Description of a medical writing rotation for a postgraduate pharmacy residency program

To provide a description of a pharmacy residency rotation dedicated to medical writing developed at a tertiary care academic medical center.

Contribution to the medical literature is an important component of professional pharmacy practice, and there are many benefits seen by practitioners actively involved in scholarly activities. Residency programs have an opportunity to expand beyond the standard roles of postgraduate pharmacist training but rarely is there formal instruction on medical writing skills or are scholarship opportunities provided to residents. In order to address this deficiency, a residency program may consider the implementation of a formal Medical Writing rotation. This rotation is designed to introduce the resident to medical writing through active discussion on medical writing foundational topics, engage the resident in a collaborative review of a manuscript submitted to a peer-reviewed professional journal, and support the resident in the design and composition of manuscript of publishable quality.

A structured Medical Writing rotation during a pharmacy resident's training can help develop the skills necessary to promote scholarly activities and foster resident interest in future pursuit of professional medical writing.