V38 N2 / 2023 ©2023 American Medical Writers Association. All rights reserved. ISSN 2163-5315 AMWAJournal.org 55 Speakers Tim Day (Moderator) Principal/Owner, Innovative Strategic Communications, LLC, Milford, PA Michael Platt, MS, CMPP EVP, Managing Director, Virgo Health Glenn S. Tillotson, PhD, FIDSA, FCCP, FISC Consultant Microbiologist, GST Micro LLC, North, VA By Kathleen Scogna As we enter the fourth year of the COVID-19 pandemic, many of us have begun to look back and reflect on how much our personal and professional lives have changed since “before COVID.” Like all professions, the scientific pub- lishing world has had to adapt to a new set of expectations and priorities imposed by the global pandemic. In this talk, 3 publishing professionals give their perspectives about how this “new normal” has affected all aspects of scientific pub- lishing, whether these changes are here to stay, and the likely impact they may have on the medical writer. “THE GREAT RESIGNATION” Michael Platt, MS, CMPP, executive vice president and man- aging director of Virgo Health, a medical education com- pany located in New York City, focused on what has been called “the Great Resignation,” when millions of workers— many of them in the healthcare and science fields—took stock of their work lives, disliked what they saw, and left their jobs for other industries. Some dropped out of the workforce altogether. The aftermath of the Great Resignation may be posi- tive for the medical writer who’s prepared to jump through a few hoops. The demand for talent is high: 71% of life sci- ence companies plan to increase their workforce in 2022. But employers now are taking steps to check whether a candidate is committed to staying and that they can handle curveballs. Mr Platt lists 5 interview questions that candidates should be prepared to answer when applying to an agency: 1. “What is your ideal work environment?” 2. “Why did you leave your last job?” 3. “Why do you want to work for this company?” 4. “Describe a stressful situation and how you handled it.” 5. “What are your immediate career goals?” Candidates should also expect to be asked to take tests, give presentations, or write sample articles during the inter- view process to demonstrate their writing abilities. The savvy candidate should not only ensure that their skills are up to snuff but also develop 4 key competencies Mr Platt believes are crucial to succeeding in the current environment: 1. “Being Human” 2. Transparency 3. Accountability 4. Urgency Although the good news is that medical writers are beginning to sense their worth and are asking for (and often getting) higher salaries and freelance rates, it’s not enough to be a good writer. To flourish in this landscape, Mr Platt contends that the best candidates are lifelong learners com- mitted to communicating data and knowledge to make a difference in the world and in patients’ lives. THE RISE OF THE PREPRINT In the publishing space, ethics took a huge hit during the pandemic, with inevitable consequences. Glenn S. Tillotson, PhD, a healthcare scientist in global infectious disease drug development and now editor-in- chief of Expert Review of Anti-infective Therapy, described the state of scientific publication in 2020 as a “tsunami” (Figure 1). As clinical trials into COVID therapeutics took off, publishers scrambled to keep up with the rising tide of publications. One solution to quickly disseminate this infor- mation was by using preprints, or posting papers on a jour- nal’s server or website “as is,” without editing, peer review, or the usual checks performed by the publisher before publication. Although preprints aren’t new, the number of preprinted articles increased dramatically during the pan- demic. And, not surprisingly, the number of retractions increased as well. Dr Tillotson also described a rise in plagiarized con- tent in the manuscripts his journal receives, although it has been difficult to know whether these are deliberate instances of copying or the result of overly enthusiastic cutting and pasting. Whatever the cause, it’s not difficult to conclude that the pressure to publish cutting-edge COVID research, lack of staff to oversee the publishing process, Session Report The New Normal in the Medical Publications Sector CONFERENCE http://www.amwajournal.org AMWAJournal.org 56The New Normal in the Medical Publications Sector and lowering of publication standards have created an ethi- cal dilemma that the scientific publishing world must address in the coming years. MENTAL HEALTH IN THE WORKPLACE Tim Day, owner of Innovative Strategic Communications with an extensive background in pharma, spoke about the pandemic’s unforeseen impact on workers’ mental health. Recent surveys1,2 found that over three-quarters of US work- ers experienced at least one symptom of a mental health condition in 2021, more than 80% identified their place of work as a contributor to at least one mental health challenge, and most workers are looking for workplaces that support mental health in the future. Given these findings, moving forward in the post- pandemic era requires businesses to normalize dis- cussions about mental health and commit to fostering the well-being of their workforce. A report published by The US Surgeon General report cited 5 essentials for achieving these goals (Figure 2). As we approach yet another transition in the pan- demic—the return of at-home workers to brick-and-mortar offices—employees and free- lancers need to take stock of lessons learned over the past 3 years and apply them to the new normal in scientific publishing. Mr Day encourages staff writers to consider whether their positions are suitable for at-home work and to discuss this possibility with employers. And all employees, whether staff or freelance, should strive to develop strategies to balance work, family, and mental health. If the pandemic has taught us anything, it’s that mental health in the work- place is no longer optional but essential for both the well-be- ing of individual employees and the industry as a whole. Kathleen Scogna is the Senior Director of Education at the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine in Washington, DC. Author declaration and disclosures: The authors note no commercial associations that may pose a conflict of interest in relation to this article. Author contact: kscogna@gmail.com References 1. 2021 mental health at work report. Mind Share Partners. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.mindsharepartners.org/ mentalhealthatworkreport-2021 2. Workers appreciate and seek mental health support in the workplace. American Psychological Association. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work- well-being/2022-mental-health-support 3. The US Surgeon General’s framework for workplace mental health and well-being. US Department of Health and Human Services. Published 2022. Accessed December 11, 2022. https://www.hhs. gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html Figure 1. Number of scientific publications in 2020, 2021, and 2022. Figure 2. Five essentials for workplace mental health and well-being. From the US Department of Health and Human Services.3 0 20,000 40,000 60,000 80,000 100,000 120,000 140,000 2020 2021 Sep-22 93,649 139,207 101,609 PUBLICATIONS SINCE Publications Since Five Essentials for Workplace Mental Health & Well-Being ComponentsCentered on the worker voice and equity, these five Essentials support workplaces as engines of well-being. Each Essential is grounded in two human needs, shared across industries and roles. Creating a plan with all workers to enact these components can help reimagine workplaces as engines of well-being. *Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Accessibility Protection from Harm • Prioritize workplace physical and psychological safety • Enable adequate rest • Normalize and support mental health • Operationalize DEIA* norms, policies, and programs Work-Life Harmony • Provide more autonomy over how work is done • Make schedules as flexible and predictable as possible • Increase access to paid leave • Respect boundaries between work and non-work time Mattering at Work • Provide a living wage • Engage workers in workplace decisions • Build a culture of gratitude and recognition • Connect individual work with organizational mission Connection & Community • Create cultures of inclusion and belonging • Cultivate trusted relationships • Foster collaboration and teamwork Opportunity for Growth • Offer quality training, education, and mentoring • Foster clear, equitable pathways for career advancement • Ensure relevant, reciprocal feedback Worker Voice and Equity Centered on Work-Life Harmony Autonomy Flexibility Connection & Community Social Support Belonging Protection from Harm Safety Security Mattering at Work Dignity Meaning Opportunity for Growth Learning Accomplishment http://www.amwajournal.org https://www.mindsharepartners.org/mentalhealthatworkreport-2021 https://www.mindsharepartners.org/mentalhealthatworkreport-2021 https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-well-being/2022-mental-health-support https://www.apa.org/pubs/reports/work-well-being/2022-mental-health-support https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/priorities/workplace-well-being/index.html