70 | March 2019 Medical Writing | Volume 28 Number 1

Julia Cooper,1 James Newman,2

Garima Pallavi,3 and Linda Yih4

Medical Writing Services, PAREXEL International Ltd1. Dublin, Ireland2. Uxbridge, UK3. Bengaluru, India4. Lyme, CT, USA

Correspondence to:Julia CooperPAREXEL International LtdOne Kilmainham SquareInchicore RoadDublin 8, Irelandjulia.cooper@parexel.com

AbstractThe opportunity for continual learning anddevelopment is one of the reasons many of usare attracted to, and remain in, the medicalwriting profession. A culture of learning iscritical to instill ongoing development in anyprofession. For medical writers, it helps tomaintain a broad perspective and adapt to thechange that is a part of our industry. In thisarticle, we describe our experiences in hiring,training, and developing medical writers at alllevels, from internships through to mid-levelcareer and into management.

A culture of learning is critical to a successfulcareer in medical writing, and many medicalwriters cite the continual opportunities toexpand their skills as one of the reasons they stayin the profession. The defined path for a learningculture (Figure 1) instills ongoing developmentand helps employees maintain a broadperspective and adapt to change. Line managershave the largest and most immediate influenceand can leverage this by demonstrating a

commitment to growth and encourage a safeenvironment for employees to ask questions andshare ideas. Empowering employees andappoint ing stretch assignments expands theirskillset and confidence. Support to achieve thesegoals creates trust within the organisation. In thisarticle, we share our experience in hiring andonboarding, internship programmes, develop-ment of mid-level writers, and making thetransition into medical writing management.

Laying the foundations:Recruitment and onboardingTo establish a culture that encourages employeegrowth, line managers need to make learning anexpectation, not an option. This begins at thehiring stage, when candidates are evaluated notonly for their knowledge, but for their initiativetoward professional development. To handle thepressures of ever decreasing timelines and otherproject challenges, medical writers need to

Elevate your medical writing team to success: Managing professional growth from internship to management

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4Figure 1. Path of a learning culture

3. Mid-career developmentl Individual development plansl Mentoringl Soft skills trainingl Information sharing forums

4. Transition to managementl Manager mentoringl Manager skill standardsl Managerial effectiveness trainingl Trusted advisors

2. Internship programmesl 3 Es: experience, exposure, educationl Set upl Teaching stylel Onboarding / offboarding

1. Recruitment and onboardingl Development aspirations / expectationsl New hire mentorl Writer skill standards

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Cooper et al. – Elevate your medical writing team to success

demonstrate resilience. Ideal candidates oftendescribe their greatest challenges as their bestlearning experiences and have persevered andsucceeded in times of change. Interviewersemphasise expectations for professional devel -opment, in addition to programmes and tools forsupport.

Capturing a new-hire’s enthusiasm andengagement are key at the onboarding stage, sodevelopment tools and opportunities areintroduced within the first weeks in the company.A new-hire mentor welcomes and assistsemployees in navigating department systems andprocesses. Writer skill standards, which werecreated to evaluate skill sets consistently within ajob role and across levels (e.g., junior, senior, andprincipal writers), are introduced at this earlystage. The DIA Medical Writing Competency

Model (Clemow et al.,1,2) was usedto develop these standards that alsoalign to job descriptions, anddesignate expected competenciesper level: writing, functional(project management), leadership(team management, process), andother (technical, editing andlanguage). Previous professionalexperience is included as part of theevaluation. Skill standards arelikewise used to determine andjustify promotion readiness.

InternshipprogrammesThe demand for medical writerscontinues to increase, and a well-runintern programme can ensure organ -isations have the means to develop atalent pipeline. Experiential learning,such as internship programmes,provides entry-level job aspirantswith practical experience, primingthem to efficiently and effectivelyenter the workforce. In combinationwith other training and support, theprogramme fulfils the “3Es oflearning” – Experience, Exposure,and Education – as guidance todevelop professional goals (Figure 2).

Carefully designed internshipprogrammes benefit organisations inthe following ways:

Efficient and cost-effective recruitmentstrategy: l Performance of interns can be evaluated

before offering permanent positions.l Considerably less time to hire compared to

experienced staff.

Faster growth and employee retention:l With a defined learning programme, interns

develop faster, with learning curves shorterthan external entry-level hires who areimmediately immersed in project work.

l Tailor-made programmes and incentives forinterns lead to increased motivation andengagement, resulting in long-term retention.

Succession planning: l With a faster learning curve, interns quickly

take on straightforward writing tasks, whichopen capacity at higher levels, allowing seniorwriters to focus on advanced and complexwork.

l Line managers and senior staff advance theircareer development with mentoring/coachingresponsibility for interns.

Setting up an entry-level internshipprogrammeA successful internship programme requirescommitment from the employer to ensure internsattain a meaningful experience, benefitting allparties. A crucial first step is to clearly define theprogramme objectives, how the programme willbenefit the organisation, and details on how tomeet the desired outcomes.

The hiring process should be as rigorous asthose employed for permanent hires, includinginterviews, administration of competency tests,behavioural interview techniques, and otherrecruitment strategies that will allow theorganisation to target the right talent and “fit”within the department and company. A jobdescription explicitly defining the desiredacademic qualifications as well as job roles,responsibilities, and expectations should bedeveloped.

The curriculum should be targeted to connectpeople from different backgrounds and build acohesive group. Interns hired out of universitieswill be unfamiliar with working in a corporateenvironment and with the basic principles ofclinical research and medical writing; therefore,standardised structured training on these topics,

including orientation to the organisationalculture, should be provided. Practice exercises,job shadowing, and periodic assessments willmeasure progress. Trainers, coaches, mentors,and managers play important roles in orientinginterns to the organisational culture, customisinglearning objectives, assigning job-shadowingexercises, and giving constructive performancefeedback as well as eliciting feedback frominterns.

An effective training strategy will entail:l Clarity of purpose  – Rationale for the

course, target group, aims and objectives,desired learning outcomes, process plan,responsibilities, piloting and testing, andevaluation.

l Defined lesson plans – To assess knowledgegaps and define the training goals.

l Adaptive and/or customised training  –Assign suitable trainers with different skillsetsand expertise, relevant training materials(presentations and lesson plans), andcarefully planned training logistics.

l Consistency of approach  – All trainersfollow the same principles, periodic statuschecks ensure progress stays on track, and fullcommitment is expected from all stake -holders.

l Continuous feedback loop – All (positive/negative) feedback from new hires isincorporated in real time to improve thecurriculum and training methodology.

Structured, responsive, and flexible teachingTo expedite intern development, classroomtraining plays a role, alongside practical learning.Ensure each lesson has its own path with roomfor flexibility, and share with other trainers,mentors, or coaches to gain feedback. Use alesson plan template or create your own. Puttingthe plan in writing allows you to spot flaws oromissions compared to the overall trainingstrategy. Sharing these plans with others revealshow they can reinforce your lessons. Lesson plansmay need to be altered when taking varied traineedevelopment needs into account. Remain flexiblein the event that a lesson deviates from a plannedroute; in fact, such instances are a form offeedback and signal a need for a plan to beupdated. It also indicates that trainees areengaged.

Watch and listen to your trainees to identify

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what works for them. To start, ensure that eachlesson is planned around the principle ‘tell themwhat you are going to tell them, tell them, thentell them what you have told them’. When lessonshave periods of interactivity mixed in with moretraditional didactic blocks, a trainer can make thesame point in different ways to reinforce the coreobjective, plus keep it fun and well-paced at thesame time. In fact, fun can be a useful tool, notonly to engage the trainees but also to keep themlearning and foster team spirit. Consider startingeach lesson with an activity or game that relatesto a previous lesson: group trainees into teamsand make such starting activities or gamesloosely competitive by keeping score. A prize forthe winners at the end of the course ismotivating.

Onboarding/offboarding internsThe decision to hire or release an individual atthe end of the internship should be madefollowing in-depth performance assessments;360-degree feedback is particularly useful.Onboarding checklists ensure a consistent,targeted approach to integration and adaptationinto the organ isation. Interns transitioning intoan entry-level writer position may be assessed for

production-readiness before being allocated liveproject work. To keep them engaged with asteady and manageable workload, assign livework in an incremental manner and set clearexpectations around the regular job duties.

Offboarding should be done in a carefullyconsidered and sensitive manner. Give theinterns open and direct feedback on theirdevelopment and ask for their feedback on theprogramme; exit interviews should beconducted whenever possible. Interns shouldleave the organisation with a positiveimpression.

From entry-level toexperienced writer As described above, plenty of attention isdevoted to employees at the beginning of theircareers. However, it is important to pay attentionto the majority of employees who are in mid-career; this is when job satisfaction oftendiminishes and engagement wanes. Feelingoverlooked or forgotten can be the final push forindividuals who feel they have given their bestefforts to a company and now desire a change inroles or locations or need a new challenge tojumpstart motivation. Development plans, line

manager support, and information sharingamongst the writing group maintain employeeprogression and momentum.

An individual development plan that outlinesshort- (1 year), mid- (2-4 years), and long-term(5+ years) development goals allows for trans -parent career path conversations with linemanagers. Using templates and a guide for self-assessment, preparation, and evaluation, the planmain tains a structured and consistent approach,while the development path itself can be flexible.The plan is owned and updated by the employee,who can make changes as needs and aspirationsevolve, and new opportunities arise. Theindividual development plan can be reviewedregularly (i.e., quarterly, with an employee’s linemanager, who can identify opportunities fordevelopment goals).

For writers who want to remain in theircurrent roles but acquire new skills, a writermentoring programme can be useful as it focuseson targeted development (i.e., honing documentdevelopment or project management skills). A mentor from another department or regionmay be identified to help a writer acquire skillsthat go beyond the writing role. As projectmanagement and leadership skills play a largerrole for senior-level writers, soft skills training(i.e., managing challenging circumstances orteams, negotiating, influencing without formalauthority, cross-cultural training) is offered andis available as needed. A forum for the globalwriting team to share expertise and discuss thelessons learned not only expands groupknowledge but gives writers the opportunity todevelop presentation skills and gain recognitionas a subject matter expert. These activities instilconfidence in writers to lead project teams,provide meaningful contributions to the writingteam, cultivate auton omy and, importantly,maintain engagement.

Transition to management Writer development plans address the transitionof senior writers into operational leadership ormanagement roles. Those who do not wish tobecome a manager may pursue a technical experttrack, such as principal medical writer. For thosewho are willing to take the leap into management,the move from writer to manager can be asmooth transition with the right tools andsupport. Expectations may include a mixed bagof positives (new challenges, opportunities tomake a meaningful difference, increased exposure)

Elevate your medical writing team to success – Cooper et al.

Figure 2. The 3Es of learning: experience, exposure, and education

Developing skillson-the-jobthrough owningand/orcontributing tonew and/or complextasks.

Gaining visibility byparticipating in situations withpeople we normallydo not have accessto; includes workingwith mentors,coaches, and leaders,and receivingfeedback.

Develop bypartaking inclasses,eLearnings,webinars,conferences,and readingbooks, etc.

Experience 70%

Exposure 20%

Education 10%

Path of a learning culture

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Cooper et al. – Elevate your medical writing team to success

and anxieties, centred around new people-management responsibilities, the perceived needto “know it all” to lead others, and managingformer peers, to name a few.

Development tools similar to those for writerscan be created for managers to facilitate thetransition. Management aspirations are oftenidentified at individual development plandiscussions. An employee can evaluate his or herskill set against the job description and managerskill standards to identify competency gaps. Skillsthat make one a good medical writer are notnecessarily the skills required at the manageriallevel; coaching skills, building a team culture,providing feedback, managing conflicts, andinfluencing others are key management compe -tencies that may not have been essential in thepast. The writer and line manager may discuss anaction plan to close such gaps and determine arealistic timeline for the transition. A managermentoring programme supports new or estab -lished managers on topics including delegation,giving feedback, managing across regions/cultures, and other leadership skills. Company-sponsored managerial effectiveness trainingeducates novice managers on topics such asdeveloping and managing a high-performingteam, proactive problem solving, behavioural-based interviewing, and change management.

While these tools present managementexpectations, once in the role, new managers willundoubtedly experience a change from beingexperienced individual contributors havingconsiderable control over their work, todelegating and managing others’ work for whichthey have ultimate responsibility. Trust andrelationship-building skills are essential forsuccess. If managing former peers, an individualmay soon find that not everyone is necessarily onhis or her side. This shift in mindset may come asa surprise, and this is where a mentor or trustedadviser can help. An environment of opencommunication, where employees are encour -aged to contact each other with questions orshare lessons learned, further instils a learningculture. Managers can do the same, by sharingpeople management ideas or concerns (whilemaintaining employee confidentiality) and openlydiscussing leadership styles and techniques.

Concluding remarksTargeted hiring, internship programmes, mid-career development plans, and tools to support

the transition to management all foster theculture of continual learning that is essential tosuccess in medical writing. Furthermore, thehuman element must reinforce the developmentphilosophy. A reliable, supportive network withinthe department and company with transparencyand open dialogue are essential. Line managerswho develop trust and a strong workingrelationship with their writers are able to openlydiscuss the necessary skills and experience toprogress to the next level and effectively plan forcareer progression. Development programmesshould also incorporate the flexibility to allowindividuals to explore new opportunities in a“forgiving” environment where mistakes can bemade to broaden their knowledge base. In thistype of environment, employees are encouragedto thrive and develop beyond their expectations.

DisclaimersThe opinions expressed in this article are theauthors’ own and not necessarily shared by theiremployer or EMWA.

Conflicts of interestThe authors are employed by PAREXELInternational Ltd.

References 1. Clemow DB, Wagner B, Marshallsay C,

Benau D, L'Heureux D, Brown DH, et al.,Medical Writing Competency Model –Section 1: Functions, tasks, and activities.Ther. Innov. Regul. Sci. 2017:52(1):70–7.

2. Clemow DB, Wagner B, Marshallsay C,Benau D, L’Heureux D, Brown DH, et al.,Medical Writing Competency Model –Section 2: Knowledge, skills, abilities, andbehaviours. Ther Innov Regul Sci.2017:52(1):78–88.

Author informationJulia Cooper, PhD, is Vice President, Headof Global Medical Writing Services atPAREXEL, and her responsibilities includehiring and training of medical writers acrossthe Americas, Europe, and Asia. She currentlyworks out of PAREXEL’s Dublin office.

Garima Pallavi, MSc, is an AssociateDirector at PAREXEL, and her respon si -bilities include recruiting, onboarding,mentoring, and developing high-calibremedical writers. She has led a successfulmedical writing internship programme. She isbased out of Bengaluru, India.

Linda Yih, BSc, is a Senior Director inMedical Writing Services at PAREXEL. Asthe global lead for the People Developmentinitiative, she focuses on onboarding,professional development, and retention ofwriters as well as managers. Linda isdecentralised in Connecticut, USA.

James Newman, PhD, is a Senior Manager atPAREXEL and his responsibilities includerecruiting and developing medical writers inEurope, and leading quality initiatives. He hasco-developed and co-led a medical writingintern programme. He is based out ofPAREXEL’s Uxbridge office in the UK.

Targeted hiring, internshipprogrammes, mid-career

development plans, and tools tosupport the transition to

management all foster theculture of continual learningthat is essential to success in

medical writing.

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