What is Medical/ Health Writing?

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Thank you for reading this edition of The Science Freelancer.

The gigs edition always features opportunities for medical and health writing. As someone who identifies as a science writer with expertise in certain topics, it is easy to ignore these opportunities.

Considering that healthcare is a multi-billion dollar industry, it is rather straightforward that medical and health writing can always be a reliable source of income. As long as you know how to tap into it.

I interviewed Michelle Guillemard, the founder of Health Writer Hub, which offers Introductory courses as well as Masterclasses on health and medical writing.

But Michelle’s story about how she got into medical writing and how she handles her freelancing life is also inspiring.

Before we get to the interview, here’s a friendly reminder to buy me a coffee, so that I can continue working on The Science Freelancer in 2025 as well.

Q: You began your freelance journey writing about music, travel and lifestyle. How did the segue into health/medical writing happen?

Michelle: I was living in London and came across a role at the British Medical Journal (BMJ) managing web content. With no medical background but web content experience, I was lucky enough to get the job. Once I started there, I learned so much about health and medicine that it felt a shame to do anything else – plus I really loved it. The more I learned, the more I realized there was to learn.

For the uninitiated, could you please elaborate on what is medical/health writing? How is it different from science writing, and what are its different forms?

Health and medical writing encompasses any type of content creation about health and medical topics, whereas science is broader. Typically, health and medical writers write about diseases, health topics, treatments and lifestyle. The scope is massive!

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Why do businesses need health/medical writers?

When I was working at the BMJ, I realized that health/medical writing is a very specific skill that you learn over time. It's not like other forms of generic writing – you do need to know the industry-specific terms and rules to create excellent health and medical content.

Whereas any good copywriter can write about other topics – construction, finance – with a bit of research. But with health and medicine, it takes years to learn how it all works truly, and that's when your skills become extremely valuable (and lucrative) for clients. You have the edge over other writers who don't have that industry knowledge and experience.

How has life been as a freelancer? What are some mistakes you'd advise other freelancers to watch out for?

Life as a freelancer is amazing, but it's also challenging at times. It's not all freedom and flexibility – you do need to be disciplined and often work at odd hours. It can be feast or famine, even for experienced writers like me who have been doing this for more than 10 years. And AI and increased competition is changing things. Still, healthcare is a multi-billion dollar industry that's not going anywhere, so there will always be a demand for freelance medical writers.

In terms of mistakes, I think doing your research before you begin about who your clients are and how you will find them is essential. You want to start with a solid plan and goals, because if you don't have this you will find it hard to gain traction and may give up too early. So some pre-planning really is essential.

You are also a restaurant owner. How do you manage your commitments and your time?

I run it like any other project – it's just a different topic! My husband and I co-own two French restaurants, but the work I do is very much behind the scenes, and some taste testing, of course. It gives me a nice balance because hospitality is very social whereas freelancing and teaching online can be isolating at times for social people.

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Why did you start Health Writer Hub? Who is it for?

I originally started Health Writer Hub as an online community for health writers, but some clients were asking me to mentor them, so I had the idea to create a course. This was before online courses were as popular as they are now. I realised there was a demand for health writing courses because nobody was doing it. Now, there are lots of them!

Should freelancers also work to build multiple sources of income? Any advice on how to do that?

I think it's smart to have multiple income streams if you can in case freelancing gets quieter, and it also helps you not burn out.

I've done other things over the years – teaching with other companies, writing for people in other industries – there are no rules that say you only need to focus on health/medical writing to be successful. You are in control of your career, and your life!

If you would like to know more about Michelle, do follow her on LinkedIn.

Earlier this month, I also published an account about life as a science writer/ editor for newcomers from Michael Scott Lang. You can read it here.

Time for a quick poll.

Thank you for reading.

Regards

Ameya