V37 N3 / 2022 ©2022 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved. ISSN 2163-5315 AMWAJournal.org 4 ABSTRACT Medical communicators are professionals with a knowl- edge of both medicine and writing who are able to deliver complex scientific information to a variety of audiences. As the leading professional organization for medical communicators with a membership of nearly 5,000, the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) is well-situated to tap into their member net- work to better understand the diverse backgrounds and experience of medical communicators. In this arti- cle, AMWA presents the demographic data (eg, age, gender, education, and work experience) received from the Medical Communication Compensation Survey to create a snapshot of the medical writing community. AMWA emailed the most recent Web-based survey to medical writers and editors during the first quarter of 2019. Overall, 7,456 individuals received the survey, and 1,418 respondents completed the survey. About two- thirds (66.1%) of the respondents were employed by a company, similar to the 2015 survey (65.1%), whereas the remaining one-third were freelancers. Most respon- dents were female (83.4%), and the average age of all respondents was about 48 years. The average time spent working for pay as a medical communicator for all respondents was 12 years. Most respondents held a doc- toral-level degree (46%) or a master’s degree (32%) as their highest level of education. Nearly half of all respon- dents had their highest degree in the field of science (47.2%), whereas 9% had their highest degree in English. A key takeaway from the survey is that medical commu- nicators are a highly educated group of professionals, indicating a commitment to continuous learning. AMWA members are encouraged to keep their member profiles up to date to provide additional demographic informa- tion to support AMWA’s mission of promoting excellence in medical communication and providing educational resources in support of that goal. Elizabeth Kukielka, PharmD, MS, MWC / Senior Medical Writer, CiTRUS Health Group, Philadelphia, PA AMWA: Who We Are FEATURE Medical communicators are professionals with a knowledge of both medicine and writing who are able to deliver com- plex scientific information to a variety of audiences, such as health care providers, patients and their caregivers, indus- try professionals, and public policy officials. Individuals working in the field of medical communication may have such titles as medical editor, medical writer, scientific writer, technical writer, regulatory writer, promotional writer, and health care journalist, among many others. Medical com- municators are responsible for the development of mate- rials in formats ranging from print publications to digital media, and some examples of their work include abstracts and posters for scientific conferences, grant proposals, health education materials, science textbooks, continu- ing education materials for health care professionals, sales training materials for pharmaceutical or medical device rep- resentatives, and regulatory documents for submission to health agencies. As the leading professional organization for medical communicators in the United States and worldwide with a membership of nearly 5,000, the American Medical Writers Association (AMWA) is well-situated to tap into their member network to better understand the diverse back- grounds and experience of medical communicators. One valuable information source is the Medical Communication Compensation Survey conducted periodically by AMWA. This survey provides dependable salary information upon which employers and employees in the field of medical communication can base their salary negotiations. In addi- tion to details about compensation, the survey also collects a wealth of demographic data from respondents, including age, gender, education, and work experience. In the follow- ing pages, AMWA presents the demographic data received from the survey to create a snapshot of the medical writing community. METHODS AMWA has been conducting periodic compensation sur- veys since 1989, and the most recent survey was deployed http://www.amwajournal.org AMWAJournal.org 5AMWA: Who We Are to medical writers and editors during the first quarter of 2019. The purpose of the survey was to determine prevailing annual income and fee levels and to study different factors affecting pay (eg, years of experience, education, certifica- tion, employer type, type of work, and position level), based on the results of previous surveys. A Web-based survey was emailed to 7,456 individuals (3,835 AMWA members and 3,621 nonmembers). Nonmembers included lapsed AMWA members as well as individuals who were never AMWA members. Among those, 271 people requested to be removed from the survey panel and 55 emails were returned, bringing the revised total number of respondents to 7,130. The survey included a question about whether people had worked for pay as a medical communicator during 2018 so that individuals who did not work in the field within the time window of interest could be excluded. RESULTS Overall, 1,418 individuals completed the survey, yielding a response rate of 20% and showing an increase in partic- ipation from the 2 previous surveys deployed in 2011 and 2015 (Table 1). More than four-fifths of respondents (81.3%) Table 1. Demographics at a Glance for All Respondents, 2007–2019 1133 All Respondents All Respondents: Demographics The majority of medical communicators responding to the 2019 survey were females (83.4%). The average age was approximately 48 years, and the average number of years working for pay as a medical communicator was 12. About one-third of respondents held a PhD (37.4%) or a master’s degree (31.6%) as their highest level of education, more than three-fourths (77.4%) did not have an AMWA Essential Skills certificate, and four in 10 (41.1%) had the ELS (Editor in Life Sciences) certification. Approximately half of all the respondents had their highest degree in the field of science (47.2%) while 9.0% had their highest degree in in English, quite similar to the proportions observed in the 2015 survey. As shown below, respondent demographics in the 2019 survey were similar to those reported in the 2015 survey. 2007 2011 2015 2019 All Respondents 1704 1193 1292 1418 Employee 1183 819 841 938 Freelance 521 374 451 480 Employee/Freelance -- -- 104 109 Female 83% 84% 85% 83% Male 17% 16% 15% 16% Prefer not to answer -- -- -- 1% Age (mean) All Employee 44 45 45 46 Freelance Only 48 50 50 52 <2 14% 11% 8% 7% 2-5 20% 20% 25% 26% 6-10 28% 25% 25% 19% >10 38% 43% 42% 49% All Employee 9 11 11 11 Freelance Only 13 15 17 15 Bachelor's 36% 28% 21% 21% Master's 34% 34% 32% 32% Advanced Degree 30% 38% 40% 46% Science includes biology, medical technology, health sciences, and nutrition 40% 44% 50% 47% English -- -- 9% 9% Medicine 4% 4% 5% 5% Pharmacy 5% 5% 4% 5% Journalism 5% 5% 4% 4% Communications 4% 4% 4% 3% Liberal Arts 11% 11% 4% 3% Medical Writing -- -- 4% 2% Years of Medical Writing Experience (mean) % Highest Level of Education % Field of Highest Degree All Respondents'' Demographics: 2007-2019 Number of Respondents Gender % Years of Medical Writing Experience http://www.amwajournal.org AMWAJournal.org 6AMWA: Who We Are reported that they were AMWA members. About two-thirds (66.1%) of the respondents were employed by a company, similar to the 2015 survey (65.1%), whereas the remain- ing one-third were freelancers (Table 2). When asked to describe their employer, 19.4% of all employee respondents indicated they had worked for a pharmaceutical company, 14.4% had worked for a medical communication company, and 13.8% had worked for a clinical or contract research organization. Most employee respondents indicated that the main area in which they had worked was regulatory writing (40.8%) or scientific publication (24.8%). Most respondents were female (83.4%) (Table 1). The average age of all respondents was about 48 years. The aver- age age for employees was 46 years, whereas for freelancers it was 52 years. More than half of respondents were 45 years or older, and only 12.6% were younger than 35 years (Figure 1). The average time spent working for pay as a medical communicator for all respondents was 12 years. Nearly half (48.9%) of all respondents had greater than 10 years of expe- rience as a paid medical communicator (Figure 2), with an average of 12.4 years. Employees averaged 10.9 years of experience, whereas freelancers averaged 15.4 years. Most respondents held a doctoral-level degree (46%), such as a PhD, MD, or PharmD, or a master’s degree (32%) as their highest level of education (Figure 3). These percent- ages were similar between employees and freelancers. Nearly half of all respondents had their highest degree in the field of science (47.2%), which included biology, chemistry, medical technology, health sciences, and nutrition, whereas 9% had their highest degree in in English; these proportions were similar to those observed in the 2015 survey. Employees (50.4%) more often had their highest degree in science than freelancers (41 %) (Table 3 on next page). Overall, about one-fifth of respondents (22.6%) held the AMWA Essential Skills certificate. Among all respon- dents, the certificate was held for an average of 8.6 years. Freelance respondents (10.4 years) held the certificate longer on average than employees (7.6 years). When asked about certifications, 41.1% of respondents reported they held the Editor in the Life Sciences (ELS) certification, 17.2% held the Certified Medical Publication Professional certification, 11.7% held the Medical Writer Certified Table 2. Type of Employment, 2015 and 2019 Figure 1. Age of all respondents, 2019. n= 1,394. Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey. Figure 2. Years of experience as a medical communicator for all respondents, 2019. n= 1,414. Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey. Figure 3. Highest level of education for all respondents, 2019. n= 1,415. Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey. 1144 An online survey was used to collect responses from AMWA members and nonmembers. Overall, 1,418 responses were received of which about four-fifths (81.3%) responded that they were members. About two-thirds (66.1%) of the respondents were employees, similar to their share in the 2015 survey (65.1%). Nearly half (48.9%) of all respondents had greater than 10 years of experience as a paid medical communicator, with an average of 12.4 years. Employees averaged 10.9 years of experience while freelances averaged 15.4 years. Slightly more than eight in 10 respondents were AMWA members. More than half (54.6%) reported that they had not completed the AMWA Salary Survey in 2015, while 22.3% reported that they had completed it; 23.1% did not remember. Approximately two-thirds of respondents were employees and one-third were freelances. More than half of the response pool was 45 years or older; only 12.6% were younger than 35 years. AMWA Membership All Respondents Yes 81.3% No 18.7% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,404 Employment Status All Respondents Employee 66.1% Freelance 33.9% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,418 Employees 938 66.1% 841 65.1% Freelance 480 33.9% 451 34.9% Freelance Employees 109 11.6% 104 13.8% Percentage of employees and freelances are based on total respondents Percentage of freelance employees is based on count of employees 2019 2015 Survey Participants: 2015 & 2019 1144 An online survey was used to collect responses from AMWA members and nonmembers. Overall, 1,418 responses were received of which about four-fifths (81.3%) responded that they were members. About two-thirds (66.1%) of the respondents were employees, similar to their share in the 2015 survey (65.1%). Nearly half (48.9%) of all respondents had greater than 10 years of experience as a paid medical communicator, with an average of 12.4 years. Employees averaged 10.9 years of experience while freelances averaged 15.4 years. Slightly more than eight in 10 respondents were AMWA members. More than half (54.6%) reported that they had not completed the AMWA Salary Survey in 2015, while 22.3% reported that they had completed it; 23.1% did not remember. Approximately two-thirds of respondents were employees and one-third were freelances. More than half of the response pool was 45 years or older; only 12.6% were younger than 35 years. AMWA Membership All Respondents Yes 81.3% No 18.7% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,404 Employment Status All Respondents Employee 66.1% Freelance 33.9% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,418 Employees 938 66.1% 841 65.1% Freelance 480 33.9% 451 34.9% Freelance Employees 109 11.6% 104 13.8% Percentage of employees and freelances are based on total respondents Percentage of freelance employees is based on count of employees 2019 2015 Survey Participants: 2015 & 2019 55 years or older 31.6% Younger than 35 years 12.6% 35–44 years 30.2% 45–54 years 25.5% 1144 An online survey was used to collect responses from AMWA members and nonmembers. Overall, 1,418 responses were received of which about four-fifths (81.3%) responded that they were members. About two-thirds (66.1%) of the respondents were employees, similar to their share in the 2015 survey (65.1%). Nearly half (48.9%) of all respondents had greater than 10 years of experience as a paid medical communicator, with an average of 12.4 years. Employees averaged 10.9 years of experience while freelances averaged 15.4 years. Slightly more than eight in 10 respondents were AMWA members. More than half (54.6%) reported that they had not completed the AMWA Salary Survey in 2015, while 22.3% reported that they had completed it; 23.1% did not remember. Approximately two-thirds of respondents were employees and one-third were freelances. More than half of the response pool was 45 years or older; only 12.6% were younger than 35 years. AMWA Membership All Respondents Yes 81.3% No 18.7% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,404 Employment Status All Respondents Employee 66.1% Freelance 33.9% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,418 Employees 938 66.1% 841 65.1% Freelance 480 33.9% 451 34.9% Freelance Employees 109 11.6% 104 13.8% Percentage of employees and freelances are based on total respondents Percentage of freelance employees is based on count of employees 2019 2015 Survey Participants: 2015 & 2019 >10 years 48.9% 2–5 years 25.8% 6–10 years 18.7% <2 years 6.5% 1155 The average age for employees was 46 years and about 52 for freelances. Freelances also had more years of experience as paid medical communicators than employees—15.4 years and 10.9, respectively. As their highest level of education obtained, one-fifth of the respondents had a bachelor’s degree and 46.0% had an advanced degree (PhD+Other advanced degree). These percentages were not different between employees and freelances. Employee Freelance 2019 46.0 51.5 2015 44.9 50.1 2019 10.9 15.4 2015 10.8 16.6 All Respondents Age and Years of Experience: 2015 & 2019 Age (Mean) Years of Experience (Mean) Note there was a slight difference in the wording of the question for experience from one survey wave to the next Associate's Degree or Less and Other Bachelor's Degree Master's Degree Advanced Degree* Count All Respondents 1.7% 20.7% 31.6% 46.0% 1,415 Employee 1.6% 21.0% 32.0% 45.4% 937 Freelance 2.1% 20.1% 30.8% 47.0% 478 All Respondents Highest Level of Education: 2019 *Advanced Degree includeds PhD, MD, PharmD, and Other Advanced Degree Other 1.8% Other advanced degree 8.6% PhD 37.4% Bachelor's degree 20.7% Master's degree 31.6% http://www.amwajournal.org AMWAJournal.org 7AMWA: Who We Are certification, and one-third of respondents held other certifications (Figure 4). The ELS was held most often by those having a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree (51.5%). More than two-fifths of respondents (44.1%) had worked in regulatory writing in the pharmaceutical, biotechnol- ogy, or device industry during their career. Of those who worked in regulatory writing, 77.7% had written clinical study reports (CSRs), 74.4% had written study protocols, 64.7% had written investigator brochures, 63.5% had writ- ten regulatory responses or briefing documents, and 60.0% had written summary documents for supplemental drug submissions during their career (Figure 5). On average, a medical communicator who had worked in regulatory writ- ing had written 32.8 nonclinical/discovery and chemistry, manufacturing, and controls (CMC) documents, 28.3 CSRs, and 28.3 study protocols during their career. On average, freelance respondents had written more CSRs, study protocols, investigator bro- chures, and summary documents for drug submissions in their careers than their employee counterparts, whereas employees had written more nonclinical/discovery and CMC doc- uments and aggregate reports than freelance respondents. CONCLUSIONS One key takeaway from AMWA’s Medical Communication Compensation Survey is that medi- cal communicators are a highly edu- cated group of professionals, with nearly half of respondents reporting that they have an advanced degree. The high level of education among AMWA members and other medical communicators indicates a commit- ment to continuous learning. A new content strategy plan was developed following the 2019 survey with goals that included aligning AMWA’s edu- cational offerings with the needs of the membership and fulfilling AMWA’s mission. In developing the content strategy, AMWA relied on data from the compensation survey, other surveys of the membership, and other data sources. One criti- cal data source is the demographic information collected through AMWA member profiles, such as gender, race, highest level of educa- tion, primary workplace, and areas of professional focus. These online pro- files may be accessed by members Nearly half the respondents (47.2%) indicated science as the field of their highest degree followed by English (9.0%). Employees were more likely to have their highest degree in science than freelance respondents—50.4% compared to 41.0%. Overall, only one-fifth (22.6%) held the AMWA Essential Skills certificate. Of those respondents, on average, the certificate was held for 8.6 years. Freelance respondents who earned the AMWA Essential Skills certificate have held it, on average, for 10.4 years, and employees who earned it have held it, on average, for 7.6 years. All Respondents (1,418) Employee (938) Freelance (480) Business 2.2% 2.0% 2.5% Communication 3.0% 3.2% 2.5% Education 1.2% 1.2% 1.3% English 9.0% 9.6% 7.9% Health care administration 0.5% 0.6% 0.2% Journalism 3.5% 3.4% 3.8% Liberal arts 2.9% 3.0% 2.7% Medical writing 2.1% 1.9% 2.5% Medicine 5.3% 3.8% 8.1% Nursing 1.6% 1.0% 2.7% Pharmacy 5.3% 4.4% 7.1% Public health 3.5% 3.6% 3.1% Science Includes biology, chemistry, health science, medical technology, and nutrition 47.2% 50.4% 41.0% Technical writing 1.8% 1.5% 2.3% Other 11.0% 10.3% 12.3% All Respondents Fields of Highest Degree: 2019 AMWA Essential Skills Certificate All Respondents Yes 22.6% No 77.4% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,405 Table 3. Field of Highest Degree, 2019 When asked about certifications, two-fifths (41.1%) of respondents held the ELS certification and one- third held “other” certifications. The CMPP was earned by 17.2% of all respondents and 11.7% held the MWC. The ELS was held more often by those having a bachelor’s degree as their highest degree (51.5%). More than eight in 10 respondents were female and 16.0% were male. Less than 1% answered that they preferred not to answer this question. More than four in 10 respondents (44.1%) had worked in regulatory writing in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology, or device industry during their career. Gender All Respondents Female 83.4% Male 16.0% Prefer not to answer 0.6% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,409 Have Worked in Regulatory Writing in Pharmaceutical, Biotechnology or Device Industry All Respondents Yes 44.1% No 55.9% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=1,418 Certifications All Respondents 2.9% 5.5% 11.7% 17.2% 33.3% 41.1% CHCP (Certified Healthcare Professional) RAC (Regulatory Affairs Certification) MWC (Medical Writer Certified) CMPP (Certified Medical Publication Professional) Other certificates ELS (Editor in the Life Sciences) 0.0% 10.0% 20.0% 30.0% 40.0% 50.0% Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=384Figure 4. Certifications for all respondents, 2019. n= 384. Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey. http://www.amwajournal.org AMWAJournal.org 8AMWA: Who We Are Of those who worked in regulatory writing, about three-fourths had authored clinical study reports (77.7%) and study protocols (74.4%), and around six in 10 had authored investigator brochures (64.7%), regulatory responses or briefing documents (63.5%), and summary documents for new or supplemental drug submissions (60.0%) during their career. On average, a medical communicator who had worked in regulatory writing would have authored 32.8 nonclinical/ discovery and CMC documents and 28.3 study protocols or clinical study reports during their career. On average, freelance respondents have authored more clinical study reports, study protocols, investigator brochures, and summary documents for new or supplemental drug submissions in their careers than their employee counterparts, whereas employees have authored more nonclinical/ discovery and CMC documents and aggregate reports than freelance respondents. When asked to describe their employer in 2018, one-fifth (19.4%) of all employee respondents indicated working for a pharmaceutical company, and one in seven worked for a medical communications company (14.4%) or a clinical or contract research organization (13.8%). Four in 10 employee respondents (40.8%) indicated that the main area in which they work was regulatory writing, and about one-fourth (24.8%) worked in scientific publications. Likewise, one-fifth of all freelance respondents said that the client providing the highest percentage of their income was a medical communications company (21.7%) or a pharmaceutical company (19.1%). As for the area of work earning the greatest percentage of income, nearly a quarter of all freelances selected regulatory writing (23.4%) followed by scientific publications (21.0%). 20.6% 32.2% 35.3% 60.0% 63.5% 64.7% 74.4% 77.7% Aggregate reports (generally postmarketing) Nonclinical/discovery and CMC documents Other document Summary documents for new or supplemental drug submissions Regulatory responses or briefing documents Investigator brochures Study protocols Clinical Study Reports 0.0% 20.0% 40.0% 60.0% 80.0% 100.0% 12.2 n=302 28.3 n=337 16.2 n=283 18.7 n=292 32.8 n=145 17.2 n=86 28.3 n=354 No. of Documents (average) Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey n=583 *check all applyFigure 5. Documents authored during career for all respondents who had worked in regulatory writing, 2019 (check all that apply). n= 583. CMC=chemistry, manufacturing, and controls. Source: AMWA 2019 Compensation Survey. at any time by logging into the AMWA website. By keeping member profiles up to date, members can support AMWA’s mission of promoting excellence in medical communication and providing educational resources in support of that goal. Author declaration and disclosures: The author notes no commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in relation to this article. Author contact: ekukielka@citrushealthgroup.com Keep your AMWA Member Profile up to date. Help us understand more about you! What best describes your role as a medical writer? How would you describe your primary workplace/client? What is your primary professional area of focus? What are your additional professional areas of focus? What is your primary responsibility in your work? Where do you live (city, state, country)? What is the highest level of education completed? What credentials or degrees do you have? Which gender do you identify with? What is your race/ethnicity? What is your year of birth? Log into www.amwa.org and update your profile today. http://www.amwajournal.org