Employment Outlook
Medical Writer
Average wage for
Employment Levels
Around 24,400 people are currently employed as Medical Writers in Australia. This is set to increase slightly to 26,900 people by 2019, according to the Department of Employment.
Employment by State
45.4% of all Medical Writers are employed in NSW. The area with the lowest number of Medical Writers is NT, with only 0.6%.
Gender Split
This is a slightly male dominated industry with 53.4% of Medical Writers being male and 46.6% female.
Age Brackets
The most popular age for people working as Medical Writers is 25-34 years old, with 33.7%. A small percentage (3.9%) of people get into this career path older, aged 65 and over. There is also a number of people who enjoy a career as Medical Writers, with 9.7% aged 20-24.
Hours Worked
Medical Writers work an average of 42.7 hours a week which is 1.8 hours higher than the average for all occupations.
Education Level
The majority of Medical Writers have a Bachelor Degree qualification (41.3%) or are at a Year 12 level (25.8%). 74.1% of people have a Cert III or higher, whilst 25.9% have a qualification which is Year 12 or lower.
Medical Writer Duties & Tasks
- Vary writing style and level of assumed knowledge depending on projected readership.
- Stay up-to-date with latest developments in medical news.
- Write for medical journals, mainstream publications, and online news sites.
- Use background in medical fields to increase public understanding of medical issues.
- Research topics thoroughly, checking that sources are reputable and scientific.
- Find jobs and apply for work, providing samples of work to potential employers.
- Maintain networks of sources and medical experts in order to obtain advice and quotes.
- Keep any medical qualifications current.
Professional Associations & Groups
*The information provided on this page is from the Department of Employment’s Job Outlook website. All salary ranges are from Payscale. Where jobs are not exact matches, job areas have been used. This information is to be used as a guide only.
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