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The differences between technical writers and medical 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 technical writer and a medical writer. Additionally, a medical writer has an average salary of $93,842, which is higher than the $65,329 average annual salary of a technical writer.
The top three skills for a technical writer include technical documentation, subject matter experts and powerpoint. The most important skills for a medical writer are medical writing, patients, and clinical research.
| Technical Writer | Medical Writer | |
| Yearly salary | $65,329 | $93,842 |
| Hourly rate | $31.41 | $45.12 |
| Growth rate | 6% | 6% |
| Number of jobs | 75,090 | 59,516 |
| Job satisfaction | - | - |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Years of experience | 2 | 2 |
Technical Writers specialize in producing easy-to-understand instructional or informational written materials, such as media and journal articles, assessments and guidelines, and legal forms of documentation. For Technical Writers to develop well-versed content, one must conduct thorough research on the topic or idea to ensure factual legitimacy and communicate with those whose expertise aligns with the subject. Aside from producing, Technical Writers can also improve or convert complex written materials such as operating manuals or documents into one that can be easily understood by the general public.
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.
Technical writers and medical writers have different pay scales, as shown below.
| Technical Writer | Medical Writer | |
| Average salary | $65,329 | $93,842 |
| Salary range | Between $48,000 And $87,000 | Between $63,000 And $137,000 |
| Highest paying City | San Francisco, CA | Washington, DC |
| Highest paying state | California | Virginia |
| Best paying company | Meta | Biogen |
| Best paying industry | Finance | - |
There are a few differences between a technical writer and a medical writer in terms of educational background:
| Technical Writer | Medical Writer | |
| Most common degree | Bachelor's Degree, 72% | Bachelor's Degree, 57% |
| Most common major | English | Biology |
| Most common college | University of Houston | University of Southern California |
Here are the differences between technical writers' and medical writers' demographics:
| Technical Writer | Medical Writer | |
| Average age | 46 | 46 |
| Gender ratio | Male, 49.7% Female, 50.3% | Male, 33.6% Female, 66.4% |
| Race ratio | 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% | 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% |
| LGBT Percentage | 11% | 11% |