verify to ensure accuracy, proofread, and undergo review and revisions.
Medical writers and writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Medical Writer | Writer | |
| Average salary | $93,842 | $66,143 |
| Salary range | Between $63,000 And $137,000 | Between $40,000 And $107,000 |
| Highest paying City | Washington, DC | San Francisco, CA |
| Highest paying state | Virginia | Massachusetts |
| Best paying company | Biogen | Apple |
| Best paying industry | - | - |
There are a few differences between a medical writer and a writer in terms of educational background:
| Medical Writer | Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 57% | Bachelor's Degree, 74% |
| Most common major | Biology | English |
| Most common college | University of Southern California | Massachusetts Institute of Technology |
Here are the differences between medical writers' and writers' demographics:
| Medical Writer | Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 42 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% | Male, 46.2% Female, 53.8% |
| 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, 6.1% Unknown, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 7.8% Asian, 5.0% White, 75.1% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.4% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 16% |