According to statistics provided by Zippia, the employee turnover rate for people working in the education and health services sector in 2021 was 37%. 

Zippia also reports that 23% of medical writers last longer than one year.

If you are a project manager for a medical writing company, you may believe that that number is much lower. Hiring PhDs, PharmDs, MDs, NDs, and RNs as writers is a difficult task and it’s even hard to keep them. But how can you decrease your turnover rate? 

A one-month review is an excellent opportunity to help medical writers feel like they have made progress and welcome them to the team. Due to the isolated environment remote writers work in, they may need help to feel connected to coworkers and clients. As a project manager, you should gradually help them form new habits that will increase their chances of staying.

The Power of 30 Days

Have you ever heard of a 30-day challenge? People often use them to get in shape, change their diet, overcome addictions, or change their lifestyle. Could that approach help a medical writer commit long-term to your company?

A 2010 study published by the European Journal of Social Psychology shows that it takes 18 to 254 days to develop a new habit or behavior. 

Could you use this method to help medical writers psychologically commit to being long-term writers with your company? The first 30 days are where you, as the project manager, get the ball rolling.

How To Do It

Schedule a check-in appointment with each writer once they complete one month as a medical writer. What should be your goal? To convey a sense of “passed the probation period” to the writer. Welcome them to the team. How?

Specifically, highlight the progress they have made. Replace vague statements like “you are doing a good job” and “keep doing what you are doing” with “your ability to switch from technical writing to lay-friendly has improved” or “your ability to self-manage and interact with clients is what this company needs”. 

Here’s an action tip💡– Cover the following points in your next one-month review and take notes.

  • Discuss their first project(s) and offer feedback
  • Update their writer profile with new info 
  • Offer to do a refresh of the orientation
  • Ask them what they think could be done differently during onboarding
  • Ask if they are willing to work more hours if there is more work available 
  • Tell them why you want them to be there long-term

These points will take your chances of keeping a writer from below sea level to the top of Mount Everest. If you, as a project manager, can help them to see how many positive things they have done in 30 days, you will decrease your turnover rate.

The Waterfall Method 

The waterfall method, also known as SDLC (software development life cycle), is a six-phase project management methodology that can be used during a one-month period to decrease your turnover rate for medical writers. The phases are:

  1. Requirements
  2. System Design
  3. Implementation
  4. Testing
  5. Deployment
  6. Maintenance

But how could a management method used primarily for software development, manufacturing, and construction industries help me as a project manager doing a one-month review? Remember, the one-month review is the conclusion. What you do during that month is what makes the one-month review effective.

What makes the waterfall method practical in this situation is that each step is dependent on the previous steps, thus making the upcoming steps fall into place. 

Let’s pretend the medical writer you just hired is a new piece of software you are developing. How could you revamp the steps so that in 30 days, you successfully complete the project? 

  1. Requirements – On day one, show them what you require of them, company policies, who they will be working with, and the timeline for the next 30 days. Explain why each task must be completed before they or the person they are working with can go to the next step. Help them see the end goal.
  2. System design – Do you use Monday, Smartsheet, Airtable, ClickUp, or, my favorite, Asana? Do a screen share and walk them through how your company uses that platform. Meanwhile, document each step you show them. Afterward, have them share their screen and repeat how the platform is used. This reveals their understanding and potential gaps in it.
  3. Implementation – True to the waterfall method, this step is dependent on the previous step—system design. This is where the medical writer begins their first project, thus initiating the habits. They know what is expected of them and are clear on the system design, so they are ready to go.
  4. Testing – At this phase, your writer will have turned in their first project. Let’s say it is a 3000-word review manuscript on the importance of comprehensive care in multiple sclerosis. At this point, quality assurance, or in this case the medical editor, would review the manuscript and document any errors. At that point, test the writer’s ability to correct those errors and keep your notes for future reference.
  5. Deployment – At this point, the manuscript will be delivered to the client. Let the writer know that because they completed the manuscript, the medical editor was able to review it, and because they were quick to make the edits, the client is now reviewing, and we can proceed to the next step.
  6. Maintenance – In this phase, the client may come back and ask for revisions. This is an opportunity to repeat phases 3 – 5. Be sure to go back and review the notes from the medical editor in phase 4. Reiterate the role the writer plays as a dependency on the next phase.

Using this method in the first month creates a comfortable space for the medical writer to have a productive one-month review. It’s almost like you developed a new piece of software. It will tune their habits and give them the dopamine release of a 30-day challenge.

What Is the Next Step?

You may wonder, what should I do after the first 30 days? Once you get past the 30 days, leave a cliffhanger. Let the remote medical writer know you will do a follow-up with them in 90 days. With the feedback and enthusiasm you have given them, they will be more driven to prove themselves. However, be genuine. Make sure the medical writer is clear on what the next level for them is and what will happen if they reach it.

Let The Med Writers Take Care of It!

Has managing medical writers become too difficult? Do you have too much on your plate? Let The Med Writers take care of your medical writing needs.

We provide medical writing services for journal submissions, PowerPoint presentations, grant proposals, white papers, medical manuscript editing, social media posts, and more. 

Click here to set up a free consultation!