Welcome to Washington DC Steps for Success 2018

Welcome to Washington, DC!

Steps for Success: 2018 Conference, AMWA, and Beyond October 31, 2018

Goal • Highlight how you can get the most out AMWA’s 2018 Medical Writing & Communication Conference • Discuss how to make the most of your AMWA membership • Illustrate how AMWA can help you enhance your professional development and success

Six Steps to Success Step 3 Step 2 Step 1 Explore the industry and discover what makes AMWA unique Get the most out of the conference Take advantage of AMWA’s educational opportunities

Six Steps to Success (cont’d) Step 6 Step 5 Step 4 Learn about AMWA members-only benefits that can help you achieve success Become involved in AMWA Stand out from the crowd

Step 1: Explore The Industry and Discover What Makes AMWA Unique

Medical Writing Is Not Just Vanilla • Range of settings • Variety of written documents • Assortment of skill sets and attributes

31 Flavors of Medical Writing • • • Regulatory writing Medical device writing Sales training Patient education Marketing communications • • • Continuing education Editing Scientific publications Writing for consumers Health care public relations

The Uniqueness of AMWA

Who Hires Medical Writers? • Contract research organizations (CROs) • Government agencies • Hospitals, health systems • Medical device companies • Medical communication/ medical education agencies • Professional societies, disease associations • Pharmaceutical/biotech companies • Publishers or journal offices • Universities/medical schools • Self-employed/freelance

What Do We Write or Edit? • Clinical study reports • Continuing education content • Home-study learning programs —print and digital • Journal manuscripts • Materials to educate patients about diseases and treatments • Meeting abstracts, posters, slides • Needs assessments • Newsletters, magazine stories for hospitals • Online interactive learning programs • Press releases • Product monographs • Web content for hospitals, medical practices—blogs, FAQs

Want To Learn More? Regulatory writing? Grant Writing? • Thursday 9: 30 am: Regulatory Medical Writing in the Digital Age • Thursday 2: 00 pm: Grant Editing Basics: Appealing to Reviewers • Thursday 9: 30 am: From Protocol to Package Insert – A Data Journey • Saturday 10: 30 am: Dissecting the Critical ‘Specific Aims’ Page • Thursday 2: 00: Medical Writing between Dossier Submission and Drug Approval • Thursday 4: 00 pm: The CSR Simplification Project: Creating a Clear, Compliant, and Concise CSR Freelancing? • Thursday 9: 30 am: Strategies for Building a Successful Freelance Writing and Editing Business • Thursday 2: 00 pm: Master the Disaster • Friday 2: 00 pm: Responses to Regulatory Authorities: Measure Twice—Cut Once • Friday 9: 00 am: Large, Complex Freelance Medical Writing Projects: Best Practices • Saturday 10: 30 am: Regulatory Compliance Fundamentals for Promotional and Educational Writing In Life Sciences • Friday 10: 30 am: Networking for Introverted Freelancers: How to Get Better Results with Less Stress Writing in General? • Friday 2: 00 pm: Jam Sessions for Freelances • Thursday 9: 30 am: Medical Communication Data Visualization: Bringing Advanced Visualization Techniques to Scientific Communication • Saturday 9: 00 am: Fit for Freelance: Home Wellness Health Secrets • Thursday 2: 00 pm: Elevating the Patient Voice: Opportunities and Challenges for Medical Communicators • Saturday 10: 30 am: Your Freelance Brand: How to Stand Out in a Sea of Freelances

Check Out This AMWA Resource A Career in Medical Communication: Steps to Success Find this interactive learning activity at AMWA Online Learning

…And This One!

Step 2: Get The Most Out of the Conference

Network, Network! • Beverage breaks, receptions, poster sessions, dinners, and sessions • Seek out other attendees with new member/first-time attendee ribbons on their badges—and get your own • Talk to attendees with lots of ribbons • Never eat alone • Mix & Mingle lounge (tonight) • Regional dinners (Thursday) • Dine-arounds (Friday) • Follow-up

Attend “must-do” events: Today 2: 00 pm 3: 30 pm 4: 00 pm 5: 00 pm • Identifying Experience and Expertise to Succeed as a Medical Writer • If You Build It, They Will Come: An Unconventional Path from Freelance to Business Owner Reimagining the Industry of Medical Writing Beverage break • Making a Career Out of Medical Writing • Word Masterclass Part I: Best Tips and Techniques AMWA Mix & Mingle Lounge

Attend “must-do” events: Thursday 8: 30 am Continental breakfast with exhibitors 10: 30 am 11: 00 am Beverage break and poster session Opening General Session • Award presentations • Mc. Govern Award Address Networking lunch with exhibitors General Session with Swanberg Award Address 12: 15 pm 5: 15 pm 6: 00 pm Meet in lobby for chapter and regional dinners Meet AMWA members in your area

Attend “must-do” events: Friday 12: 15 pm Networking lunch with exhibitors 3: 30 pm Beverage break and poster session 4: 00 pm General session with Alvarez Award address 5: 00 pm Happy hour in the exhibit hall 6: 30 pm Meet in lobby for dine arounds

Attend “must-do” events: Saturday 2: 00 pm Annual Business Meeting

Other Places To Go Exhibit Hall: • Meet vendors with resources targeted to medical writers • View posters from other AMWA members • Bulletin Board: post messages to connect with members you know (or don’t) know Registration Area: • Meet AMWA staff and get your ribbons! • Visit the AMWA info booth • Sign up for Friday dine-arounds

Step 3: Take Advantage of AMWA’s Educational Opportunities

You Think You Need an Education? AMWA's mission is to promote excellence in medical communication and to provide educational resources in support of that goal.

AMWA Education • Conference • AMWA Online Learning • Live Webinars • Essential Skills Program • Networking and Learning Events • Onsite Corporate Training

Education at Conference Workshops Roundtables Open Sessions Poster sessions

However… • Your best education at this conference is probably going to occur outside of meeting rooms • Talk to people, ask them questions, and share your experiences

AMWA Online Learning On-Demand Webinars 55 recordings of live AMWA webinars Many are free to members Interactive Learning Activities Print Resources 19 activities 14 resource documents Includes low-cost FIT Series activities Free to members

Certificates vs. Certification A few letters make a big difference!

The Essential Skills Certificate • Basic Grammar and Usage • Elements of Medical Terminology • Essential Ethics for Medical Communicators • Punctuation for Clarity and Style • Sentence Structure and Patterns • Statistics for Medical Writers and Editors • Tables and Graphs

Certification • MWC®: Medical Writer Certified • Credential that defines the scope of medical writing practice and distinguishes individuals in the field • Launched in 2015 • 75 medical communicators have received the MWC® as of Oct 2018

How to Earn Your MWC® Step 1: Meet the requirements • Bachelor’s degree in any field of study • Minimum of 2 years of full-time, paid work experience in the field of medical writing

How to Earn Your MWC®, cont’d Step 2: Read the Applicant and Candidate Handbook Step 3: Complete Application form, provide 2 letters of reference Step 4: Submit application and pay fee (discount for AMWA members) Step 5: Register to take the exam Step 6: Pass the exam

MWC® Testimonials “I wanted to enter the job market with a powerful credential that would give prospective employers confidence in my skill-set and convey my depth of commitment to my profession. . . Earning my MWC® credential was a significant step in that professional evolution. ” —Nola Clarke, MWC® “I feel that my MWC credential helps strengthen my credibility and authority, particularly around issues related to health literacy and plain language principles. ” —Kelly Crowley, MWC® “Anyone can hang out a shingle and call herself a medical writer, but having the MWC® identifies you as a professional who has demonstrated medical writing core competencies. ” —Dana Randall, MWC®

Step 4: Learn about AMWA members-only benefits that can help you achieve success

AMWA Benefits: A Network of Peers • Chapters • Local networking coordinator (LNC) events • Regional and National Conferences • Engage, AMWA’s Online Professional Community

AMWA Chapters • 15 chapters • AMWA members can belong to any chapter • Chapter benefits: • Local events • Volunteer opportunities • Leadership opportunities • Chapter-specific benefits (varies by chapter) • To confirm or change your chapter:

Local Networking • Local networking coordinators ⎯ LNCs (“links”) • Linking local AMWA members together

Engage: AMWA’s Online Community

If You’re Not Using Engage, You’re Missing Out! FIND other members in your geographic area or writing specialty SEARCH the discussion thread database for specific topics BROWSE the latest discussion threads Complete YOUR profile so other members can find you!

Tip: Follow AMWA and Connect With Peers on Social Media • AMWA announces key events, deadlines, etc. on social media Ø @Am. Med. Writers • AMWA members are active on Linked. In and Twitter Ø Virtual networking (Also: Open e-mails from AMWA: They contain good stuff!)

AMWA Benefits: Learn • AMWA Education • AMWA Journal • Print or online • Medical Communication News • Delivered to your Inbox every other week

AMWA Benefits: Build Your Career • Freelance Package • Freelance directory • Freelance community in Engage • Jobs Online • Salary Survey

AMWA Partner Discounts • 50% off Reference Manager™ or Endnote™ bibliographic database software • 30% off Perfect. It Proofreading Software • 25% off Journal of Communication in Healthcare • 25% off JPASS: Academic Journal Access Through JSTOR • 20% of Scientific Style and Format: 8 th Edition • 20% off Elsevier's Clinical. Key • 20% off AMA Manual of Style • 20% off Evidence Partners • 20%/14% off Chicago Manual of Style (hardbound/online) • 15% tuition off select masters-level programs through the Mayes College at the University of the Sciences • 12. 5% off GKDocuments full-text article delivery

AMWA staff are here for YOU!

Step 5: Become involved in AMWA

What Does It Mean To Be Involved? Volunteering Involvement Networking

Value of Being Involved • Grow your network • Expand your professional resume • Build confidence as you gain leadership & management skills • Strengthen AMWA as a professional organization

Volunteer Opportunities: Made to Fit YOU Travel • Work from home • Travel to meetings Level • National level • Local/Chapter level Calendar • Regularly through year (eg, committee work) • Less Burst(s) of activity (eg, planning local event) Time • More • Less

How To Volunteer At the Local level Within a chapter Contact your chapter leaders: www. amwa. org Membership Chapters Outside a chapter Email headquarters: membership@amwa. org At the Chapter level Contact your chapter leaders www. amwa. org Membership Chapters At the National level Fill out Volunteer Interest Form (VIF) www. amwa. org/page/VIF

Step 6: Stand out from the crowd

Stand Out: Present! Locally: • Present at a local networking event • Present at a chapter event • Present a chapter webinar At conference: • Roundtable leader • Poster presentation • Open session speaker • Workshop leader

Stand Out: Write! Journaleditor@amwa. org

Stand Out: Serve! Locally: • Plan local networking events • Serve as chapter membership chair, event planner, website manager, newsletter editor, etc. • Serve as chapter president, secretary, or treasurer Nationally: • Serve on or chair a committee, task force, or ad hoc group • Serve on Board of Directors • Serve as national president, secretary, or treasurer

Become an AMWA Ambassador Spread the word about the wonders of AMWA!

Thank You For Joining Us Questions? amwa@amwa. org