Amanda McDaniel, MS
Freelance Subcontractor Medical Writer for Medical Communication Consultants Burleson, Texas Graduate: 2001, Physiology How it all began: Amanda McDaniel found her natural abilities for medical writing while working in the lab of Lorenz Lutherer, MD, PhD, (SOM ’77) as a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Undergraduate Research Fellow. Lutherer asked her to read a paragraph in a paper that he was peer reviewing. Identifying multiple grammar mistakes made McDaniel realize there might be a market for someone with strong grammar skills and a solid science background. McDaniel continued working in the lab while earning her master’s degree. Directly after graduating she landed a job at a pharmaceutical company to write for their nonclinical research division. The Reward: After 11 years on the job, McDaniel is now her own boss. She sets her own hours and decides which work topics she is best suited for. However, unlike most freelance writers, as a subcontractor, she doesn’t have to spend time hunting for jobs. “The medical writing and editing firm I work for gives me my choice of jobs, cutting down on the job hunt that I used to engage in as a strictly freelance writer. I love that I get to take complex scientific concepts and make them understandable to lay people,” said McDaniel. She takes pride in seeing her work published in a respected journal and when a drug that she believes will make a difference is approved for sale due to the help of her medical writing skills. The Greatest Challenge: Rarely ever meeting with clients in person, McDaniel realizes she goes days without adult face-to-face interaction, yet the self-described introvert says even she needs social interaction. Day-to-Day: McDaniel has gone back to school pursuing a bachelor’s degree in nursing. She attends UT Arlington, with future plans to work as a registered nurse while continuing her freelance business. “As much as I love writing about the research aspect of medicine, I am ready to be a part of the hands-on side as well,” McDaniel said. With a husband and two daughters, she puts writing and studying aside on occasion to enjoy reading with the girls, taking family bike rides and swimming at the local indoor pool. “The wonderful thing about being a medical writer and editor is that there is such a broad range to the field. Some are journalists and marketers. Some write clinical study protocols and reports. Some write regulatory documents. Others work as writers or editors of textbooks. Most of us are jacks-of-all-trades. The field is constantly expanding.” – Bailey Grasmick
36 |
TTUHSC | Winter 2014
C A R O LY N C R U Z
A L U M N I P R O F I L E S GR A DUATE SCHO OL OF BIO MEDICA L SCIENCES