CB Medical Marketing

Medical content experts

Medical Writing Career

Top 5 Podcasts for Medical Writers

One thing you can say for sure about all medical writers–they are lifelong learners. This is true of most people in careers having to do with the field of medicine, because the science is constantly progressing. When your job is to write about that science, you have to keep up. One of my favorite ways to do this is by listening to podcasts.

I enjoy listening to podcast episodes during all kinds of activities: when I am walking my dogs, driving in my car, or sipping my morning coffee. It is during these times that a report of new research or an angle on some issue will often spark a new idea for a post.

We are in a podcast renaissance these days, and you can find one on just about any topic, with hundreds on the subjects of health and medicine alone. In today’s post, I want to share the top five podcasts that help me the most with my job as a medical writer: [Read more…] about Top 5 Podcasts for Medical Writers

More of an Analogue Person? Try a Bullet Journal for Blog Management

This world of content marketing that Amy and I talk about is almost completely digital: we create content online, deliver it online, and most of the time we organize it online. Here at CB Medical Marketing, Trello is our preferred system for keeping our content and clients organized. And though I adore Trello, I can be a bit of an analogue gal. That is why, I organize my day-to-day personal and work life using a Bullet Journal.

There is something about working with paper and pen, making lists, and checking off boxes that can be so much more satisfying than clicking and scrolling by phone or computer. Sometimes it is just quicker too to just grab my bullet journal and see what my tasks are on any given day. Keeping a bullet journal is key to my own personal and work productivity, so I thought I’d introduce it here in case this analogue system speaks to you. [Read more…] about More of an Analogue Person? Try a Bullet Journal for Blog Management

How I use Baby Steps to take the Pain out of Writing

For me, writing can be painful and easy to procrastinate. I have chosen to do it for a living though because once I get over the hump, I can fall into it and time stops for me. And I love having written.

Sometimes I just loath having something in front of me that I need to write. Like getting a kid to eat liver and onions, I need external structures (like bribery) and trickery to get me to do it. And it’s how I make a living, so that can be a problem. I do manage to do it, though, by employing a number of strategies I have picked up over the years. [Read more…] about How I use Baby Steps to take the Pain out of Writing

How Do Medical Content Writers Charge for Their Work?

Over the last couple of weeks, Bliss and I have talked about finding a good medical content writer and how much medical writers get paid. I’d like to follow up on that with how medical content writers charge for their work. If you want to hire someone to blog for your hospital or practice website, what should you expect in the proposal? And if you are a medical content writer, how should you structure your proposal? [Read more…] about How Do Medical Content Writers Charge for Their Work?

How Much Does a Medical Writer Cost? AMWA Salary Survey Results are In

Writing the content for your website or blog can be fun, it is a great resource for your patients, and it will attract new people to your practice. But it does take time, and sometimes you need to consider out-sourcing this service.

Before you do, read Amy’s post, Searching for Mr. Write: What to Look for in a Medical Content Writer, and then take a look at your marketing budget. The good news is that content marketing is one of the least costly forms of marketing, so you might already have budgeted what you need. [Read more…] about How Much Does a Medical Writer Cost? AMWA Salary Survey Results are In

Mistakes Were Made: Passive Voice and the Clinician Writer

This post is for anyone coming from a medical background who is ready to venture into blog writing. Before taking another step forward,

STOP–you need to learn about the passive voice.

I say “learn” but you are most likely an expert–even if you don’t know it. Here is a test.

Which is the correct way to express the following:

A. Multiple attempts were made to increase the patient’s knee flexion in sitting.

B. I tried a bunch of times to get Mary to bend her knee more while she was sitting.

C. Mary hates her therapy. She says I am a physical terrorist.

If you chose A, then you have been trained well and you are a passive-voice pro. You can whip out an objective and professional chart note at a moment’s notice–but flat is how your next blog post will probably be written (see what I did there?).

I think you are getting the picture already, but to make sure, I am going to give you a quick overview. I will tell you why you need to pull back on your use of the passive voice, and when it is OK and even preferable to use it. [Read more…] about Mistakes Were Made: Passive Voice and the Clinician Writer